AccessU: First Gen on Campus

Are financial resources at the U enough for first-gen students? Many say no.

First-generation students say they struggle with the financial aid application process and face a lack of tailored resources.

Students wait outside One Stop Student Services in Minneapolis, Minn. in Bruininks Hall on Thursday, April 18, 2024. The one-stop shop offers academic and financial services, but some students say they want more guidance (Caleb Fravel/AccessU).

On top of needing guidance navigating tuition expenses, Gunstrom and other first-gen students said they’ve felt stressed managing personal finances like paying for rent, food and other daily expenses. 

To support students who require more holistic financial support, One Stop offers one-on-one financial wellness counseling. But Selander said the office does not send out emails about these sessions because administrators try to limit notifications to items that need action, such as tuition payments and deadlines.

“We try to be clear in the subject line that there’s an action required,” Selander said. “So those are carefully crafted like, ‘This is what we need you to do.’ So we wouldn’t do that probably for financial wellness because it’s not like a need to do that.”

Despite One Stop sending out action-oriented reminders about tuition payments, first-gen students expressed confusion around deadline policies. Multiple students mentioned they experienced a situation when their loans, scholarships or other forms of payment were not disbursed to their student account by the deadline. When they reached out to One Stop, the office accommodated them by waiving the $40 late fee. 

But when Pitrof faced a problem with her private loan being processed on time, she was simply told she’d have to pay the late fee. 

“The experiences that I had with OneStop my freshman year really kind of put a bad taste in my mouth,” Pitof said. “So I haven’t really reached out to anything else.”

Targeted outreach helps first-gen students

Studies and experts say institutions would benefit from creating financial services that connect to students through nimble communication strategies.

A 2020 Ohio State University study found first-generation students at public, four-year institutions experience higher financial strain and lower financial knowledge. At the same time, they were more likely to use loans, scholarships or work to finance their education.

Nicola Alexander, a University of Minnesota professor who teaches the economics of education, said many factors contribute to this statistic, ranging from the type of institution, family background and income. A lack of knowledge can be a big hurdle to accessing aid, she added.

“There is sometimes a cloud surrounding what it is that one has to do in order to be financially prepared,” Alexander said.

Without knowing what questions to ask or what resources to access, some first-generation students may be left in a position where they lose potential aid, Alexander added. Providing access to a multitude of financial resources can help.

“You can have all bases covered,” Alexander said. “Where is it that students go? Where is it that students are willing to accept help and advice?”

Jeff Grim, assistant professor of higher education at George Mason University, said his research at the University of Michigan shows institutions can improve access to financial resources by meeting students where they look for financial help and reaching out with targeted communication

“When you’re in a big place like Minnesota… a one-size-fits-all will be a one-size-fits-not-many,” Grim said.

Grim said clear, targeted communication can be a cost- and time-effective solution.

A 2021 University of Michigan report, which Grim co-authored, found students often became connected to campus resources through personal relationships with advisers and peers. 

Establishing lines of communication with student groups allows institutions to leverage personal relationships to spread accurate, helpful information about financial aid and resources, Grim said. 

At the University of Michigan, one student group used the messaging service GroupMe to spread the word about the university’s emergency relief in the early stages of the pandemic, Grim said. The researchers suggested that interactive peer communication — where students could ask questions and provide links to resources — helped keep those students informed.

Grim also said maintaining strong connections between university programs can help direct students to the right resources. Financial aid services need to be connected to the organizations that have the closest connection to students, such as academic advising, residential life or diversity offices.

“Those are the places that financial aid needs to connect with in order to efficiently connect with diverse students,” Grim said.

The University of Michigan’s program director of first-generation initiatives, Terra Molengraff, has established a model of frequent communications that maintains ties with all parts of university life, including financial aid offices. She directly emails every first-gen student on campus five times a year with information, encouraging them to get in touch with her if they have any questions.

“I say, ‘Here’s an event you can attend, here is me, this is what my job is, this is what I do, these are some of the questions I can answer, reach out to me and ask me some questions,’” Molengraff said. “I just try to give them that information as much as possible.”

Directly connecting or working with students can also lead to clear, understandable resources.

Grim said Rutgers University in Newark has “a little army of first-gen students” that approves university web pages before they are released or updated. Similar programs can help ensure information is being communicated effectively and that resources are serving their intended purpose.

As of now, One Stop engages users for feedback through comment boxes on its websites, focus groups and usability studies, according to Stacey Tidball, associate vice provost of Academic Support Resources at the university.

Upcoming first-gen center bridges the gap

For many student interviewees, a designated place that addresses the specific financial needs of first-generation students may be the answer to making financial resources more accessible. 

“If there was a financial department just for first-generation college students, I think that’d be extremely easy for students like myself to access just because we don’t always know where to look,” said Kali Kopek, a third-year student at the university.

While students said One Stop provides efficient service when contacted, Selander said students who need guidance have to reach out, as financial literacy is a two-way street. 

Z Dillard, a third-year student, said she quickly realized she needed to take the initiative in her student finances. After feeling unsupported by the university’s financial resources as a freshman, she started going to the One Stop office regularly to get clarity on her tuition payments and persistently asked questions until they were answered. 

“​​I think a lot of students — especially freshmen — they don’t realize that you need to have more self-agency than you’ve ever had in your life,” Dillard said. “I feel like a lot of students, and I can’t really blame them, are looking for help, but they don’t ask for it. They don’t know how.”

This missing link between first-generation students and university financial resources might be on its way. 

This fall, the university is opening a center for first-gen students in Appleby Hall to help first-gen students be successful by creating a sense of belonging and providing the necessary support in areas like financial advising, according to LeeAnn Melin, associate vice provost for student success.

Melin said first-generation support has been spread across different areas of campus, but the center will provide more direct support and be able to partner with other services. Melin recognizes that financial support is going to be a stronger need for first-gen students, and they have been discussing how to make financial literacy support work for students.

“Financial literacy is a journey, so it’s a matter of how do you start out and budget and think about college and understand it that way,” Melin said. “And then it continues in terms of when you’re ready to launch life after college.”

Melin said the President’s Emerging Scholars program, also known as PES, has staff trained in financial literacy who they have found to be helpful for students as a complement to One Stop, not a replacement. Melin is hoping to replicate that model in the first-gen center. The center will consist of student leaders and three full-time staff members.

“With only three staff, the question is: ‘Is there one person that focuses on that [financial literacy]?’” Melin said. “I would say we would lean towards ‘How can we use some of our One Stop colleagues to come to the center and be able to make sure that they’re really working with our students versus building that full expertise within the center itself?’”

The PES staff helps bridge the gap where they can before sending students to the financial experts at One Stop, according to Melin.

With the upcoming first-gen center planning to collaborate with One Stop, first-gen students might receive personalized financial support, which fourth-year student Olivia Cuoco said the university lacked.

“If you’re gonna work with students, really show that you want to help me in my financial situation,” Cuoco said. “Engage in my story and give me better suggestions.”

This story was reported and written for AccessU: First Gen on Campus by Natasha Delion, Caleb Fravel and Jessy Rehmann.