First-Gen Students Make Their Mark.

• Position: TRENDS

Athird of all Americans over age 25 earn bachelor's degrees each year. That's up from 21 percent in 1990. As that group increases, the portion of "first-generation students" (students whose parents did not go to college) decreases. The share of these students enrolled in college dropped to 33 percent in 2012 from 37 percent in 2000, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Education.

Compared with students who have college-educated parents, first-generation students face greater obstacles to earning a degree. They take fewer high-level math classes and earn fewer Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate credits in high school. They face greater difficulty enrolling in, succeeding in and completing a college degree program. They often require remedial work once at college. They are more likely to be living on their own and need to work while in school.

The report found that 33 percent of first-generation students dropped out before earning a degree, compared with only 14 percent of students with college-educated parents. And we know that college-educated Americans enjoy higher incomes, less unemployment and less poverty than those without a degree.

But for those first-generation students who persevered and earned a degree, life after college was similar to that of other students. There...