Parental Support among First-Generation College Students at the Public Regional Comprehensive University

• In Event: Sociology of Education Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 12. Underserved and First-Generation College Student Experiences

Abstract

Most of the research on parental support in college focuses on private elite and public flagship universities. Little is known about parental involvement within public regional comprehensive universities. In this project, I examine parental financial and academic support for first-generation college students at a midsize public regional comprehensive university in the Midwest. Using survey data (N = 289), I find that the parents of first-generation college students are more likely to assist with paying for expenses that are already shared by the rest of the family (i.e., streaming services, a shared phone plan) than to contribute to “big-ticket” items such as tuition or healthcare. I also find that first-generation college students are less likely to ask their parents for general advice about college compared to their non-first-generation counterparts. However, both groups are equally unlikely to ask their parents for advice about their academic majors. These findings have implications for understanding how parental support functions in public regional comprehensive university settings.

Author

• Hubert Izienicki, Purdue University Northwest