First-generation and Continuing-generation College Students: A Comparison of High School and Postsecondary Experiences

U.S. Department of Education / September 2017


First Generation and Continuing

Using data from a nationally representative cohort of 2002 high school sophomores, this brief provides an updated look at background and educational characteristics (e.g., educational expectations, plans for taking the SAT/ACT, and cumulative high school grade point average), planning for college, postsecondary enrollment, and postsecondary completion patterns of two groups of students: first-generation college students and continuing-generation college students with at least one parent with a bachelor’s degree or a higher level of educational attainment.

Explore