first-gen students
College family firsts
First-gen students are college students whose parents did not complete a four-year degree.
The term—short for first-generation—highlights both achievement and challenge: these students navigate higher education without family experience to draw on.
First-gen students often struggle with unwritten rules about office hours and networking.
Universities increasingly offer dedicated support programs and scholarships for this population.
- collegeHigher education institution
- college accessAbility to attend university
- trailblazerFirst to forge ahead
- pioneerEarly explorer or settler
- breaking barriersOvercoming entrenched obstacles
family · pride · struggle · scholarships · FAFSA · applications · mentors · code switching · resilience · breakthrough · making it · working-class · sacrifice · grit · navigate · support · barriers · opportunity
first, gen, student, students, generation, generations, generational, generate, generator