The population of Latinx students at colleges and universities in the United States who have received Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is large and growing. The literature shows that these students face unique challenges at the intersection of being DACA and Latinx (e.g., racial/ethnic discrimination and microaggressions,…

One notable outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic was the increased availability of online learning opportunities for higher education students. Despite the increased access and flexibility, few studies have examined the impact of Latin* students' academic outcomes. Using a mixed-methods design, this study utilized administrative and focus group data…

Recent insights have underscored the role of context in cultivating intelligence mindsets' influence on students' academic outcomes. Psychological affordances of the social context may encourage an adaptive perspective (i.e., growth mindset). Expanding this novel area of investigation, we examined how students' sense of belonging, as an affordance…

First-generation college students, who are often low-income or from minoritized backgrounds, face many challenges when they enter college. As they begin the college search process, they may seek support from spaces outside of their families to understand and find information. This study used in-depth interviews with first- and second-year…

First-year seminars (FYS) are well-tested and trusted programs to facilitate students' transition to college. This study adds to the body of evidence about the value of seminars through analysis of a large multi-institution dataset and documentation of the positive association between participation in a first-year seminar and student engagement in…

Undergraduate science majors entering their final (senior) year face a critical decision: whether to pursue post-baccalaureate degrees and continue on the path to careers in biomedical, medical or public health fields. Large disparities in socioeconomic factors contribute to the high rate of attrition of under-represented minority (URM) students…

Understanding the relationship between high-risk courses and Fall-to-Fall retention is essential to enhance student persistence and academic achievement in higher education institutions. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between high-risk courses and Fall-to-Fall retention of first-time, full-time students. The course data…

"Shaping Students of Color from Preschool to Graduate School" argues that family socialization and parent involvement in education influence paths to graduate school. Based on personal interviews with over thirty graduate students of color and first-generation graduate students, the text shows that families and parents use a complex…

Although there is an abundance of literature in the domain of education research on Latinx populations, this body of research seldom includes the voices of the researchers themselves. In this paper, we explore our educational journeys at a top university in the United States. Utilizing a phenomenological case study, "plática," and…

Improved access to higher education can reduce social and economic inequality only if universities achieve equality in graduation rates of different groups of students. Concerned about first year failures among first-generation students, a university in Chile devised a between-semesters course intended to allow failed students to remain with their…

This article details the creation of the Finding Your Place Podcast. Key features of the podcast are presented, including the way it features student producers documenting their college experiences. The theoretical underpinnings of the podcast are explored along with key features of sound-only storytelling, making it an effective way to reach…

The Maine Community College System is providing this letter in accordance with 20-A MRSA §10013. This law requires the Maine Community College System (MCCS), University of Maine System (UMS), and Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) to provide the following information about first-generation college students by January 15th of each year: (1) data…

In highly marketised higher education systems, massification has afforded greater access, particularly for first-in-generation students. Generally, this expansion has been fuelled by neoliberal ideologies that valorise the notion of choice and promise of social mobility. In this study, using interviews with 25 first-generation students, the issue…

Enrollment practitioners can learn important lessons from first-generation students who successfully navigated the path to college, lessons that enable them to tailor outreach efforts to this important population. A study by one of the authors (Holliday 2020) explored the identity of first-generation students as the deciders, or the primary…

An urban, Black high school population share their experiences of a college preparatory counseling group specific to prospective first-generation college students (PFGCS). The salience of help seeking, as a major theme in this study, is highlighted and explored according to Black, first-generation college going students. Participant experiences…