From Access to Completion: How Institutions Raise First-Generation Graduation Rates

First-generation college students now make up over half of all U.S. undergraduates. The Center for First-Generation Student Success reports that 8.2 million first-gen undergraduates are enrolled today, roughly 54% of the total. Yet their graduation rates lag far behind. First-gen students graduate at a rate of 24%, compared to 59% for continuing-generation students. Closing this gap would produce an estimated 4.4 million additional graduates and a net benefit of $700 billion to the U.S. economy, according to FirstGen Forward. For university leadership, these numbers point to both a moral obligation and a strategic one. First-generation college student programs that work share common traits: structured mentorship, targeted academic support, financial literacy, institutional belonging, and family engagement. Here is what the evidence says about each.

The Completion Gap in Numbers

The statistics on first-generation college students paint a consistent picture. Research published in Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy found that only about 27% of first-gen students complete a bachelor's degree within four years, compared to 42% of continuing-generation peers. At the six-year mark, roughly 50% of first-gen students had earned degrees, versus 64% of their peers. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) found that approximately 38% of undergraduates in 2020 were first-generation.

These students are disproportionately Hispanic, Black, and Native American, according to NCES demographic data. They are more likely to be older, work while enrolled, have dependents, and attend public institutions. They enter college with fewer prior credits and lower standardized test scores. EAB research shows that 33% drop out within three years, compared to 14% of continuing-generation students.

The struggles driving these numbers are well documented: lower academic preparedness from under-resourced high schools, limited familiarity with college systems and terminology, financial strain, and a persistent sense of not belonging. Data from the Center for First-Generation Student Success shows that first-gen students use health services, academic advising, and academic support services at lower rates than their peers. The services often exist. The problem is access, awareness, and comfort.

Mentorship and Networking

Connecting with mentors, particularly those who share a first-gen background, is one of the most effective interventions. An Ithaka S+R evaluation of the Kessler Scholars Program found that 83% of first-year participants were assigned a peer mentor. Of those, 74% actively engaged throughout the year, 83% discussed academic topics, and 70% reported a better understanding of campus resources.

The value is relational. Students repeatedly said the most helpful part was having someone who had recently gone through the same transition. That kind of credibility is hard to manufacture through staff advising alone.

Institutions are responding. The University of Wisconsin-Madison, UNC Charlotte, and Syracuse University's Whitman School of Management have all launched first-gen mentorship programs tied to rising enrollment. Syracuse saw first-gen enrollment jump from 12% to 19% between fall 2022 and fall 2023, prompting the creation of its Whitman First Program.

Pre-college pipeline programs also show results. Code2College, which serves underrepresented high school students through STEM education and paid internships, reported a 96% college matriculation rate for its Class of 2024, with over 80% choosing STEM majors. Programs like Cal State Fullerton's I Am First initiative pair career mentorship with microinternship placements, helping students build the professional networks their families cannot provide.

Targeted Academic Support

The largest federal investment in first-gen retention is TRIO Student Support Services (SSS), funded under the Higher Education Act of 1965. The U.S. Department of Education requires all SSS programs to provide academic tutoring, course advising, and financial aid guidance. Many also include mentoring, career counseling, and supplemental instruction.

The evidence for SSS is strong. A rigorous 2019 evaluation by the U.S. Department of Education found that SSS participants at four-year institutions were 18% more likely to earn a bachelor's degree than comparable non-participants. At two-year institutions, participants were 48% more likely to earn a degree or transfer. The Council for Opportunity in Education reports that SSS participants outperformed peers in degree completion at both two-year colleges (41% vs. 28%) and four-year colleges (48% vs. 40%).

First-year seminars add another layer. Controlled studies cited in published outcomes research show that first-year seminars increase second-year retention by 7 to 13 percentage points across all demographic groups. Summer bridge programs help too, building college knowledge and academic confidence before classes start.

The common thread across all of these is structure. First-gen students benefit most when academic support is built into the experience rather than offered as an opt-in. Mandatory advising check-ins, embedded tutoring within courses, and early-alert systems that flag disengagement are more effective than waiting for students to seek help on their own.

Financial Literacy and Aid

Financial stress is the most consistent barrier to first-gen completion. Research published in the College Student Affairs Journal found that first-gen students scored significantly higher on financial strain measures and significantly lower on financial knowledge, self-efficacy, and optimism than their peers, based on data from the Study on Collegiate Financial Wellness.

