Understanding undergraduate student success is central to addressing issues in the current education climate. Many barriers exist for students; however, even more barriers exist for first-generation college students. Especially difficult for first-generation college students is access to social capital with regards to higher education. The current…

Aim/Purpose: The exorbitant cost of traditional textbooks, which particularly impact low-income, underrepresented minority groups, can be a barrier to student success in higher education that contributes to educational inequities. The aim of this multi-methodology study, conducted at a mid-Atlantic minority-serving institution that serves…

Although postgraduate expansion swiftly followed the massification of undergraduate provision, with classed inequalities in access, postgraduate taught (PGT) education has rarely received the same level of scholarly attention as the critical mass of undergraduate research. To address this partial research lacuna, the paper traces 41 biographical…

College students who engage in first-year programs such as peer mentorship are correlated with increased achievement, subjective enjoyment of their university experience, sense of belonging, and campus participation. While the effects of peer mentorship have been consistent, there has been little information shared considering the characteristics…

The Undergraduate Scholarships with Mathematics and Science Training, Exploration, and Research Program (US MASTER) is a STEM scholarship program funded by the United States National Science Foundation. It was implemented at an upper-Midwest institution to target and provide structured support to low-income, academically talented undergraduates in…

The purpose of this qualitative narrative study was to understand how Black first-generation doctoral recipients used their cultural capital to navigate structural barriers and oppression enacted by stakeholders at non-Black serving institutions. Findings revealed that Black first-generation doctoral students used nine forms of cultural capital to…

Post-secondary education is essential to the development of our nation (Miller, 2006; The White House, n.d.). Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States already faced a college attainment gap (Miller, 2006; Jenkins, 2011; Welton & Martinez, 2013). The fallout from the pandemic has caused additional issues related to higher education…

My case study focused on the message communicated through the university's fundraising campaign titled For the Bold and sought to determine if the campaign messaging influenced decision-making of first-generation sophomores (FGS) attending William & Mary as they selected majors and formed career choices. The campaign message emphasized the…

Minority retention and graduation, specifically concerning first-generation Latino college students, is one of the current challenges facing higher education institutions in the 21st century. Research indicates that Latino students are not graduating or obtaining success at the same rates as other ethnic student groups although these students'…

College access programs provide middle and high school students with essential skills to prepare them for a successful transition to postsecondary education. TRIO Talent Search (TS)and Upward Bound (UB) are federally funded programs established to strengthen the likelihood that students from underserved groups will graduate high school and pursue…

This qualitative research study was designed to examine potential differences in the transition to college for rural and non-rural first-generation college students. In addition, the study also aimed to examine how students' other identities (including ethnic and socioeconomic identities) may have impacted their transition to college. Participants…

A paradox exists between capital accumulation and corporate philanthropy: a record number of 'generous' donations and historic levels of social inequality. In education, tech companies are directing significant investments to shape public schools. Many efforts to support Latino boys are aligned with these goals, as interventions aim to prepare…

In post-secondary education, degree attainment for first-generation college students (FGCS) is essential. The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed-methods study is to explore the first-generation college student's persistence from their first year to the second year at a private or public post-secondary institution. The second purpose is…

This quantitative study analyzed more than 240 first-year freshmen from Generation Z at a rural, Midwest, four-year public higher education institution. The data included first-year college students and were categorized by domestic underrepresented or domestic non-underrepresented, first generation or non-first generation, and male or female.…

This intrinsic case study investigated the experiences of select low-income and first-generation students who participated in the Upward Bound program throughout high school to understand how participation influenced enrollment at a postsecondary institution. Two theoretical frameworks guided this research study: Astin's (1984) I-E-O model and…