Vertical Transfer Experiences of Ethnic Chinese International Students from Community Colleges: Who Are They and What Have They Experienced?

Abstract

International students play a significant role not only in the U.S. higher education in terms of enriching the diversity into campus community and fulfilling the internationalization mission (Chen, 2014), but also contributing $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy and supporting more than 378,000 jobs during the 2023-2024 academic year (NAFSA, n.d.). The transfer pathway for international students from community colleges to universities in the U.S. is well-established with many advantages such as open enrollment policy and affordability. There is much research on vertical transfer from community college to four-year institutions in domestic students but not international students. Another issue is that data on international students of color are not separated in many empirical studies of ethnic American students or in institution's statistics and publications. International students, often students of color, are not included or lumped with resident students of color. There is much research in recent years on various topics on Chinese international students from Mainland China, but other ethnic Chinese are relatively unstudied. The purpose of this study is to identify and understand the intersectionality of race, ethnicity, place of origin, and non-immigrant status of ethnic Chinese international community college students. This study looks at the factors that influence ethnic Chinese international community college students in their vertical transfer experiences and examine how the intertwined identities of race, ethnicity, place of origin, academic achievement, and non-immigrant status impact their educational experiences in the U.S.