Recent studies have revealed how large shares of college-ready students "undermatch", or enroll in colleges with less competitive admissions processes than they are eligible to attend. Undermatch sits at the nexus of both college access and completion agendas, as undermatching to a less selective institution results in a decreased…

The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of employment on first-to-second-year persistence of low-income, first-generation college students. Using the data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/06), the analysis indicated that the role orientation to academics versus to work was the strongest predictor of…

Socioeconomic status as measured by race, ethnicity, income, and parental education is highly associated with college degree receipt. It is difficult, however, to identify the separate effect of each of these measures given their substantial overlap, and it is difficult to statistically differentiate between the impact of academic…

The purpose of this study was to help increase success for first-generation Latina students at Arizona State University by providing a group mentoring support experience during the spring semester of their sophomore year. Thirteen first-generation Latinas in their sophomore year were recruited from the Obama Scholars Program at Arizona State…

Existing research on first-generation college students has focused on the student and their paths from high school to college, experiences attending college, and expectations of the middle-class academy. Such student populations are not situated within similar positions that conventional students are often faced with. When differences in literacy…

College campuses look different today, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, than they did 50 years ago. The buildings and signage may look almost the same, but the students who learn in those buildings definitely do not. Increased access and the diversity movement have resulted in younger and older students sitting side by side in the…

First-generation Latino college students may be characterized as underprepared for college. Research points to low performance on placement tests. However, students may not perceive themselves as academically underprepared for college. This study explored first-generation Latino students' perceptions of their academic preparedness. Seven students…

For the past five years, the Brandeis Science Posse program has recruited and retained students from underrepresented groups in STEM disciplines. In collaboration with the Posse Foundation, we have facilitated the formation of a close-knit, mutually supportive learning community, or a "science posse" for sixty students from New York City…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant difference between first-generation college students' and non-first-generation college students' persistence from freshman year to sophomore year of college. The study investigated if race/ethnicity, family income, gender, and fathers' and mothers'…

The purpose of this study was to understand the factors influencing the college choice process of Mexican American first-generation students who had an older sibling with college experience. While a considerable amount of research exists on factors influencing the college choice process of first-generation college students, and a few studies…

Educators, researchers, and policymakers across the political spectrum agree that America must send more of its young people to college and find ways to help them graduate. Yet it has been difficult to design and implement effective strategies for dramatically increasing college enrollment and graduation. In Chicago, an intervention now under way,…

This research study focused on the perceptions of challenges and values of higher education between first-generation and subsequent-generation male Latinos and their factors affecting academic success. According to Gandara (2009), Latinas are making advancements in higher education, being committed to continue with college, and maintaining higher…

In 2009 of the 9,793 undergraduates attending the University of Wyoming during the fall semester, 3,453 of them were first generation college students. The cultural assimilation often associated with college for first generation college students is often experienced by not only the student, but also the family left at home. This research serves as…

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the prior experiences, perceived challenges, and support systems of Grade 12 students at an ECHS. An in-depth investigation corroborated the importance of the social capital the participants generated to overcome the obstacles they encountered. Methodology: Utilizing Moustakas's…

Mississippi lacks a formal unified method for evaluating academic advising programs, and it is unclear whether advisement practices are satisfactory and aiding in student success. This study attempted to assess advisement satisfaction among students attending community colleges in Mississippi. The purpose of this study was to explore the level of…