The University of Missouri-Kansas City is proud to be a campus that celebrates and supports first-generation college students. In 2023, the university was designated by the Center for First-Generation Student Success as a First Scholars Institution. Participation in the First Scholars phase signifies an increased commitment to actively creating organizational structures and scaling and implementing student-centered approaches designed to increase first-generation student success. Successful completion of requirements will result in an additional designation of institutional excellence related to supporting first-generation students.
UMKC defines a first-generation college student as any student whose parents or guardians did not receive a bachelor's degree in the United States.