The intersections of race, immigrant status, and university confirmations in Toronto
Abstract
Although the number of students attending university has been steadily increasing over the past 20 years, discrepancies remain across racialized student groups. Students who immigrate to Canada also face a number of barriers to university participation. However, few studies investigate variations in university participation across racialized immigrant student groups. We draw on an intersectional approach to analyze student data from the Toronto District School Board. We employ multilevel logistic regression to examine if there are interactive effects of being both racialized and having an immigrant status on confirming a university enrollment. Looking at self-identified race and immigrant status of students in combination reveals that there are important differences in the likelihood of confirming and offer of university admission between several self-identified racial categories, depending on if they were foreign-born.
Notes
Open access – No
Gaps identified
- The relationship between race, immigrant status, and post-secondary education achievement is broadly understudied, so more research is needed to better understand these relationships.
Key recommendations
- Further research is needed to inform evidence-based policy on reducing educational achievement gaps between first and second generation immigrants.
Key findings
- A significant relationship was found between race, immigration status, and university acceptance for East Asian students and Southeast Asian students, compared to White students who were born in Canada.
- East Asian and Southeast Asian students born in Canada was more likely to receive a university acceptance compared to their first generation East Asian and Southeast Asian immigrant peers.
Key population
- students
- East Asian
- Southeast Asian
Location
- Toronto
- Ontario
- urban areas
Community organizations
Integration timeline
