9. Prioritize parental engagement in recruitment programs dedicated to students of color, first-generation students, and students with lower incomes.

Recruitment 09.19.24

Here’s what the federal government can do:

  • The U.S. Department of Education should collect, conduct, and disseminate research on effective strategies for engaging parents in recruitment programs for students of color, first-generation students, and students with lower incomes.

Here’s what state government can do:

  • State legislatures should fund culturally informed recruitment programs targeted at increasing applications from students of color, first-generation students, and students with lower incomes in state higher education institutions.

Here’s what institutional leaders can do:

  • Higher education institutions should develop culturally informed parent orientation programs for prospective students of color, first-generation students, and students with lower incomes, as well as prioritizing language accessibility.
  • Higher education institutions should have dedicated staffing to serve as family liaisons or coaches to address the questions or concerns that families of first-generation students, students of color, and students with lower incomes may have.

Higher education institutions should recognize, establish, and prioritize the systems of support, orientation, and ongoing coaching that students of color, first-generation students, and students with lower incomes — and their families — may need as they progress through their academic careers.

First-generation students are often central figures in their families, providing financial and social support, caregiving for siblings, and help with language barriers. First-generation students represent 54 percent of undergraduate college students,[i] and the median income of their families is $49,000 less than that of continuing-generation students. [ii][iii]


[i]The Future Is FirstGen,” Center for First-Generation Students Success. https://firstgen.naspa.org/journal-and-research/national-data-fact-sheets-on-first-generation-college-students/7A515490-E6AA-11E9-BAEC0242AC100002.

[ii]First-Generation College Students Demographic Characteristics and Postsecondary Enrollment,” Center for First-Generation Students Success. https://firstgen.naspa.org/files/dmfile/FactSheet-01.pdf.

[iii]Continuing-generation refers to applicants whose families and parents have attended college.