What Are Some of the Challenges That First-Generation Students Face When Deciding on Higher Ed Options?
Sources of College/University Options
When we compare participants by race, their primary source remains the same but there are significant differences in secondary sources:
- Black/African American participants are significantly more likely than other groups (38.6% versus 31.22%) to say siblings/cousins/other family shape their knowledge.
- Asian or Asian American participants are more likely than other groups to say college/university brochures (41.9%) shape their knowledge.
Role of Parental Education
Participants whose parents have a high school diploma or below are significantly more likely than other participants to say financial aid matters most.
The lower the parents’ education, the more likely parents are to rely primarily on online searches, whereas those with higher education are more likely to name additional sources of information.
I would probably google my local colleges and read reviews on them to get an idea of the atmosphere.
Parent, Hispanic/Latinx
Take-Away
Colleges and universities need search-engine-optimized (SEO) websites to attract potential first-generation students to their schools. Having robust SEO will also attract non-first-generation students as many families will include an online search as part of their mixed sources of information.