This talk synthesises evidence on ‘first in family’ (FiF) university students to examine how inequalities unfold across higher education access, progression, and early labour market outcomes. Using longitudinal data from England, I show that FiF students make up a substantial share of graduates but remain disadvantaged throughout their educational trajectories. FiF status is strongly associated with lower outcomes, even after accounting for prior attainment and socioeconomic background. While FiF students are more likely to choose high-return fields such as Law, Economics, and Management, they are less likely to attend elite institutions and more likely to drop out. These patterns suggest that FiF captures a distinct and policy-relevant dimension of inequality, partly operating through earlier attainment.
Extending the analysis to high-achieving students, I draw on novel data from Germany on top 1% achieving scholarship recipients. Despite equivalent academic achievement, FiF students are more likely to attend less prestigious universities, select lower-return fields, and enter more secure but lower-paying careers. These findings highlight persistent ‘secondary effects’ and unequal access to cultural and social capital, even at the top of the attainment distribution.
Overall, inequalities linked to FiF status persist across the school-to-work transition and are not eliminated by academic excellence alone.