How to Support a First-Generation University Student
A first-generation university student is defined as a student whose parents or guardians did not attend university or complete an undergraduate degree. This demographic is one of the fastest growing student groups in the UK, with many universities setting out institutional policies to attract and retain students from underrepresented backgrounds, primarily in the form of Access and Participation Planning.
As a result, there is plenty of fantastic work that universities are doing to widen access and participation in the UK higher education sector.
Yet students who are first generation – sometimes referred to as ‘first in family’ (FiF) – face multiple obstacles when it comes to achieving and succeeding in higher education.
First generation students are a distinct group with unique needs. While they are often included under the banner title of ‘widening participation (WP) students’, there are generally very few interventions in UK institutions that directly seek to support first generation university students directly.
In this article, we explore 3 ways universities can enhance their support for first generation students.
Supportive Information, Advice and Guidance
Mentoring and Networking Opportunities
Feedback and Co-Created Interventions
Supportive Information, Advice and Guidance
First generation university students consistently report feeling confused or that they lack basic information about university life to help them navigate it successfully. Many cite the first two years of a typical undergraduate degree as the most challenging period, as they grapple with entering the institution and understanding how it works.
First generation students will find information that will be relevant to all widening participation groups useful, such as:
How the university grading system works
The difference between undergraduate and postgraduate student
How the university is structured and governed
Study skills, such as finding and citing research, organising time and balancing commitments
However, they may also benefit from further information and support in particular areas. Consider what kind of guidance family members might pass down to prospective students applying to university. Then, try to make sure you’re providing that information, so that first-in-family students aren’t at a disadvantage. Examples include:
How the application process works – a step-by-step guide to the UCAS process and timelines could be beneficial
What university life might look like and how they are likely to spend their time, including details of extra-curricular activities and opportunities
How they can use their degree to enhance their employment outcomes and opportunities – this might include guidance on the kinds of careers that might become available to them on specific courses
By providing this information to first generation students, universities can help to build these students’ social and cultural capital. How you deliver it is also important – it needs to be clear and accessible, as first-in-family students may not be well versed in navigating university websites or prospectuses. You could explore offering this information to first generation university students in the following formats:
A welcome pack or brochure
An online event or open day
A chatbot or list of FAQs
A resource they can share with their families
Study skills sessions or modules reserved exclusively for first generation students
For greater impact, consider delivering these resources before induction or registration. That way, new first-generation students will arrive at university with increased confidence and hopefully find induction activities less confusing.
Mentoring and Networking Opportunities
Universities can do more to support first generation students to navigate this by facilitating mentoring and networking opportunities.
When developing mentoring and networking opportunities for first generation university students, you should have two key focus areas: schemes that aim to create a community and support base of first-in-family students and those that aim to connect them with opportunities that will enhance their employability and outcomes.
It can be difficult for first generation students to feel like they belong at university when they lack the same knowledge and awareness as students who already have insight to what the experience might be like from their parents or guardians. As a result, first-in-family students may feel out of place or experience ‘imposter syndrome’ as a result of a lack of ‘social capital’ – that is, limited access to social circles and activities that might be guaranteed by a prior knowledge of how university works. So, to increase belonging among this group, it’s essential that they are able to connect with others from similar backgrounds to them.
This is where mentoring programmes can be effective. For example, a peer-to-peer mentoring scheme can bring together a first generation university student who is later on in the student lifecycle with one who is just at the beginning of theirs. This can facilitate the sharing of tips and support, ultimately helping new students who are first in family to navigate their experience.
However, mentoring schemes don’t only have to function among students. Daemon University in the United States run a mentoring programme that brings together students, academics, faculty, staff and administrators who were first-in-family. This helps to create a more expansive community that first generation students can depend on.
Finally, opportunities to network and grow employability skills are essential for a first generation university student, who may not have the same knowledge, awareness and resources as some of their more advantaged peers.
The University of Sydney runs a mentorship programme for Economics students, which supports them to plan their careers. Offering students the opportunity to connect with alumni and providing guidance on crucial employability skills such as writing a CV and interview preparation, the scheme aims to deliver the support and knowledge that parents in professional roles often provide to their children.
If you’re considering setting up a mentoring scheme or networking opportunities to support first generation university students, it’s important to ensure that your intervention has the following characteristics:
Mentor training and development
Regular communication and check-ins
Opportunities for participants to feedback and review
Means to measure the impact of the scheme
Feedback and Co-Created Interventions
A first generation university student may feel like they don’t belong in an institution. To mitigate this, universities should strive to include these students when reviewing university projects and decision-making.
That’s why providing opportunities for first generation students to feedback on projects and co-create interventions alongside university staff is crucial. In fact, ‘increasing the participation and agency of first generation students’ in university decision-making and policy was a primary recommendation from research conducted at the Russell Group in September 2023.
One way of doing this would be to set up a steering committee or group that meets regularly to feedback on the university’s efforts to support first generation students. This group should include participants from all stages in the student lifecycle, so you can gain insight into the different challenges faced by first-in-family students throughout their university journey.
For further guidance on this, you can see Edge Hill University’s case study exploring how they developed a series of Student Advisory Panels across a range of widening participation characteristics.
Similarly, you should also consider how you can gather feedback from first generation alumni, such as through a post-graduation survey. Their experiences will be crucial to developing an approach for future students.
Finally, while feedback is crucial, universities should aim to take it further and actually create interventions alongside their first generation students.
A notable example of co-creation in a UK institution is King’s College London’s Mind the Gaps project. Designed to support first in family students or those cut off from parental support, it helps students to develop 4 key actions to enhance their wellbeing at university: identify, develop, reflect and refine. The programme is led by first generation students across two campuses and also includes a series of co-created digital resource to guide participants’ individual reflection.
While this is a relatively new programme and we are yet to see the impact, it’s exciting to see examples of interventions developed with first generation students in mind.
By working alongside your first generation university students, you can develop interventions and support systems that are uniquely tailored to mitigate the challenges they face in higher education. That way, you can ensure greater impact and a more effective application of resources.
A More Targeted Approach to Supporting First Generation University Students
In order to thrive in a university setting, first generation students require support and interventions that respond directly to barriers that hold them back from succeeding in higher education. While this kind of support is well developed in higher education institutions in places like the United States and Australia, there is plenty of scope for UK institutions to increase their provision in this area.
There are some notable examples across the sector, such as KCL’s Mind the Gaps project and Manchester Metropolitan University’s first-in-family scholarship, which includes bespoke system of support from application all the way through to graduation. Next steps will include measuring the impact of these interventions and refining approaches for future iterations.
Learning from these initiatives will be key to developing impactful interventions that can support first generation university students throughout the whole student lifecycle. Keeping your finger on the pulse of what is happening in the sector will help you to develop your own interventions to support first generation university students, responsive to the specific challenges they face within your institution.
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