How Am I going to pay for that?!: first-generation university students and their financial concerns

Abstract

This study examines first-generation research-university students in relation to their financial considerations. It is driven by the question, What is the relationship between first-generation college-student status and financial considerations among research-university students? It explores the impact of such variables as first-generation student status, parents' educational levels, student demographics, student's financial status, and academic considerations on students' financial concerns including the level of student financial concerns associated with paying for college, the behaviors students might choose, the manageability of college costs, and the worry associated with those costs. The results indicate that first-generation research- university students have unique financial concerns and responses to these concerns which are tied to their educational and family related backgrounds that influence their financial decision-making.