Programs and Support for First-Gen Students

Coming to college without a family map can feel like arriving in a city where everyone else seems to have a guidebook. The good news is that colleges, governments and charities have built a good deal of support specifically for students in your position. The less good news is that it is often scattered, poorly advertised and easy to miss. This guide describes the main kinds of support, how to find what exists where you study and how to ask for it without awkwardness.

Programs, eligibility and funding differ by institution and country, and they change. This guide uses no figures and is general information. Check each program's own rules and ask staff what is available now.

The main kinds of support

Not every college offers every kind, but most offer some.

Before you start

If you are still applying or have just been admitted, look for:

• Outreach and college access programs in your school or community that help with applications and financial aid.
• College-run visit days for first-generation applicants.
• Summer bridge programs, which often give you a taste of college courses, introduce staff and build a peer group before term begins. Some include housing and stipends.
• Early orientation sessions with advisers who know your situation.

Our guide to TRIO programs explained describes federal programs of this kind in the US, and similar schemes exist elsewhere under names such as widening participation.

Mentoring and community

Many first-generation students say that finding people who understand was the biggest help.

• Peer mentors are older students who have been through it.
• Faculty and staff mentors may themselves have been first-generation.
• Student groups for first-generation students offer community, events and advice.
• Learning communities place students with shared interests together.
• Alumni networks can offer career guidance.

Our guide to finding mentors in college explains how to find and approach them, and

Academic support

Academic help is available at most colleges, but you often have to ask.

• Academic advising, which helps you choose courses, plan a degree and understand rules.
• Tutoring centers, for subjects such as math, writing and sciences.
• Writing centers, for help with papers.
• Study skills workshops.
• Office hours with professors.
• Disability and accessibility services, if relevant.

Using these services is a sign of good planning, not weakness. Students who use them tend to feel more in control.

Financial support

Money worries can derail good students.

• Scholarships for first-generation students, from colleges and outside organizations.
• Financial aid counseling, to help you understand offers and fill in forms.
• Emergency grants and loans for unexpected costs such as medical bills, travel or lost income.
• Food pantries, textbook lending and other basic needs support on many campuses.
• Work-study and campus jobs, which can fit around classes.

Do not wait until you are in crisis. Many students find out about emergency funds only after they needed them.

Career and graduate preparation

First-generation students sometimes have fewer family contacts in professional fields, so formal support matters.

• Career centers with resume help, interviews and employer events.
• Internship programs and paid placements.
• Networking events designed for first-generation students.
• Research programs that prepare students for graduate study.
• Graduate school advising, including fee waivers and application support.

How to find what your college offers

1. Search the college website for "first-generation," "student success" and "student support."
2. Look at the admissions, financial aid and advising pages.
3. Ask during orientation or at campus visit events.
4. Email the dean of students or an advising office and ask what exists for first-generation students.
5. Check student organizations, which often have their own pages and social media.
6. Ask other students, especially older ones.
7. Look for national and community programs outside the college.

If you cannot find anything, ask: "What help is available for students who are the first in their family to attend college?" Staff often know of things not advertised.

How to ask for help

Asking can feel hard, especially if you have been taught to manage on your own.

• Be specific. "Can you help me understand my financial aid award?" is easier to answer than "I need help."
• Ask early. Problems are easier to solve before they become emergencies.
• Use appointments and office hours, not only email.
• Prepare a short list of questions.
• Say thank you, and follow up if you are told to contact someone else.
• Keep asking. If one office cannot help, they can usually say who can.

Remember that staff are paid to help, and that most students who ask are glad they did.

If your school has little support

Some colleges have few formal programs. You can still build support.

• Look for national organizations and online communities for first-generation students.
• Find mentors informally, among faculty, staff and older students.
• Start a group, if none exists. Many successful groups began with a few students and one adviser.
• Use external scholarships and programs.
• Ask the institution to create something, and tell them what you need.

International students

If you are first-generation and also studying abroad, your needs overlap with those of other international students. Look for international student offices, orientation programs and student groups, as well as first-generation support.

A worked example

Imagine a student admitted to a university who knows nobody there. She searches the website and finds a summer bridge program for first-generation students, applies and is accepted with a small stipend. In the program, she takes one course, meets a peer mentor and learns where the tutoring center and the financial aid office are. In her first term, she joins a first-generation student group and signs up for a weekly mentoring meeting. When her laptop breaks in October, she asks about the emergency fund and gets help the same week.

By using programs early, she built a network before she needed one.

Using support well

Joining a program is only the start. Show up regularly, use the staff and mentors, and give feedback on what helps. Programs that see engaged students often find more resources for them. If a service is not working for you, say so politely and ask what else exists.

Keeping track of eligibility

Some support depends on your status and may need renewing or confirming each year. Keep a note of what you are enrolled in, who runs it and what you must do to stay in. A missed form can mean losing a place or a payment.

Giving feedback and shaping support

If you find a gap in what your college offers, tell them. Student feedback has led many colleges to create new programs, from peer mentoring to family orientations. Staff often welcome ideas, especially from students willing to help build them.

Common mistakes

• Assuming you must manage alone.
• Waiting for a crisis to ask for help.
• Not searching for support that exists.
• Thinking that using support is a weakness.
• Joining nothing and staying isolated.
• Missing deadlines for bridge programs and funds.
• Not telling staff what you need.

A quick checklist

• Have I searched my college's site for first-generation and student success programs?
• Have I applied for any bridge or orientation programs?
• Do I know where tutoring, advising and emergency funds are?
• Have I found a mentor or a peer group?
• Do I know who to ask when I am stuck?

Final thoughts

Support for first-generation students exists in many forms, but it rarely finds you by itself. Search for it, ask for it and use it early. Build a network of mentors, peers and staff, and do not be afraid to say what you need. The students who thrive are rarely the ones who needed no help. They are the ones who knew where to find it.