Defining "First Generation College Student"

The term “first generation” is self-explanatory. Often, it refers to a branch of a family that’s the first to be born in America. It can also refer to students who will be the first in their family to attend college. Though this achievement generates pride for the student and her parents, there is also potential for confusion and stress. If you're here, it's probably because you're getting ready to apply to college as a first-generation college student, or you're the parent of one.

To help you along, it’s important to settle on the parameters which define a first-generation college student. This New York Times article points out the numerous ways to define the term, and cites the confusion this causes for parents, students, and counselors.

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For the purposes of this website, the definition set forth by the Higher Education Act of 1986 will apply throughout. The HEA defines the first-generation college student as one a "whose parents or parent didn’t finish a Bachelor’s degree.” However, it's important to understand that many schools use additional criteria to determine eligibility for scholarships and programs. Some colleges and universities, like Brown and Yale, define it loosely, and consider anyone whose parent didn’t attend college to be a first-generation student. Other schools take a more stringent view by including additional criteria a student must meet. Your family's income may also be looked at as part of your eligibility, and it's also important to carefully search the websites of all the colleges you're interested in.

As you begin to explore colleges and universities, you should take note not only of what each school offers for first-generation students, but how they go about deciding who receives that status.

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