Predictors of Persistence, Retention & Completion for First-Generation Graduate Students

Abstract

Postsecondary education is still considered key for achieving upward mobility and economic success. While access to higher education has over the past three decades, students whose parents did not complete at least a bachelor’s degree continue to be at a distinct disadvantage. Given that most first-generation college students are from low-income and minority backgrounds, this population faces challenges distinct to them- 1) insufficient academic preparation, 2) inadequate financial resources, and 3) deficient support from family members and/or peers that attended college. Yet, while first-generation undergraduate students have been extensively studied with regard to their motivations, challenges, and unique needs for persistence, retention, and completion, their graduate counterparts have not. This mixed-methods study seeks to determine the motivations for pursuing graduate degrees by different populations, especially firstgeneration graduate students, who are the first in their families to pursue graduate degrees, their perceptions of the value of education, necessary social networks of support, and additional support required for a non-traditional population that has often been out of college for over a decade.