Summary
Predominantly non-white and from low-income backgrounds, first-generation students are often the first in their families to navigate college admissions, financial aid, and postsecondary coursework. According to the Census’ American Community Survey, in 2021, 37% of the population aged 25 and over had never enrolled in college and 56.3% had no college degree. The Census’ Current Population Survey shows that, in 2021, 28.3% of children under the age of 18 lived in a household where their parent or guardian had never enrolled in college and 42.3% lived in a household where their parent or guardian did not have a college degree. For this fact sheet, “first-generation” will be used to describe “students enrolled in postsecondary education whose parents had not attended college.”
