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These colleges enroll the largest share of students whose parents did not attend college. 335 of the 354 colleges in our dataset qualify for this list, and colleges with a missing value for the fields used here are left out rather than guessed. The table below shows the top 20, led by California State University-Los Angeles (California).
Across all 335 qualifying colleges the first-gen share runs from 8.9% (Oberlin College) to 61.5% (California State University-Los Angeles), with a median of 25.7%. For comparison, the median across the 335 colleges in the full dataset that report it is 25.7%.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most-Recent-Cohorts-Institution, May 2026 release (file published 2026-05-26). Data fetched 2026-10-14. Open any row for the full college profile.
Of the 335 qualifying colleges, 166 are public and 169 are private nonprofit. Within the table, California appears 12 times, Texas appears 3 times, New York appears 2 times. The median pell share among the 20 listed colleges that report it is 49.7%, against 23.2% for the whole dataset. The median graduation rate among the 20 listed colleges that report it is 54.8%, against 73.1% for the whole dataset. 5 of the 20 listed colleges report an SAT range, and the midpoints of those ranges have a median near 1020.
The Scorecard reports the share of students who are first in their family to attend college, based on student financial aid records.
Each column in the table means the following.
The first-generation figure covers aid applicants only, and 'first-generation' is defined by the form the student filled in.
To see how your own score compares, read what a 1020 SAT or a 19 ACT means for a college list, then check college costs by state for price context.
California State University-Los Angeles is first on this list, with first-gen share of 61.5%. It leads 335 qualifying colleges in the dataset, so check what the number measures before treating it as a recommendation.
335 of the 354 colleges in our dataset qualify, and the table shows the top 20. Colleges with a missing value are excluded.
No. The list sorts on one number. It does not measure teaching, fit, program strength or what you would pay, so use it to find colleges to look at and then check each profile and the college's own website.
Colleges are drawn from the 354-college dataset built from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (May 2026 release (file published 2026-05-26); fetched 2026-10-14). Selection: Four-year public and private nonprofit colleges with at least 500 undergraduates: every college admitting 55% or fewer applicants, plus the 150 largest by undergraduate enrollment. Colleges that do not report test ranges are included with ranges shown as not reported. Reporting periods for the fields on this page: AcadYr 2021-22; Fall 2016 or AcadYr 2016-17 entry cohort, as applicable; NSLDS AY2015-16/AY2016-17 pooled cohorts. Full definitions are on the methodology page, and the numbers are available as an open download.
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