Navigating the tension: US refugee resettlement agency support of postsecondary access.

This article examines how U.S. refugee resettlement agencies (RRAs) support displaced individuals’ access to postsecondary education, focusing on agency perceptions, programming, and partnerships. Using survey data and interviews with RRA staff, the study highlights the heterogeneity of client populations and their educational aspirations, noting that while federal policy prioritizes rapid employment and self-sufficiency, many RRAs leverage discretionary space to provide postsecondary education pathways despite limited resources. The research situates these efforts within the frameworks of neoliberalism and resource dependence theory, illustrating how RRAs navigate funding constraints and policy ambiguities by building staffing capacity and collaborative networks with educational institutions and community organizations. Findings underscore the critical but uneven role RRAs play in facilitating postsecondary access for refugees and displaced persons amid systemic barriers and policy silences.