Carleton College is one of 450 colleges and universities nationwide recognized as a First-Gen Forward Institution, and one of 31 institutions recognized as a Network Champion Institution.
What does it mean to be a FGF Champion Institution?
Designation as a First Generation Forward Champion institution does not suggest that all challenges related to first-generation student success have been fully resolved at Carleton. Rather, this recognition reflects our commitment to advancing our support.
As illustrated in the timeline below, Carleton’s efforts to support first-generation students are long-standing and ongoing, and being a FGF Champion means we are committed to learning from colleagues and students to continue to improve.
Timeline
1980: Carleton receives its first federal TRIO/SSS grant. Continuously funded since then, TRIO supports students who are low-income, first-generation, or have documented disabilities, through advising, peer mentoring, and programming.
2016: A First-Generation and Low-Income Experience Working Group report leads to the development of the laptop loaner program and efforts to increase transparency about available resources.
2020-2021: Carleton is named to the 2020–21 First-Gen Forward Cohort by the Center for First-Generation Student Success (now FirstGen Forward). This distinction recognizes institutions that demonstrate a commitment to advancing first-generation student success.
2022: Carleton’s Community Plan for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity establishes a mandate to measure baseline data about recruitment, retention, achievement, thriving and belonging of various groups of students, including first-generation students, and work towards parity with the overall student population.
2023: The Carleton 2033 Strategic Direction launches First at Carleton, an initiative to provide programming and support for all first-generation and immigrant-origin students, building upon the proven successes of dedicated support programs such as TRIO (federally funded), Posse, QuestBridge, FOCUS, and CUBE, as well as Carleton’s status as a First-Gen Forward Institution.
2025: The Class of 1975 establishes the “First at Carleton Fund” as part of their 50th Reunion gift to specifically support first-generation students with academic, financial, and social resources, aiming to boost their sense of belonging and success.
2025: Carleton is named a FirstGen Forward Network Champion, one of a small group of institutions considered leaders in advancing first-generation student success.
2025-2026: Through data analysis and focus groups, we are currently conducting an environmental scan of the support 1st-generation students receive on campus, as well as the challenges they face before and after they arrive.