First-Generation College Students

What you need to know to enroll this population

1 in 3 incoming freshmen are first-generation college students

First-generation college students face many more barriers compared to continuing-generation students whose parents have enrolled or graduated from college. They have:

• Greater financial need, with 77 percent of first-generation college students coming from households with incomes under $50,000
• Parents who lack “college knowledge” and are much less likely to understand the cost and process for attending college
• Less likelihood of earning a bachelor’s degree, with only 20 percent doing so compared to 42 percent of continuing-generation students.

All of these factors require a new approach to recruiting these students.

Read our strategies for guiding first-generation students on their journey to college

Learn 7 ways to engage and enroll first-generation students and their families

First-generation students need a path to college that connects them with the resources they need to enroll and succeed. Institutions must connect with first-generation students who are the best fit and put them in position to persist, succeed, and graduate through smart engagement and tools to guide them along the way.

Find out how these seven strategies can help you identify, engage, and energize first-generation students by providing the information and connections they need at the moment they need them.

See how you can guide more first-generation students on their journey to college!