Best for First-Gen Students 2026
Schools with the strongest outcomes for first-generation college students
How this ranking is calculated
Identifies schools that do the most for students who are the first in their family to attend college — combining a high concentration of first-gen students with strong graduation and earnings outcomes.
Source measurement years vary and may precede the ranking edition. The update date records the published dataset, not when every outcome was measured.
See exact overall weights and a worked exampleWhat drives the score
- Share of enrolled students who are first-generation (higher = more welcoming)
- Graduation rate (are first-gen students actually finishing?)
- Post-graduation earnings (are first-gen students getting economic lift?)
- Pell Grant rate (a proxy for how many low-income students the school serves)
Data sources
- Federal enrollment demographic data
- Federal earnings and completion outcome data
- Institutional financial aid reporting
This ranking rewards schools that actively enroll and successfully graduate first-generation students — not just prestigious schools that happen to admit a few. Schools with both high first-gen enrollment and strong outcomes score highest.
Top 100 first-gen results
Sorted by College Index's first-gen score. The displayed list index rescales the leading score to 100; equal rounded scores may have different sequential ranks.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
University of California-Merced
Merced, CA
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
New York, NY
University of California-Irvine
Irvine, CA
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
California State University-Stanislaus
Turlock, CA
University of California-San Diego
La Jolla, CA
California State University-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
University of California-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
San Jose State University
San Jose, CA
University of California-Davis
Davis, CA
University of California-Riverside
Riverside, CA
University of California-Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA
California State University-San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
Pomona, CA
West Coast University-Anaheim-Orange County
Anaheim, CA
University of La Verne
La Verne, CA
Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY
California State University-Fullerton
Fullerton, CA
California State University-Long Beach
Long Beach, CA
Yale University
New Haven, CT
California State University-Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA
Chamberlain University-Illinois
Addison, IL
Galen College of Nursing-Louisville
Louisville, KY
California State University-Monterey Bay
Seaside, CA
California State University-Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA
California State University-Northridge
Northridge, CA
Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA
California State University-Fresno
Fresno, CA
Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion
Marion, IN
University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX
West Coast University-Ontario
Ontario, CA
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA
Dominican University
River Forest, IL
California State University-Chico
Chico, CA
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
New Brunswick, NJ
Pomona College
Claremont, CA
West Coast University-Texas
Richardson, TX
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Seattle, WA
California State University-Sacramento
Sacramento, CA
Saint Xavier University
Chicago, IL
California State University-East Bay
Hayward, CA
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
Stanbridge University
Irvine, CA
Molloy University
Rockville Centre, NY
Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA
CUNY Lehman College
Bronx, NY
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Newark, NJ
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY
Florida International University
Miami, FL
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Boston, MA
California State University-Channel Islands
Camarillo, CA
CUNY Hunter College
New York, NY
University of Illinois Chicago
Chicago, IL
Saint Peter's University
Jersey City, NJ
University of St Francis
Joliet, IL
Babson College
Wellesley, MA
Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
California State University-San Marcos
San Marcos, CA
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Prescott, AZ
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
New York, NY
Dominican University of California
San Rafael, CA
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA
American Public University System
Charles Town, WV
Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus
Madison, NJ
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA
Illinois Institute of Technology
Chicago, IL
CUNY Queens College
Queens, NY
Aurora University
Aurora, IL
Felician University
Lodi, NJ
Western Governors University
Salt Lake City, UT
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach, FL
Bay Path University
Longmeadow, MA
Williams College
Williamstown, MA
Berkeley College-Woodland Park
Woodland Park, NJ
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA
CUNY Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, NY
University of Houston-Clear Lake
Houston, TX
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH
CUNY City College
New York, NY
University of California-Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA
Trinity Washington University
Washington, DC
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Columbia Southern University
Orange Beach, AL
Stockton University
Galloway, NJ
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Edinburg, TX
The University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, TX
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX
University of the Pacific
Stockton, CA
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Bentley University
Waltham, MA
Texas A&M University-College Station
College Station, TX