Academic Achievement of First-Generation Students in a Canadian University

Previous research has shown that first-generation students confront greater problems than traditional students. In order to determine if this disadvantage extends to first-year grade-point averages (GPAs) in a commuter university in which the majority are first-generation students, 1,849 students at York University in Toronto were surveyed at the end of the first year and survey results were merged with information on grades from administrative records. The results of stepwise regression and classification and regression tree analyses show that traditional students enjoy a slight advantage in terms of GPA, and that while traditional students have higher levels of involvement than first-generation students, for both student groups involvement in various university activities contributes to GPA.