A dam in the river:

barriers to professional school admission

for globally mobile students
Lewis Cardenas, Steven Chang, Robert Coffey, and Nurten Ural
Hoş geldiniz
Welcome
Discussion overview

● Definition of terms
● Motivating factors prompting student migration
● Constraining factors
● Solution strategies/interventions
● Your questions and ideas
Definition of terms

Postsecondary (higher, tertiary, third-level) education - an optional

final stage of formal learning that occurs after completion of a
secondary level credential

Postsecondary Education Institution - “PSEI”

Definition of terms

International student - a student who has chosen to pursue an

educational credential in a country other than their own

Third Culture Kids (“TCK”)- people raised in a culture other than their
parents' or the culture of the country named on their passport (where
they are legally considered native) for a significant part of their early
development years.

First generation student - a student whose parents have not

completed an undergraduate degree
Definition of terms

Professional school - a postgraduate institution that prepares students

for careers and (in some cases) credentialing/licensure in a specific field.
North American examples:
● dentistry
● medicine ● social work
● law ● psychology
● pharmacy ● nursing
● veterinary medicine
● physical or occupational therapy
● optometry
Definition of terms

Socio-economic status (SES) - the measure of an individual or

family’s economic and social position in relation to others, based on
income, education, and occupation
Motivating factors: globalization

● Globalization as context, catalyst for student migration

○ Government
○ PSEIs
○ Students and families
Motivating factors: student migration

While students travel from everywhere and go everywhere, several

factors influence the “to” and “from”
● Historic ties
● Language of instruction
● Economic conditions in sending, destination country
Motivating factors: student migration
Push and pull factors influence student decisions to leave home and
also selection of destination country, institution
(Mazzarol, Kemp & Savery, 1997; Mazzarol & Soutar, 2002; Bodycott, 2009)

PUSH PULL
○ Limited domestic capacity ○ Perception that overseas
in the desired program PSEI credential confers prestige
○ Perception that domestic options or career advantage
are of lower quality ○ Opportunity to work, obtain
○ Security environment permanent residency after
○ Economic conditions graduation
○ Desire for additional language ○ Family or friends in the
destination PSEI, country
proficiency
Motivating factors: student migration
Domestic students in
North America often have
robust networks they
can leverage to assist with the
search process (although
SES is a significant factor)
Motivating factors: student migration
Students seeking to go abroad often have sparse networks
similar to that of low-SES/first generation students (Coffey, 2014)
● This constrains the number of information sources
and increases the influence of available information sources

● This helps explain the popularity of ranking tables

(Marginson & van der Wende, 2007)

● Family members (especially parents), peers, and agents

all exert influence in different ways (Pimpa, 2001; 2003; 2005; 2008)

● Students may not be the primary decision-makers, and

their needs/preferences may not come first
Constraining factors

These sparse networks may limit student access to information that

could better help them evaluate PSEI opportunities

Ranking and reputation provide an incomplete picture, particularly

with regard to professional school admission
Constraining factors

ACADEMIC
● Misalignment of undergraduate with postgraduate credentials
● Misalignment of undergraduate with postgraduate curricula
● Does previous credential meet standards of entry requirement
(e.g., three year bachelor’s degree)
● Selectivity (in some cases high selectivity)
● Barriers to entry based on citizenship
● Access to testing centers
● Language of instruction (home country vs destination country)
Constraining factors

REGULATORY
● Barriers to participation based on citizenship
(e.g., medical residencies in public hospitals in the US limited to citizens, PR)
● Barriers to licensure
(e.g., some US states will not allow non-citizens to take licensure exam to practice law)
● Limits on number of online credits non-citizens can take
(condition of visa status in US)
● US has no centralized system for admissions/credential evaluation:
process managed at PSEI, program level
● Some professions may see value in limiting number of practitioners
Constraining factors

FINANCIAL
● Lack of need-based aid for international applicants
● Ineligibility for loans in destination country
● Limited merit-based aid in professional programs
Constraining factors

CAREER
● How “portable” is this credential: is it recognized in the sending
country / intended destination country (if other than the country of study)
● Is work authorization, permanent residency possible in the country
of study with the credential
● Licensure doesn’t provide work authorization
Solution strategies
STUDENTS
● A less selective or not as highly ranked university may have lower
barriers to admission for international applicants.
● Location, location, location
● Use resources like recent international alumni to narrow down
choices
● Look for free or low cost services promoting overseas education in
your desired country for assistance (i.e. British Council,
EducationUSA, Amideast)
Solution strategies
INSTITUTIONS
● Flexibility in responding to nonstandard preparation - consider
special cases and have a process for evaluating and making a
decision (e.g., three year bachelor’s)
● Consider developing articulation agreements that allow for mutual
evaluation of curricula
● Professional programs should be transparent about potential
barriers in communication with international applicants
(e.g., website content)
● Academic pathways for professionals with international credentials
Your questions

What questions, ideas, or experience

do you have about this topic?
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