Students whose parents have had no postsecondary educational experience disproportionately belong to races other than white, often come from low-income families, and are more likely to be female than male. Persistence to completion is important for any student in college, but for these students it can be a life-transforming experience. Research has documented that first-generation college graduates go on to occupy the same positions as and earn salaries comparable to their counterparts with college-educated parents.