Purpose: This article addresses the broad context of community college accreditation which surrounds a controversy involving one of the largest community colleges in the United States, City College of San Francisco (CCSF), and its regional accrediting agency, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). Its purposes are to…

Prior research has found that students whose parents attended college begin college with more understanding of higher education than do first-generation students (Engle, 2007). Parents pass on knowledge along with advice and emotional support that help their children when they encounter new challenges, such as the transition to college. This study…

First-generation college students are an underrepresented group in terms of study abroad participation nationally and at Arizona State University (ASU). The ASU and International Studies Abroad (ISA) Planning Scholars Scholarship Program was developed to support first-generation college students in their pursuit of study abroad. This mixed-methods…

First-generation college students are students whose parents do not have a college degree, and they face numerous barriers in college. Yet, several first-generation college students (FGCS) are successful and are on-track to graduate with a bachelor's degree in four years. Their success is important because education is associated with increased…

This research examined the function of future self-continuity and its potential downstream consequences for academic performance through relations with other temporal psychological factors and self-control. We also addressed the influence of cultural factors by testing whether these relations differed by college generation status. Undergraduate…

Over the past two decades First Generation African American (FGAA) males have been underrepresented in America's colleges and universities. Nearly 67% of those enrolled, specifically at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), have failed to obtain a 4-year degree. Therefore, I utilized a phenomenological design with Astin, Spady,…

This research study was completed to explore how a specific population of college students strive to reach their educational goals. The purpose of the study concentrated on how TRiO first-generation college students (FGCs) at a community college perceived their success in accomplishing goals in a college educational setting with the assistance of…

Many STEM majors fail to complete their degrees, and those who leave report they lack key STEM learning skills. This study examined whether delivering brief trainings that teach learning skills to students directly in their STEM course's learning management system site would encourage effective learning behaviors, improve achievement, and provide…

Families play a key role in students' school choices throughout their education. While research has explored the familial supports for high-school students transitioning to college for the first time, few scholars have examined how family engagement influences the decisions of current community-college students seeking to transfer to four-year…

Access has been an ongoing issue for rural students. In this study, I examined factors that have been proven barriers and supports for rural students. Rural college students who were part of the TRiO program at a flagship university shared barriers and supports to access higher education. Students talked about their college journeys by telling…

This study explored the perspectives of medical students from first-in-family (FiF) university backgrounds. Semi-structured interviews focused on steps into, and experiences of medical education, and effects of student identity on social networks. Twenty FiF medical students from one English medical school took part in qualitative interviews. Data…

St. Lawrence University received a five-year Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to create the multidisciplinary Liberal Arts Science Scholars program (award #1458712), which makes a high quality science and mathematics education accessible to high achieving,…

This ethnographic case study examined first-year, first-generation, low-income Latino/a college students' social experiences and familial support during their transition from a charter high school to four-year universities. Through interviews and observations, we found that maintaining communication and building relationships among high school and…

Finding the funds to attend college often means that many students must acquire loan debt through financial aid. This confusing but critically necessary process can influence college planning and enrollment decisions, post-college employment, and other important life choices, such as enrolling in graduate school, buying a home, or getting married.…

This brief benchmarks the postsecondary outcomes of students in College Track, a comprehensive college preparation program for students from underserved communities. College Track and Mathematica have partnered to conduct a rigorous experimental evaluation of the program, but results will not be available for several years. In the meantime,…