First Generation Students

COVID communications and first generation students

Marcus Wright, undergraduate program manager and academic coordinator in the Department of Sociology and doctoral student at the Graduate School of Education, analyzes academic messaging to expose blind spots.

From OMNIA

A Move-In like no other

Penn undergraduates start arriving on campus to move into College Houses during an extended eight-day period in keeping with pandemic health and safety protocols.

Louisa Shepard



Media Contact


In the News


Philadelphia Inquirer

Colleges should shoulder the burden of SCOTUS admissions ruling, not students, say Philly college advisers

A new free course at Penn, Applying to College 101, will guide students through the college admissions process in the wake of the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling, with remarks from Dean of Admissions Whitney Soule.

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Philadelphia Inquirer

Penn alum gives $18 million to support first-generation college students

Wharton alumnus Scott Shleifer and his wife, Elena Shleifer, have given Penn $18 million to support first-generation and “modest” or “limited-income” students. “This gift will enable our university to foster an ever more welcoming and inclusive learning environment to prepare all Penn students for successful lives,” said President Amy Gutmann.

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Philadelphia Inquirer

Penn student who aged out of foster care wins prestigious Rhodes Scholarship

May graduate Mackenzie Fierceton has been named a Rhodes Scholar, which will allow her to study at Oxford University in England.

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The Washington Post

Bloomberg gift to Hopkins to help middle-income families as well as the poor

Vice President of Finance and Treasurer MaryFrances McCourt spoke about Penn’s endowment for undergraduate financial aid and its support for low-income students.

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CBS News

Bay Area 1st generation college student’s background helping him excel

School of Arts and Sciences senior Victor Arellano was profiled for his summer interning with Motive Power, a San Francisco management consulting firm.

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Diverse: Issues in Higher Education

UPenn provides support services for first-generation and low-income students

Admissions Dean Eric J. Furda and Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum, vice provost for university life, discussed Penn’s support system for first-generation and low-income students.

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