UI reports gap in results among first generation students and continuing generation students

Hunter
04/03/20
University of Iowa Provost Montserrat Fuentes this week reported a gap between students who are the first in their family to attend college and those who have a history of family members attending higher-education institutions.
The Daily Iowan reports that in the report to the State Board of Regents on Wednesday, Fuentes discussed the improvements made among under-represented students in retention rates. Citing the school’s Iowa Edge program, which focuses on those students, she said the first-to-second year retention rate went from 80.8 percent in 2016 to 82.3 percent in 2017.
However, Fuentes said the retention rate among first-generation students has been continuously dropping. First time-first year enrollment was up to 21.9 percent this fall, compared to 21.1 percent the year before.
But first-to-second year retention, which was at 80.9 percent in 2013, dropped to 79.2 percent in 2016 and 78.4 percent in 2017.
The DI reported earlier this year that the Provosts office announced a new program set to launch this summer called the Hawkeye First Generation Initiative. Its purpose is to engage, mentor and support those first time students, and Fuentes says the university will randomly engage about 200 students to participate in the program.