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The underrepresentation of foreign-born students in engineering degrees is persistent and fosters social disparities in job opportunities and income for future generations. On the one hand, this underrepresentation is related to the fact that foreign-born students choose engineering studies less frequently than native-born students. On the other hand, it is also related to the hostile and discriminatory environment in engineering degrees. The present research conducted in Spain provides new evidence on di¿erences in students’ career choice factors according to their place of birth and the relationship these factors may have with students’ academic persistence. In addition, this research explores the exclusion and segregation of foreign-born students and the relationship between segregation and perceived discrimination, providing new data on the speci¿c situations in which segregation and discrimination occur. The study was carried out based on a cross-sectional survey of 602 engineering students of the Universitat Polite`cnica de Catalunya¿BarcelonaTech. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used to analyze the dataset. The results showed signi¿cant di¿erences between native-born and foreign-born students among the factors that motivated them to enroll in engineering degrees. Some of the most signi¿cant di¿erences were that native-born students felt more motivated than foreign-born students by their skills, aspiring for a high salary, and having a job that made them feel ful¿lled. Moreover, a signi¿cant association was found between foreign-born students’ academic persistence and the factors that motivated them to enroll in engineering, such as family support, getting a satisfying job, and having a high salary. Regarding segregation, native-born students were signi¿cantly less likely to interact with students from di¿erent origins than foreign-born students. Leisure time and extracurricular activities were the situations in which native-born students interacted the least with students from di¿erent origins. Furthermore, in the classrooms where native-born students interacted most with other students, foreign-born students felt most discriminated against. Possible explanations for these ¿ndings are discussed in the study

L’estudiantat dels graus d’enginyeria és majoritàriament blanc i masculí, mentre que altres grups com les dones o els estudiants de diferents ètnies i orígens continuen estant infrarepresentats. Aquestes desigualtats sovint comporten diferències en l’experiència acadèmica de l’alumnat i poden ocasionar situacions preocupants com la segregació o l’exclusió dels i les alumnes que no pertanyen al grup predominant. A partir d’una mostra de 602 estudiants matriculats en graus d’enginyeria de la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC), aquest estudi analitza com es desenvolupen les interaccions entre l’estudiantat. Els resultats indiquen que l’alumnat natiu és menys propens a tenir interaccions amb alumnes de diferents orígens i ètnies, especialment en els entorns fora de les classes, com les activitats extracurriculars, les zones d’oci com la cafeteria, el bar o el menjador i els treballs en grup. Cal que les institucions d’enginyeria actuïn per incentivar les relacions entre l’alumnat i poder fer front a aquestes situacions de segregació que impedeixen que tot l’estudiantat pugui aprendre en un entorn inclusiu i amb igualtat d’oportunitats. The engineering undergraduate student body is predominantly white and male, while other groups such as women or students of different ethnicities and backgrounds continue to be underrepresented. These inequalities often lead to differences in the academic experience of the students and can lead to worrying situations such as segregation or the exclusion of students who do not belong to the predominant group. Based on a sample of 602 students enrolled in engineering degrees at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC), this study analyzes how interactions between students develop. The results indicate that native students are less likely to have interactions with students from different backgrounds and ethnicities, especially in non-classroom settings, such as extracurricular activities, leisure areas like the cafeteria, bar or canteen, and group work. Engineering institutions need to act to encourage relationships among students to address these situations of segregation that prevent all students from learning in an inclusive environment with equal opportunities.