First-generation and low-income (FLI) graduate students bring valuable perspectives and diverse experiences to the MIT community.
As defined by GFLI@MIT:
- GFLI: Graduate students who identify as first-generation and/or low income.
- First-generation: Graduate students who were the first in their family to earn a bachelor’s degree.
- Low-income: Graduate students who were Pell Grant recipients or who grew up low-income.
FLI students carry their unique experiences and perspectives from their undergraduate program into their graduate studies. Read how students at MIT and beyond have been reframing the first-generation academic experience.
FLI grad students can connect with resources and each other through:
- The GFLI@MIT group (gfli-officers@mit.edu), composed of graduate students who identify as first-generation and/or low-income. GFLI creates programming that centers the graduate FLI community.
- The dedicated Instagram, Slack channel, and mailing lists, which provide updates to the community.
- The Graduate Student Council (GSC) DEI committee. MIT’s graduate student government has a committee dedicated to supporting issues around diversity, equity, and inclusion for graduate students.
- As you plan for life after MIT, Career Advising and Professional Development (CAPD) has resources and programming specifically for students who identify as FLI.
