OSU first-generation enrollment surpasses national average

Ohio State is creating opportunities and opening doors for more students by dispelling the myth that all college students come from a long line of family graduates.

Of the more than 6,000 who indicated they planned to attend OSU during the fall 2007 quarter, 22.7 percent are first-generation college students. This figure surpasses the national average of 15.9 percent.

"In comparison, Ohio State's numbers are fantastic, because we know that many of these students come from families that haven't traditionally considered college," said Tally Hart, director of the Economic Access Initiative.

In 2003, the university began asking applicants to indicate whether their parents had attended college. Soon after, under Hart's guidance, the university implemented the Economic Access Initiative, an outreach program designed to encourage needy high school students who are considering to pursue higher education.

According to the Ohio State Web site, the creation of the Economic Access Initiative further marks the university's ongoing commitment to ensuring all qualified students, regardless of income, can make the dream of college a reality.

"I knew I always wanted to go to college, but I also knew finances would be an issue," said Amber Ballard, a first-generation student and senior in human ecology. "Luckily, in sixth grade I was nominated for the Young Scholars Program, so the door was opened for me. Without that, my chance at a college education would have been very slim."

Ohio State offers many scholarships and programs for students with financial need and a lack of family college history. One of the most well-known is the Land Grant Opportunity Scholarship.

Despite rising enrollment among first-generation students, graduation rates are still lacking on a national level. Ongoing studies by the Institute of Higher Education Policy show many first-generation and low-income students who do attend colleges and universities are less likely than counterparts to obtain their bachelor's degree.

In 2005, the National Center for Educational Statistics reported that compared with students whose parents attended college, first-generation students consistently remained at a disadvantage after entering post-secondary education - needing remedial assistance, earning lower grades and completing fewer credit hours.

"There is a lot of pressure that comes with being a first-generation student," Ballard said. "Sometimes you get caught up in the odds being against you, and your family can't relate to all the things you're dealing with."

Statistics regarding the retention of first-generation students at OSU were not available. However, overall, the university reported a 90 percent retention rate of its freshmen class.

Despite the national statistics, Ballard said the title of being the first in her family to graduate is enough to motivate those students to give it all they have.

"It's important for me to graduate because I know I can't let my family down," she said. "I'm starting a new era (of college graduates), and that gives me motivation to succeed."

Lisa Scott can be reached at scott.917@osu.edu.