Welcome to Penn! As a first generation and/or low income college student, please know that you are not alone. We, as a community, are here to support you. To start, you should be aware of a few terms
Being first-generation at Penn, from a University perspective, means one or neither of your parents went to college, a college in the US, a 4-year college, or a selective university like Penn. You can self-identify as first-generation meaning there is no proof needed.
From a student perspective, we allow students to claim being first-gen if they can relate to the collective experience of facing challenges when navigating an elite Ivy League University.
Being low-income means you may not have had certain opportunities and resources available to you. Penn has a specific definition and it is based on your financial need. This will affect your eligibility for specific resources that come from Student Financial Services or Penn First Plus. You can self-identify as low or lower income based on your personal experiences, or if you are attending college to improve your social mobility.
Being highly aided is a term reserved for students whose family makes less than $65,000 a year and whose expected family contribution is less than $4,500. As a HA student, you receive various resources that you can find more about at https://srfs.upenn.edu/financial-aid/highly-aided You cannot self-identify as highly-aided. If you are not Highly Aided and learn about a new resource, please speak to your financial aid advisor to determine your eligibility.
Now that these terms are cleared up, what resources are available to you?
P1P & Student Intervention Services offer an Emergency & Opportunity Fund. You can apply to this for emergency or opportunity expenses
Important contacts:
- Penn First Plus: pennfirstplus@upenn.edu, for information on eligibility for resources
- Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (CURF): curf@upenn.edu, for information on competitive graduate fellowships, research at Penn, and finding a research mentor
- Valerie De Cruz: decruz@upenn.edu, for information on the FGLI program and Greenfield Intercultural Center (GIC) resources including a free textbook library, free printing, and free food pantry
- Toyce Holmes: toholmes@upenn.edu, for information on other FGLI student groups such as Penn First, FGLI Dean’s Advisory Board, FGLIQ, Collective Success at Penn, Questbridge Scholars, FLITE, Seven Eight, iFGLI, Penn Common Cents, Matriculate, WEDIG, Penn for Immigrant Rights, and Penn Transfer Student Organization (TSO) and more.
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