First Generation & Low-Income Student Support

Two women talk at an outdoor tabling event.

Welcome First-Generation Trailblazers!

First-Generation & Low-Income (FGLI) Student Support promotes awareness, identity exploration, community engagement, and self-advocacy for students who identify with the first-generation and/or low-income student experience.

Our work is grounded in a holistic, intersectional approach to foster an educational environment for FGLI students (including those with Undocumented/DACA status) to succeed and thrive at Cornell. As a unit within the Dean of Students’ Center for Student Equity, Empowerment, and Belonging, we promote an inclusive and transformational educational experience for FGLI student trailblazers by empowering them to navigate and access resources to alleviate institutional barriers.

Oftentimes, students with undocumented/DACA status also identify as FGLI. Learn more about the undocumented/DACA student experience here.

Am I a First-Generation College Student?

At Cornell, we consider you a first-generation college student if you come from a family where neither your parents nor legal guardians have graduated with a four-year college degree within or outside the USA.

Am I a Low-Income College Student?

Students with low-income status have little or no expected parent contribution as part of their financial aid package, are Pell Grant recipients, or have had their academic experience limited due to socioeconomic status. Note that they often intersect; first-generation and low-income are not synonymous.

Cornell University is a First-Gen Forward Institution by the NASPA Center for First-generation Student Success. The First-Gen Forward designation recognizes higher education institutions committed to improving experiences and advancing outcomes of first-generation college students.