1-HOUR SPECIAL: Breaking Barriers: The challenges immigrants face in accessing higher education

The World is covering the challenges that immigrants — as well as non-native English speakers — face in accessing higher education in the United States.

On June 19, as part of the show’s ongoing series, “The World’s Global Classroom,” with support from the Lumina Foundation, we will take a look at the barriers and how the US is doing when it comes to being inclusive.

Check out the stories in the hourlong special below:

‘Embrace the culture, embrace the language’: Offering bilingual courses benefits students beyond the classroom, Texan professor says

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is classified as a Hispanic-serving institution where some bilingual courses are offered. The World’s host Marco Werman speaks with astronomy professor Juan Madrid about teaching his classes in both Spanish and English and what it means for the students.

Catalan separatists want university classes taught in the local language. Spanish academics resist the change. 

Language has always been at the heart of the Catalan people’s campaign for independence. And the regional government is once again demanding that university professors teach their courses in Catalan. But does the Catalan-language law further the nationalist cause, or leave the region more isolated? Professors are already rebelling. 

How Miami Dade College teaches students to learn, live in a bilingual world

The honors college wanted to create a program for high-achieving bilingual high school students who were uncertain about college — because they were recent immigrants, had low standardized test scores or weren’t sure what opportunities were available to them in US higher education.

Crossing borders: Living in one country, going to school in another

Thousands of students attending US colleges and universities actually reside in Mexico. The World’s Marco Werman speaks to teacher Joanna Esser and Tijuana student Carlos Tenorio from Southwestern College in Chula Vista, California, about what it’s like to cross borders daily for education. 

Is the US still the No. 1 education destination?

Yingyi Ma, who teaches sociology at Syracuse University and has written extensively about Chinese students experiences in the US, and Tianrui Huang, a senior at the University of California San Diego studying philosophy and economics, discuss the challenges with The World’s Marco Werman.

‘You hit this glass ceiling’: Undocumented US students returned to Mexico struggle to continue their college studies

Young Mexican citizens who return to Mexico — either voluntarily or through deportation — often find it difficult to continue their studies. Some give up, while others have to redo years of coursework just to get back to where they left off in the United States.

Analysts: In the face of a high-skilled labor shortage, the US needs to rely more on immigrants

To meet high-skilled workforce demands in industries such as health care and IT, analysts say that the US will need to rely more on skilled immigrants like Nakalyango. That’s because the number of college-educated workers is shrinking and baby boomers are retiring more quickly than previous estimates suggested.

How the Bologna Process expanded opportunities for students across Europe

Exchange programs allow students to move freely between universities across the European Union, while paying local tuition fees — which, in some cases, can be free. The Bologna Process has united university degrees across the continent under a common set of quality assurance controls and recognition standards.