24% of the current undergraduate student population identifies as a first-generation college student (this translates to about 5,677 students).
Most of our first-generation students are from Massachusetts (85%), but 11% come from another state. The remaining 4% are international students. Of all UMass first-gen students, a little over half live on campus (56%).
Of the 5,677 first-generation undergraduate students, almost half (2,641) identify as BIPOC. Approximately a quarter (1,654) are from underrepresented minority groups. Based on institutional data, about half of all first-gen students are low-income (51% are Pell eligible). About one in five first-gen students are both low-income and from an underrepresented minority group. Additionally, about a quarter of all first-gen students are transfer students.
The latest 4-year graduation rate (fall 2017 cohort) for first-generation students is 70% (comparatively, the graduation rate for the entire student population stood at 76%). The 6-year graduation rate stood at 80% and 84%, respectively.
UMass Amherst is First-Gen Forward
There are currently 215 designated First-gen Forward Institutions across the 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22 cohorts. Collectively, they represent a community of professionals prepared to share evidence-based practices and resources, troubleshoot challenges, generate knowledge, and continue to advance the success of first-generation students across the United States.
