Survey: The majority of first-gen students feel a sense of belonging but do not feel financially supported at UMN
AccessU: First Gen on Campus survey finds that peer connections are important, academic advising needs improvement and FAFSA delay is causing concerns among first-gen students.
By John Henry Sullivan
A recent AccessU: First Gen on Campus survey revealed that first-generation students, who account for nearly one-quarter of the undergraduate population, generally feel a sense of belonging at the University of Minnesota — Twin Cities.
However, many of the first-gen respondents in the survey signaled a need for support in some areas, like financial and academic advising.
The survey, administered from late February and early March, had the goal of examining the experiences and attitudes of first-gen students at the university. The survey produced several notable insights:
- Peers matter. The majority of first-gen and non-first-gen respondents said they feel a sense of belonging at the university because they have been able to meaningfully connect with peers. Those who do not feel a sense of belonging at the university cited a lack of peer connections as the main reason.
- Finances concern many first-gen and non-first-gen respondents alike, who said they feel less support from university financial advisers and are concerned about handling student debt post-graduation. First-gen respondents also said they are more concerned about the current FAFSA delay than non-first-gen respondents.
- First-gen respondents expressed a need for better academic advising.
Methodology
The survey was circulated by email between Feb. 27 and March 10 to a random sample of 5,000 undergraduate students at the university. Of the respondents, nearly half — 139 out of 283 — were first-generation students, defined as those whose parents have not earned a four-year college degree.
Due to the small survey size and collection methods, this survey is not a comprehensive study and, hence, is not a reflection of all first-gen students or the wider student population. Simply put, the survey should be considered a large questionnaire.
The survey does offer valuable insight into some of the experiences of respondents, particularly those who are first-generation students.
First-generation recipients were also able to leave comments and their information for follow-up interviews.
A feeling of belonging, friends
Three-fourths of respondents, first-gen and non-first-gen alike, indicated they feel or somewhat feel a sense of belonging at the university. Of the first-gen respondents, just over 73% said they feel a sense of belonging.
“I feel especially supported as a first-gen student in the Ronald E. McNair program,” a respondent wrote. “I'm a family social science major so it's a part of our studies to talk about first-gen and minority identities.”
When asked the main reason respondents feel a sense of belonging, about 43% said they were able to connect meaningfully with peers. Roughly 40% of first-gen respondents said the same.
While the majority of respondents said they feel a sense of belonging, 10% of all respondents said they do not. When asked the main reason respondents do not feel a sense of belonging, again, it was peers.
Around 37% of those respondents said they do not feel a sense of belonging because they have not been able to connect meaningfully with other students.
Just over one-quarter of first-gen respondents attributed their lack of belonging to peers.
“As a first-gen and non-traditional student, I feel there are very few communities for me to feel that I am with peers,” another respondent wrote.
Additionally, first-gen recipients were asked if they felt stereotyped because of their first-gen identity. About 80% of respondents said they do not. Of those who do feel stereotyped, however, nearly 70% said they feel it most from their peers.
A lack of financial resources and support
While the majority of first-gen respondents said the university meets or somewhat meets the needs of first-gen students, many are still not satisfied with university support, particularly financial support.
When asked to rank how supported they feel in the following categories – academic tutoring and support, social connections, advising and career guidance, financial resources and mental health resources — the majority of first-gen and non-first-gen respondents said they feel somewhat or very supported in all categories except financial resources.
About half of first-gen respondents said grants and scholarships were their main source of payment for college. Roughly 90% of first-gen students reported filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as FAFSA, each year — a jump from the mere 69% of non-first-gen respondents.
Still, one-fifth of first-gen respondents said financial support is not at all met by the university and just over half of first-gen respondents said the financial aid process was moderately challenging or difficult.
“It's been very difficult to be a first-gen student at the University of Minnesota,” a respondent wrote. “We usually do not have financial support from our parents to pay for tuition, afford housing or attend various social and sporting events. As a first-gen student, I have a full-time job and am in the military to be able to afford the cost of living while going to school.”
Further, when asked about life after college, first-gen respondents were most concerned about handling student debt. Over one-quarter of first-gen respondents said they are not prepared to handle debt out of college.
“I don't necessarily need a social community but an adviser who understands the struggles of financials/academics/not having connections in your field, would have been extremely helpful,” another respondent wrote. “Some of my peers just knew to apply for internships at X time using X resources, and I was blindsided.”
Approximately 28% of all respondents said they do not feel supported by financial aid advisers, with nearly one-third of first-gen respondents saying the same.
The effect of the FAFSA delay
In November 2023, the U.S. Department of Education announced changes to the FAFSA form. In an attempt to improve the form, the agency did not adjust for inflation, leading to financial delays detrimental to the enrollment of many college students, especially those who rely on grants and loans like first-gen students.
When respondents who fill out the FAFSA form yearly were asked if they were concerned about the impact of FAFSA delay, the survey found 34% of first-gen respondents were “very concerned” about the delay, compared to just 17% of non-first-gen respondents.
First-gen advisers
While nearly half of respondents indicated their needs were somewhat met by academic advisers, some first-gen respondents noted a desire for first-gen-specific advisers.
“I felt that it was hard for me to find information,” one first-gen respondent said. “I wish the UMN gave every first-generation student an adviser that would walk us through everything, like signing up for classes, who to contact for certain questions, financial aid questions, etc.”
“There should be advisers specifically for first-gen students,” another first-gen respondent said. “Mine was so rude to me for not understanding how things worked, or what I was supposed to do. The way she treated me made me feel like I didn't even have her as a resource I could go to.”