The knowledge gap starts early. A study published in Metropolitan Universities found that 44% of high school juniors did not know what the FAFSA was. First-gen students showed even lower awareness of financial aid terminology and processes. Nearly 70% of first-gen students in the 2011-2012 cohort received Pell Grants, per NCES data. They are more likely to rely on federal and private loans, employment income, and credit cards to pay for school.

Targeted financial aid works. Research by Goldrick-Rab et al., published in the American Journal of Sociology, found that need-based grant aid boosts year-to-year retention and degree completion by roughly 1.5 to 3 percentage points. That effect is strongest for first-gen and low-income students.

What institutions should do: run budgeting workshops in the first semester, create emergency grant funds, offer one-on-one financial coaching, and write financial aid award letters in plain language. Confusing award letters compound the problem for students whose families have no experience interpreting them. A Times Higher Education analysis of first-gen financial programs argues that financial literacy embedded as a student support service reduces dropout risk and builds post-graduation resilience.

Institutional Belonging

A lack of belonging is one of the primary reasons first-gen students leave college. A systematic review published in Education Sciences found that first-gen students who dropped out frequently cited feeling like they did not fit in on campus. These students are less likely than their peers to join clubs, recreational sports, sororities, fraternities, and other campus social groups.

First-gen-specific communities address this. The Kessler Scholars Program's first-year seminars combine identity exploration with leadership development. Respondents reported learning about campus resources (90%), connecting with other scholars (89%), and gaining confidence (77%). UNC Charlotte's student organization First-Gen Niners, founded in 2020, creates peer connection through events and celebrations.

Over 470 institutions now belong to the FirstGen Forward network, committing to treat first-gen identity as an institutional priority. Recognizing first-gen status in campus communications, orientation materials, and advising interactions signals to students that they are seen and that support exists.

This matters because the "hidden curriculum" of college, the unwritten rules about office hours, email etiquette, networking, and self-advocacy, is invisible to students who cannot learn it at home. Northwestern's Searle Center notes that first-gen students often lack familiarity with these expectations, not because they lack ability, but because no one has taught them the norms.

Family Support and Understanding

Family encouragement is one of the strongest predictors of first-gen enrollment and persistence. A systematic review by LeBouef and Dworkin (2021), published in Education Sciences, found that family support shapes outcomes at every stage. But first-gen parents face a knowledge gap. They want to help but often lack familiarity with academic expectations, registration systems, and financial aid processes.

Many first-gen students also carry "achievement guilt," a discomfort with the opportunities their families do not have access to. Research links this to depressive symptoms and lower self-esteem. Students may also carry caregiving responsibilities, driving parents to appointments, babysitting siblings, contributing financially to the household, that reduce time for coursework.

EAB research recommends engaging parents starting in the admissions process. Family orientation programs, parent communications written in accessible language, and family weekends that demystify the college experience all help. Framing the student's education as a family achievement rather than a departure from the family reduces guilt and strengthens the support system.

Beyond the Bachelor's Degree

The completion gap does not end at graduation. The Pew Research Center found that first-gen graduates earn a median household income of $99,600, compared to $135,800 for those with college-educated parents. Students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds pursue advanced degrees at higher rates, leaving first-gen alumni behind in long-term career outcomes.

The Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, a federal TRIO initiative, prepares first-gen and underrepresented students for doctoral study through research mentoring and graduate school preparation. Institutions should build these pipelines during the undergraduate years through research assistantships, faculty mentoring on graduate applications, and GRE preparation.

First-generation graduate students face many of the same belonging and financial challenges as undergrads, often without equivalent programming. Institutions that track and support first-gen identity beyond the bachelor's degree will retain more students in advanced programs.

What to Prioritize

For university leadership, the research points to a clear set of institutional priorities:

• Identify first-gen students early. Standardize definitions and tracking so you know who you are serving.

• Protect and expand TRIO SSS. Decades of evidence support it. Treat it as core infrastructure, not a budget line to cut.

• Integrate support services. Academic advising, financial coaching, mentorship, and belonging programming should connect through a coordinated model, not isolated offices.

• Train faculty and staff. Cultural competency around class, family obligation, and hidden curriculum gaps should be standard professional development.

• Measure first-gen outcomes separately. Retention, graduation, and post-graduation data for first-gen students should inform programming decisions.

With first-gen students representing over half of all undergraduates, their success is the institution's success. The interventions that work are not mysterious. They require commitment, coordination, and sustained investment.