Work

Arrival infrastructures and refugee enrolment in higher education

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Refugees enrolling in host country higher education can improve their position in the labour market. However, little is known about the patterns underlying enrolment, and existing studies have only examined explanations at the individual level. This is problematic because opportunities to enrol in education are also dependent upon structural factors, and by ignoring this, studies run the risk of depicting non‐enrolment as a consequence of individual shortcomings. We address this issue through the notion of arrival infrastructures and argue that existing infrastructures at multiple spatial scales may support or discourage enrolment. By focusing on the Netherlands, we were able to follow the enrolment of all registered refugees that arrived between 2014 and 2017 over time using registry data. We find that the accessibility of education, the municipal political climate and regional economic conditions influence educational enrolment. These findings show that dispersal policies can have detrimental effects on the social mobility of refugees.

Source: International Migration

DOI: 10.1111/imig.13374

Authors: Ids Baalbergen, Gideon Bolt, Yanliu Lin, Pieter Hooimeijer

Institution: Utrecht University

Language: English

Topic: Education and experiences of immigrants and refugees

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Quality education

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,500