First-Generation and Continuing-Generation College Students: A Comparison of High School and Postsecondary Experiences

This Statistics in Brief, using data from a nationally representative cohort of 2002 high school sophomores, provides an updated look at background and educational characteristics (e.g., educational expectations, plans for taking the SAT/ACT, and cumulative high school grade point average [GPA]), planning for college, postsecondary enrollment, and postsecondary completion patterns of two groups of students: first-generation college students and continuing-generation college students with at least one parent with a bachelor’s degree or a higher level of educational attainment. The brief also explores how postsecondary plans, attendance, and completion may vary between first-generation college students and their peers whose parents have college degrees.   More info