Colleges aim to assist first-in-family students

Colleges aim to assist first-in-family students

In an effort to help students who are the first in their families attend college, a number of universities are implementing programs to help boost graduation rates and retain learners. These students often face challenges, such as being under-prepared for college.

Schools that are seeking to help these learners include Indiana State University and Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. These institutions recently announced a partnership to develop and implement more effective ways to reach out to students and help them graduate.

The First-Generation Student Recruitment, Retention and Graduation Initiative will serve as a laboratory to develop strategies for helping underserved students enroll in college and complete their degrees. It will target selected communities in each state to identify first-generation students when they are still in high school.

Indiana State and Southern Illinois will then work with school counselors to provide these learners with relevant information about college opportunities.

"We need to assure first-generation students that they can attend college and that a four-year degree is often more affordable than they may realize," said Dan Bradley, Indiana University president.

By Mark Danson