Conference Program

As European societies become more diverse, higher education institutions face the challenge of ensuring equitable access for students with migrant backgrounds. Italian universities have recently experienced an increase in the number of students with migrant backgrounds, although this figure remains proportionally low compared to its potential. While research has focused on compulsory schooling, less attention has been paid to the university level. This paper presents preliminary findings collected within the FINE project (https://fineproject.it), which investigates the socio-economic and cultural factors that either foster or limit the tertiary educational pathways of students with migrant backgrounds in Italy. The project adopted a mixed-method approach, combining a survey targeting all students at the University of Milano-Bicocca (including about 2500 students with migrant backgrounds) with 50 in-depth interviews from the same university. The quantitative analysis enlightens the distinctive socio-economic characteristics of students with migrant backgrounds and related disadvantages in academic performance. The qualitative analysis shows that the educational path is often non-linear and arduous due to economic and social obstacles, as well as cultural aspects relating to how individuals manage their identities and sense of belonging. The decision-making process relating to educational choices appears to occur in isolation, with different influence of parents, siblings, teachers and peers. A desire for social redemption, as well as a wish to expand one's knowledge and secure a good job, emerges as motivations to enroll at university. The university is seen as a freer environment than school in terms of how studies are organized, offering greater anonymity, which potentially neutralises bias and prejudice, and opportunities to participate in socio-political activities. In some cases, university becomes a symbolic space where identity can be fully expressed. During the interviews, the students suggested actions to foster access, such as providing economic and bureaucratic support, improving access to information and accountability, improving communication with students, and providing training for secondary school teachers on inclusion issues.