First-Generation
Nearly half of the student body at the University of New Mexico are first-generation students.
Whereas a first-generation undergraduate student is typically defined as a student with neither parent having any education beyond high school, or a student with neither parent having received a four-year college/university degree, the term “first-generation graduate student” requires a more expansive definition. It can include:
- an individual who is in the first generation of their family to earn a Bachelor’s degree
- an individual who is in the first generation of their family to enter graduate or professional school
- an individual who is in the first generation of their family to enter graduate or professional school in the United States
- an individual who never received access to the knowledge of navigating graduate school, even if they have a family member who pursued or earned a graduate degree
- an individual with other circumstances that prompts them to identify as first-generation
First-generation graduate students are more likely than other students to come from low-income or underrepresented backgrounds and to be parents and caregivers, veterans, or first-generation Americans. In addition to the resources below, please visit our roadmaps for Professional and Returning Students and Community Centered Students.
First-Gen Resources at UNM
UNM’s First-Gen Proud website
Annual weeklong First Generation Celebration
Glossary of College and UNM-specific Terms
Academic Support
JumpStart Orientation
The Center for Teaching and Learning hosts a JumpStart orientation for new students each semester, where incoming students can meet one another, learn about resources on campus, and hear from a panel of current students. This is a great point of entry for new first-generation graduate students.
Cohort programs
Cohort programs are ideally suited to supporting the specific needs of first-generation students. Graduate Community Mentoring (GCM), the Project for New Mexico Graduates of Color peer mentorship program (PNMGC), and Summa Academia offer participants community, resources, and programming to guide them in navigating the graduate experience.
Graduate Support at the Center for Teaching and Learning
Offers free one-on-one writing and statistics consultations and career support, as well as thesis/dissertation coaching, workshops, writing camps, and support groups.
Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA)
Home of graduate and professional student governance at UNM. Administers grants and scholarships, student organization funding, and lobbies NM Legislature to support graduate and professional student needs.
Accessibility Resource Center (ARC)
Provides accommodations and resources to students with disabilities. Visit Vassar House for Health Sciences accommodations.
Health and Wellbeing
Counseling Services at Student Health and Counseling (SHAC)
Counseling Services with the Mental Health Collective (MHC)
Medical Care at Student Health and Counseling (SHAC)
Vassar House for Health Sciences advocacy, accommodations, and counseling
Financial Support
Financial Aid Office
Financial Aid Office - Health Sciences
Lobo Food Pantry
CARE Referrals from UNM Dean of Students
Supports students with a variety of resource needs, including public resource navigation, financial concerns, short-term loans, basic needs navigation, and more. If you don’t know where to begin, the CARE referral program will help
Other First-Gen Resources
- The Hidden Challenges for Successful First-Generation PhDs by Bailey B. Smolarek
- Being A First-Generation PhD Student from the PhD and Me: The Third Degree Podcast
- On Mentoring First Generation And Graduate Students Of Color by Marissa López
- The TRUTH About Being First Gen and in Grad School: Grit Gained, What They Don't Tell You, & How To Help Other from the Dear Grad Student Podcast
- You’re a First-Generation Graduate Student—How Do You Succeed? by Luendreo Barboza
- “Those invisible barriers are real”: The Progression of First-Generation Students Through Doctoral Education by Susan Gardner and Karri Holley (academic study)
- “When First-Generation Students Go to Graduate School” by Brett Lunceford (academic study)
Personalized journeys
Who you are and what you value will determine the kind of thoroughfares and waystations you visit along your graduate journey. At UNM Graduate Studies, we are committed to helping you forge a path that best serves you.
