Nearly 1 in 3 college students (30%) are first-generation students of color (FGSOC), possessing the intersectional identity of being both a first-generation college student and a racial minority. FGSOC face increased psychological and social difficulties in college when compared to students in other groups, resulting from cultural differences,…

This article addresses the need to better understand impactful mentoring models for undocumented immigrant students (UIS). Based on interviews of 18 mentors of UIS who were college graduates, findings include diverse effective mentoring models, specific mentoring styles and strategies, how mentors identified and leveraged the community cultural…

This article applies the framework of possible selves to the motivation and persistence behaviours of one group of university students. We draw on possible selves to consider how particular goal-focused actions and life experiences may significantly shape movements towards imagined futures. Utilising a narrative approach from longitudinal data,…

Advisors and instructors can play important roles in leveling the playing field for first-generation college students, who often have limited support networks compared to their continuing-generation peers. However, out-of-class communication with these resources remains infrequent. In this study, we investigate the factors that deter students from…

Due to structural educational inequity, students who are first-generation, low-income, and certain students of color have lower graduate degree attainment compared to their peers. One national program, the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, serves students from these groups to increase the number of students from these…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if students' participation in the ALP co-requisite developmental English program relates to the likelihood of passing gateway college-level English. Data was collected to allow for analysis of gateway college-level English passing probability for all students who participated in gateway…

This study examined the experiences of first-generation college students at an Ivy League institution in their pursuit of international education. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight first-generation college students at an Ivy League university in New England. Narrative Inquiry was the methodology used to analyze the transcripts…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the first-year experiences of 10 first-generation college students who participated in university-established learning communities at a small private Historically Black College. Further, this study was conducted to discover what participants felt was the role of the learning community…

This qualitative study explored the origin of leadership qualities in Black male first generation college student leaders at a Predominately White Institution. The participants were identified as student leaders in various leadership roles on their college campus. The study explores the participants pre-college experience to identify any…

First-generation college students are concentrated at community colleges, and nearly half of those students who identify as being first-generation come from a low-income background. This qualitative study utilized a conceptual framework to explore understand how LI-FG (low-income, first-generation) community college students, particularly students…

This quantitative study explored the study that female and first-generation students are often not provided with the mentoring support needed to succeed academically in STEM programs. The study focused on the Mentor Tech students that are students of color that are called proteges. The sample size was 38, and they were all STEM students of color.…

Considering the particular and situated relationship between college readiness and college barriers in the context of college transitions amongst Latinx students, this article uses an academic literacies framework to analyze the transition stories of two Latinx, first-generation freshmen enrolled in a four-year university. The findings suggest…

Attending a secondary education institution represents a substantial change in the social, learning and financial environments for most young adults, but for first-generation college students, the experience is even more complex. This study takes a unique approach to the investigation of first-generation college students by looking at the…

Background: The higher education literature is replete with deficit-based studies of first-generation college students. By thinking of students' social relationships as embedded assets, our research adds to an anti-deficit, or asset-based, framing of first-generation students majoring in engineering. Our multi-institution study qualitatively…

Hispanic college students attending a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in the southwest United States were administered the short grit survey during new student orientation for 2 consecutive years (N = 496) to ascertain the association with grit scores and retention after the first year of university attendance. Results indicate that there was a…