What is FLI? 

What is FLI? 

FLI (often also referred elsewhere as “FGLI”) is an acronym commonly used in higher education to identify those who are first generation college students and/or come from low-income backgrounds. At Barnard, being “first-generation” (commonly shortened to “first-gen”) is defined by identifying as a student who parents, or legal guardians in your household, did not complete their bachelor’s degree by the time of your Barnard enrollment, making you and any siblings the first generation in your family to attend college (this means you are not considered first-gen if one of your parents has a bachelor’s degree). We also extend this definition to students whose parents or legal guardians did not complete their bachelor’s degree in the United States.

What does being “low-income” mean?
 

“Low-income” refers to coming from a low-income household. Income and the opportunities to which it provides access vary significantly by geography, cost of living, and family size. While there is no set definition of low-income, our community includes students who may have experienced being under-resourced in a variety of ways. Our highly aided students are identified based on their financial aid eligibility. To give a more concrete example, Pell Grant eligible students identify as “low-income.”

What does it mean to be first-generation and a low-income student?

While it can be difficult to set a specific definition for “first-generation” and “low-income” from context to context, it is helpful to focus on how these identities allow for inherent challenges in the college-going experience of FLI students — namely, the lack of exposure to a four-year bachelor’s program, and the lack of financial resources that make education experiences less accessible.