first-generation

About one in three Mason students are in the first generation of their families to attend college. First-generation college students find a welcoming environment at Mason, with a multi-layered support network to help ensure success and provide help through any challenge.

The 2021 keynote speech at graduation will be delivered by a woman who rose to the top levels of federal government—and she’s an alumna of the Schar School of Policy and Government.

Honors College student Brenda Henriquez has been named an Adobe Research Women-in-Technology Scholar, a program that recognizes outstanding undergraduate female students studying computer science.

George Mason University’s ADVANCE program, which partners with Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) to help students earn four-year degrees at Mason, is celebrating its first four graduates next week.

Last year, Mason reported that 40 percent of its undergraduates were first-generation students. These numbers are proudly achieved through university initiatives like the Student Transition Empowerment Program (STEP), created to enhance the recruitment, engagement and retention of first-generation college students accepted to Mason.