Abstract
Undocumented students in higher education experience multiple barriers as well as cultural, social, legal, financial, and campus-life stressors. Despite these challenges, many of them learn to deal with these difficulties and achieve their academic goals. In this qualitative study, we collected data from five undocumented students in higher education (graduate and undergraduate programs) and developed a model that illustrates their methods of coping. Using constructivism as an overarching theoretical perspective, we developed a framework that depicts their coping strategies, which consists of four major coping categories: (a) Interpersonal Coping, (b) Affective Coping, (c) Cognitive Coping, and (d) Active Coping. Through this analysis, we captured the participants’ individual expressions of coping and examined the motivations and functions of these coping strategies (strategies were used as an outlet for tension or to implement solutions). This research confirms strategies examined in the literature (interpersonal, affective, and active coping) and examines cognitive coping as a set of strategies (reframing, acceptance, self-affirmations, and wishful thinking) among undocumented students that has received less attention. Overall, these findings can provide information for professionals (including educators and counselors) to better support the educational and emotional needs of these students and help them succeed in their academic journey.