| The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to analyze student’s
decision-making strategies as they engage in the processes of transferring institutions and
awarding of academic credits. To date, research in higher education has explored the
transfer experience of students at both vertical (2-year) and horizontal (4-year)
institutions (Government Accountability Office, 2017; Handel, 2011). Researchers have
looked at this topic from the lens of students, faculty, and administration (Bensimon &
Dowd, 2009; Townsend & Wilson, 2006). The field has a long way to go in
understanding the transfer experience for students with foreign credentials. Because of
the decentralized evaluation model in the United States (U.S)., the transfer experience for
students with foreign credentials can vary greatly. To better understand the experience,
this research focused on a particularly vulnerable student population, refugees, and their
outcomes. A refugee is a person who is forced to flee their country because of
persecution, war, or violence (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2020).
There is little research on refugee students, their experiences with higher education, or
their system of accessing foreign credentials (Abdul Satar, 2017; Campbell, 2017).
This research may help institutions reflect on their policies and practices to ensure
they operate in a manner that is fair and equitable to all students. This research will
describe unique and common experiences amongst highly educated refugees who are
looking to have their foreign credentials recognized by a U.S. college or university. The
use of the Sustainable Livelihood Framework provided a structure to describe and
examine the lived experiences of refugee students (Cannon, et al., 2003; Longley &
xv
Maxwell, 2003). Using an exploratory qualitative research design, this study described
perceived experiences with systems and processes that either allowed or restricted a
person’s ability to access assets.
Key Words: Higher Education, Refugees, Academic Credentials, Qualifications,
Certification, Livelihood |