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As universities gear up for the first admissions cycle post-affirmative action, one Triad university has announced a new policy aimed at first-generation college students.
This fall, Wake Forest University will offer early action specifically for first-generation students in an effort to reduce barriers to a college education. The Winston-Salem university is the first top-30 university to offer such an option.
In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling affirmative action unconstitutional, it has been unclear how universities will keep their commitment to growing a diverse student population.
Chris Edwards, an appellate attorney from North Carolina firm Ward and Smith, previously told TBJ that colleges will have to get creative, perhaps by using proxies such as socioeconomic status, geographics or whether the student is a first-generation college student. He explained that those considerations are not suspect because they are “viewed completely differently” by the courts.
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“Great universities like Wake Forest are called to be catalysts for good in society,” said President Susan Wente. “This means lowering barriers to accessing the extraordinary educational opportunities we offer here. This initiative is one such way to make the path to Wake Forest clearer for first-generation college students, who often do not take advantage of early admission programs to the same degree as students from college-educated families do.”
Growing diversity through first-generation students
Nationwide, about half of all college students are first-generation, meaning their parents did not graduate from a four-year accredited students, according to a Forbes analysis of data from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). Wake Forest said that first-generation students can also include the children of those who earned a degree in another country, immigrated to the United States and are now underemployed.
In North Carolina, about 36.3% of students are the first in their family to go to college.
The Forbes analysis shows that first-generation students are more likely to come from underrepresented backgrounds.
Only 46% of first-generation students identify as white, compared to 61% of continuing-generation students. A quarter of first-generation students are Hispanic or Latino, 18% are black or African-American, 6% are Asian and 1% are Alaskan Native. Among these racial and ethnic groups, many are first-generation college students, with 59% of black and African-American students being first-generation, 39% of Asian students, 60% of Hispanic or Latino students, 54% of American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Only 36% of white students are the first in their family to go to college.
First-generation college students also disproportionately come from lower-income backgrounds and are also more likely to be female and to come from immigrant households.
“The real advantage of this plan is that first-generation students who want to come to Wake Forest have a new option to apply early action and know that the university values their experience and wants to create more opportunity for them,” said Eric Maguire, the school’s vice president for enrollment.
Wake Forest’s early action plan for first-generation students will allow those applicants to receive an admissions decision by January 15, the school said, while retaining the ability to consider other admissions and financial aid offers.
In college admissions, early action policies are non-binding, meaning students can apply to as many schools as they like and they are under no obligation to attend if accepted. On the other hand, early decision applications are binding and students are only permitted to apply to one school under early decision. Both policies have applications that are typically due before November 1.
Building on programs that remove educational barriers
Through this policy, Wake Forest hopes to encourage more first-generation students to apply.
First-generation applicants will also be able to apply through early decision and regular decision. The school will continue to meet demonstrated financial need for all accepted students, it said.
The early action options builds on Wake Forest’s established programs that recruit and retain first-generation students, such as the Magnolia Scholars and the First in the Forest. The Magnolia Scholars, for example, provides scholarships, academic support, study abroad opportunities and counseling.
Wake Forest was also the first top-30 university to adopt a test-optional policy in the admissions process, a practice that many other institutions adopted during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Wake Forest recognized early that not requiring standardized tests could open the door wider for those who may not have applied to selective colleges and universities,” said Michele Gillespie, provost. “The university continues to lead the way in removing barriers for students and establishing pathways of opportunity.”