[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-584480-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-584480-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","maine-community-college-system-letter-on-first-generation-college-students","Maine Community College System Letter on First-Generation College Students","","A letter to Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs explains how the Maine Community College System, the University of Maine System, and Maine Maritime Academy collect and report required information on first-generation college students under 20-A MRSA §10013. It defines first-generation status by parental college attainment, summarizes enrollment trends at Maine’s community colleges, and reports three-year outcomes (graduation, transfer, and still-enrolled rates) for the fall 2014 entering cohort, highlighting patterns in persistence and transfer.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/maine-community-college-system-letter-on-first-generation-college-students/584480/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/maine-community-college-system-letter-on-first-generation-college-students/584480.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"WPS_1786070896","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-09","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",9,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What legal requirement governs this reporting on first-generation college students?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"The letter states the requirement is under 20-A MRSA §10013, requiring specified systems to provide the requested first-generation information by January 15 each year.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How is a first-generation student defined in the report?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"For MCCS, first-generation means neither parent has earned an associate degree; for UMS and MMA it means neither parent has earned a bachelor’s degree. The report also provides MCCS data for students whose parents have not earned a bachelor’s degree.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What do the three-year outcomes show for first-generation MCCS students entering in fall 2014?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"The letter reports that first-generation MCCS students graduated at just slightly below their peers and remained enrolled at slightly higher rates, but were considerably less likely to transfer and therefore more likely to leave before completing a degree.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},584480,1792736835,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,111,115,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":107,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":108,"show_sort_weight":109,"slug":110},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":112,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":113,"slug":114},8,30,"research-report",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":112,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":55,"language":139,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144,"preview_page_count":4},549768072016,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","December 21, 2017  \nJoint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs 128th Maine Legislature  \nCross Office Building 202 Augusta, Maine 04333  \nDear Members of the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs:  \nThe Maine Community College System is providing this letter in accordance with 20-A MRSA §10013 . This law requires the Maine Community College System, University of Maine System (UMS), and Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) provide the following information about firstgeneration college students by January 15th of each year:  \nA. Data regarding enrollment of first-generation college students and educational outcomes, including graduation rates for first-generation college students compared with other college students;  \nB. A summary of strategies used and activities undertaken to increase enrollment and graduation rates of first-generation college students and any available data indicating the effect of those strategies and activities; and  \nC. Plans for or recommendations regarding new strategies or actions designed to increase enrollment and graduation rates of first-generation college students.  \nTo meet the requirements of the legislation, MCCS worked with the University of Maine System (UMS) and Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) to coordinate data collection and reporting in order to promote a common framework for determining enrollment and educational outcomes of first-generation college students. Additionally, the three institutions agreed that for the purpose of this report, we would define a first-generation student as one with neither parent having completed a college degree. Each institution determined the level of college completion appropriate to its mission. For MCCS, a student is first-generation if neither parent has earned an associate degree. For UMS and MMA, a student is first-generation if neither parent has earned a bachelor’s degree. For consistency, we are also providing data on MCCS students with neither parent having earned a bachelor’s degree.  \nThe three institutions agreed that questions on applications for admission related to parents’highest level of education should provide students the opportunity to be specific about the degree completed by each parent. Since previously this information had not been consistently requested or collected by MCCS, our colleges revised their applications for new students entering in the fall of 2014.  \nEnrollment by first-generation college status  \nCommunity colleges serve more first-generation students than any other sector of U.S. higher education. Although nearly one-third of students entering two-and four-year colleges in the United States each year are first-generation (as defined by parental attainment of a bachelor’s degree), that figure is nearly twice as high at Maine’s community colleges where 65% of all entering students are first generation.  \nThe percentage of entering MCCS students who are first-generation has declined slightly since we began tracking this data in fall 2014. The following table provides an overview of Systemwide data from fall 2014 to fall 2017. The tables on pages 5 and 6 provide a breakdown of the data by entering cohort by college.  \n\n|  | Fall 2014 | Fall 2015 | Fall 2016 | Fall 2017 |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Neither parent has an associate degree | 49% | 51% | 47% | 47% |\n| Neither parent has a bachelor’s degree | 67% | 68% | 66% | 65% |\n\nStudent outcomes  \nHaving begun tracking first generation students in fall 2014, MCCS is now able to report on the three-year (150% time to completion) outcomes of students who entered in 2014 by examining their graduation, transfer, and still-enrolled rates using methods consistent with National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) reporting.  \nAlthough, nationwide, first generation students are more likely to be minorities, older, and poorer than their peers and less likely to graduate over time, our data ","cbCaid5mKdtAqU0x","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaid5mKdtAqU0x","pdf",533882,"English","# Letter to the Joint Standing Committee\n## Legal requirements and definitions\n## Enrollment by first-generation status\n## Student outcomes\n## Success strategies","[{\"question\":\"What legal requirement governs this reporting on first-generation college students?\",\"answer\":\"The letter states the requirement is under 20-A MRSA §10013, requiring specified systems to provide the requested first-generation information by January 15 each year.\"},{\"question\":\"How is a first-generation student defined in the report?\",\"answer\":\"For MCCS, first-generation means neither parent has earned an associate degree; for UMS and MMA it means neither parent has earned a bachelor’s degree. The report also provides MCCS data for students whose parents have not earned a bachelor’s degree.\"},{\"question\":\"What do the three-year outcomes show for first-generation MCCS students entering in fall 2014?\",\"answer\":\"The letter reports that first-generation MCCS students graduated at just slightly below their peers and remained enrolled at slightly higher rates, but were considerably less likely to transfer and therefore more likely to leave before completing a degree.\"}]","Maine Community College System Letter on First-Generation College Students | PDF",1792051132,23]