For Students

First Gen Bulls Initiatives

First Gen Celebration Day 2024

An earned degree can be transformative for every student, but it can be especially transformative for first-gen students as it drives social and economic mobility and can help build generational wealth.

This is why USF is a proud member of the FirstGen Forward Network, a national collective dedicated to first-generation student success.

USF proudly enrolls more than 4,000 of our undergraduate students who are the first in their families to earn a baccalaureate degree. Of those, more than 500 enroll at the St. Petersburg campus.

Students: Join our First-Gen Community
Faculty & Staff: Be a First-Gen Champion

First-Generation Day is celebrated annually on November 8 to commemorate the signing of the Higher Education Act (“HEA”) of 1965 by then-President Lyndon B. Johnson. Once again this year, we will celebrated First-Gen students for an entire week from Nov. 5 - 12, 2025. In 2024, more than 300 students participated in First-Gen Celebration Week at USF St. Petersburg.

Across its three campuses, USF held several events raising awareness of the challenges and successes of first-generation students. (read story)