Periodically, Penn State will take a look back at news appearing in the Intercom, the University's faculty and staff newspaper, which has now transitioned into Penn State Today. This week's excerpt examines Penn State's population of first-generation college students, then and now.

Forty years ago today, Feb. 24 1977, Penn State Intercom ran a story titled "Penn State still 'first-generation' land-grant school." 

The story reported that, according to a survey of Penn State's freshman class, a total of 49.5 percent said their fathers never attended college and 64 percent said their mothers never attended college. Responses were obtained from 8,892 students — 86 percent of the freshman class of 10,321. The Penn State findings were 17 and 19 percentage points higher respectively than national university norms as computed at 51 universities around the country. 

Today

Penn State is still a major destination for first-generation college students, with 27 percent University-wide being the first generation to attend college.