First-generation learners refer to students who are the first in their family to pursue higher education, as their parents typically only completed primary education. Many first-generation learners come from low-income backgrounds. Universities provide special support programs to help first-generation students with the academic, social, and financial challenges they face navigating higher education without family experience or resources. Such challenges include affording increasing college fees, gender-based obstacles, and stress from managing everything without support. There are estimated to be over 121 million first-generation learners in India today.

1. FIRST GENERATION LEARNER
First-generation learners refer to the children who are the first in their family
to go to school or whose parents have completed formal education till the
primary level.
Note: They are the first ones in their generation to go to school thus blindly
rely on schools and tuitions.
A first-generation student is a learner or a student whose parents or legal guardians
have not gone to college. The first-generation student is the first in their family to
go for a bachelor's degree for four years in any college or university.
More often than not, a first-generation learner comes from low-income families.
Some colleges provide special consideration for first-gen students and reserve seats
for this category of learners. This is to increase the literacy rate and to impart
quality education to people hailing from different walks of life.

2. Many universities support first-gen students in their social,
academic, and professional development. These universities run
programs for such students. These universities work as a resource
for such students and their families.
These first-generation programs are available all the time for
first-generation students. There are different problems that first-
generation students face.

3. For example, problems related to finances, as the college fees
are continually increasing. Some students manage to pay the
first-year fee and then face difficulties to pay the second year
fees. With online education on the rise and the availability
of e-learning platforms, the expenses for education has come
down drastically.
There is a gender bias too. A first-generation female student
finds it challenging to manage everything, thus leading to more
stress. Because of all this, their academics are being affected.

4. These skills and characteristics—
being hardworking, resilient, proactive, resourceful, and creative, among
other characteristics—lead first gen students to success in school and life.

5. Challenges Faced By First-Gen Students
 Psychological Challenges.
 Academic Challenges.
 Financial Concerns.
 Social Challenges.
 Seek Support for Yourself and Your Family. ...
 Have Conversations About Your Experience. ...
 Access College Resources. ...
 Confront your own biases.
Addition to academic and social campus support, some colleges are more financially friendly to first generation students.
This includes: Fee waivers when applying to colleges/universities. Scholarships (partial and full) just for first generation
students.

10. How many first-generation learners are there in India?
Based on these stats, a conservative estimate places 121
million FGLs in India. This reiterates that understanding and
improving learning outcomes for FGLs is significant to the
nation's growth as a whole. Most FGLs are involved in
household chores.