First-Gen College Survival Guide
Your school counselor has 370 students. This guide fills the gaps.
56%
of undergrads are first-gen or have parents with some college
370:1
average student-to-counselor ratio in public schools
$3.6B
in Pell Grants go unclaimed every year
What's Inside the Guide
FAFSA Walkthrough
Step-by-step instructions for completing the FAFSA, even if no one in your family has done it before.
Application Timeline
Month-by-month calendar so you never miss a deadline — from junior year through enrollment.
What to Expect on Campus
The unwritten rules nobody tells you: office hours, syllabi, financial aid renewals, and how to ask for help.
First-Gen Scholarship Sources
Hundreds of scholarships specifically for first-generation college students — most with less competition.
"I didn't know what FAFSA was until my senior year. My parents didn't go to college and my counselor was stretched too thin. A guide like this would have changed everything for me."
-- College Decoded user, first-gen graduate
Download the First-Gen College Survival Guide
A complete roadmap for students and families navigating college for the first time. Free, no strings attached.