First-generation students enter college with ambition and potential, but only 1 in 4 will graduate with a bachelor’s degree within six years—compared to nearly 3 in 5 of their peers whose parents went to college (source). The gap isn’t due to lack of talent or drive, but because they face financial, academic, and social barriers that make success an uphill battle. If we fail to act, we lose generations of potential, innovation and leadership.

This is a big problem. Every year, over 1 million first-generation students and low-income enroll in U.S. colleges. If current trends hold, that means that roughly 750,000 of those students will not graduate with a bachelor’s degree.

It’s a national problem. Some regions and institutions have made strides, but no part of the country has fully cracked the code on first-gen success. 

It's a dynamic problem. The demographics of higher education are shifting, and first-gen enrollment is expected to rise. This upcoming generation faced increased challenges due to educational disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Without targeted support, the graduation gap will widen—leaving more students with debt but no degree, and more talent wasted.

First-generation students face financial, academic, and social barriers that make college success far from guaranteed. 

(A) Financial barriers: A college degree provides a strong return on investment, leading to higher lifetime earnings. But for first-generation, low-income students, the financial picture is far trickier to reach graduation. First-gen students often take on more debt than their peers, without a family safety net to fall back on. A badly timed medical bill, a cut in hours at their part-time job, or a car breaking down can throw their entire educational plan off track.

(B) Academic barriers: Many first-gen students arrive underprepared, not because they lack ability, but because they didn’t have access to the same resources as their peers. Without clear goals and a plan, college can feel like an expensive gamble, especially when they’re navigating the hidden curriculum—unspoken rules like how to build relationships with professors, secure internships, and advocate for themselves. When our alums come back to speak to our current students, we often hear them pass along this advice: “Go to office hours and advocate for yourself. Please ask for help when you need it.”

(C) Social barriers: Beyond the financial and academic struggles, first-gen students often battle imposter syndrome. It’s amazing how commonly our first-gen students report worrying that “I won’t belong” in college. Loneliness is common. On top of that, family pressure of being “the one” adds another layer of stress—balancing school with expectations to contribute at home. Many students report feeling out of place in the new setting.

One myth is that high-achieving first-generation students are immune to these challenges—they're not. 

This dynamic is captured in Anthony Jack’s book The Privileged Poor, which highlights how driven talented first-gen students arrive at selective colleges straight from underfunded public schools, with little preparation for the unspoken rules of higher education and largely locked out of the networks and cultural capital that can make or break an experience. 

There’s also the well-documented issue of undermatching, where talented first-gen students enroll in colleges beneath their academic potential—often due to financial concerns, lack of guidance, or fear of not fitting in. Research shows that students who "undermatch" are less likely to graduate than those who attend more selective institutions with better resources. Similarly, there’s the "Valedictorian Problem"—even the top students from underserved high schools can struggle when they land in rigorous college environments.

Because talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. First-generation students have the drive, intelligence, and ambition to succeed—but without support, too many fall through the cracks. College is supposed to be a tool for economic mobility, yet for many, it becomes a financial trap instead. When students drop out, they don’t just lose—we all do. The economy misses out on skilled workers and communities lose potential leaders who could have transformed them from within.

We lose generations of potential. The graduation gap will widen, leaving even more students burdened with debt but without a degree. Economic instability may deepen as wealth continues to be passed down rather than built out. Innovation could stagnate as talented students—who could have been engineers like Amanda, doctors like Sabrina, entrepreneurs like Oliver —are shut out before they even have a chance. And at a fundamental level, we undermine the very idea of meritocracy. If the American Dream only works for those who already have resources, then it’s not really a dream at all.