Characteristics of Students Whose Parents Did Not Go to College

Among 1992 high school graduates, 27 percent were from families in which neither parent had any postsecondary education (figure 1). Compared with their peers whose parents held bachelor’s or advanced degrees, these graduates were more likely to be black or Hispanic and to be from families in the lowest income quartile (figure 2). Thus, policies or programs that increase access for students whose parents did not go to college may also do the same for low-income and minority students.