First in the Family Make Their Mark in College
While first-gen students’ backgrounds are unique, they tend to have high expectations, multifaceted goals, and complex support needs.
Common App / November 2023
In this first brief, the authors are ultimately investigating: to what extent does it matter which degrees, and whose degrees, the field considers when defining first-generation status for a student? In the course of this investigation, the authors do not make claims about a “right” definition, but rather hope to make clear the trade-offs and differences that practitioners and policymakers should keep in mind when deploying any given definition.