Moving to a new country can be a very difficult process. There are often many barriers to overcome as you try to assimilate into your new home country, like speaking a different language, eating new food, learning new cultural traditions, and even attending different schools. The number of immigrant students in the United States continues to climb as more and more immigrants move to the U.S., with over 28% of college students in the United States coming from immigrant families. So, how do immigrant students perform in the United States?
Immigrant students often have more obstacles to overcome in school than U.S.-born students. Things like language barriers, reception by teachers and other students, suffering from poverty, and starting school later result in immigrant students performing worse than U.S.-born students on average through the end of high school. Immigrant students are more likely to be bilingual, but it takes them longer to get up to speed when learning English.
However, nearly 33% of immigrant students attain a bachelor’s degree or higher, which is almost equal to the percentage of U.S.-born adults completing that level of education. Recently arrived immigrants hold an even higher completion rate of a bachelor’s degree or higher at nearly 50%. This data suggests that immigrant students are more successful when they come to the U.S. for higher education, like a bachelor’s degree or higher in college, and less successful when they begin their education in the U.S. in grade school or high school. This could be attributed to having more access to resources on campus and being able to adapt to U.S. schools more easily at an older age.
International Student Services Association (ISSA) is dedicated to creating a better future for students who are immigrants to the United States by providing information, inspiration, and motivation for students to navigate their education and develop their future careers beyond high school. We want to see immigrant students perform their very best in U.S. schools by giving them the resources they need to thrive. Find out more about how we help immigrant students and how we can help you get started today!
Written By: Dom Lincoln
