$16.5 million investment from Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Wilpon Family Foundation builds on strong early findings from the Kessler Scholars Collaborative’s comprehensive, cohort-based support model for first-generation, limited income (FGLI) students
Ann Arbor, MI (July 23, 2025) – Building on strong early outcomes for year-to-year retention, degree completion, and overall student engagement, the Kessler Scholars Collaborative is extending its work to close achievement gaps among first-generation college students, limited-income (FGLI) students at 16 colleges and universities. With a joint $16.5 million investment from Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Judy and Fred Wilpon Family Foundation, the Collaborative will provide comprehensive student support interventions and help distribute best practices and resources.
The Collaborative has announced $1.1 million, four-year grant renewal awards for 15 campus-based Kessler Scholars Programs operating at Bates College; Brown University; Centre College; Cornell University; Johns Hopkins University; Queens College; St. Francis College; Saint Mary’s College (IN); Syracuse University; The Ohio State University; University of California, Riverside; University of Dayton; University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; University of Pittsburgh; and Washington University in St. Louis. These campus partners will continue to operate alongside the University of Michigan, where the inaugural Kessler Scholars Program operates with endowed support from the Judy and Fred Wilpon Family Foundation.
At scale, over 1,600 Kessler Scholars enrolled across the 16 partner campuses will benefit from personalized guidance from dedicated staff and peer mentors; cohort-based activities to reinforce a sense of belonging; and evidence-based programming designed to elevate first-generation students’ strengths and support their academic, personal, and professional development. First launched in fall 2020 with six partner campuses, the Collaborative expanded to 10 additional sites in fall 2023 in a partnership with the American Talent Initiative (ATI), a national effort to expand college access and opportunity for students from low- and moderate-income backgrounds.
Early results across the partner institutions in the Kessler Scholars Collaborative show the promise of the Kessler Scholars Program’s comprehensive support model:
- 76% average four-year degree completion for students who started as Kessler Scholars in fall 2020, the first year the Collaborative formed with operations across six partner campuses. By comparison, the average four-year graduation rate was 59% for all first-generation students who started at those same institutions in fall 2020.
- 97% of graduating seniors in the Kessler Scholars Program in spring 2025 reported they had participated in at least one high-impact practice such as research, an internship, or study abroad – a key indicator of student success during and beyond college.
- 90% of Kessler Scholars in spring 2025 rated their experience in the Kessler Scholars Program as good or excellent, and 98% of graduating senior respondents indicated that they would recommend the program to students with similar backgrounds.
Although first-generation college students make up more than half of all undergraduates in the U.S., only 24% earn a bachelor’s degree six years after starting college, compared with almost 60% of students whose parents hold a bachelor’s degree. Too often, first-gen students fail to persist in college because the experiences they encounter on campuses leave them feeling unwelcome, unsure where to turn for academic or personal support, and with an overwhelming sense that college just isn’t for them. They also are juggling numerous responsibilities, such as working alongside studying, making it difficult to take full advantage of all that college has to offer. According to FirstGen Forward, only 8% of first-gen college students study abroad and fewer than 1 in 4 complete a paid internship during their undergraduate career.
Disrupting those patterns – at the individual and institutional level – is the foundational aim of the Kessler Scholars student support model, which is based on research showing that sustained, comprehensive student support programs hold the greatest promise for changing the story of college access and success.
The extension funding announced today will ensure the operations of Kessler Scholars Programs in the Collaborative continue through 2030.
“Through the American Talent Initiative and through projects like the Kessler Scholars Collaborative, we are providing colleges with new, innovative, and evidence-based resources and support they need to broaden postsecondary opportunity,” said Nick Watson, who leads programs for college access and success at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “We are committed to ensuring that higher education is a place for opportunity for all students, regardless of their family’s income or educational history.”
“We are thrilled about this exciting next chapter for the important student success work of the Kessler Scholars Program,” said Gail Gibson, executive director of the Collaborative. “We are demonstrating how a comprehensive, cohort-based approach can help close outcome gaps and promote a sense of belonging for first-generation students. We are so excited to be able to extend this effort and continue to amplify its work to provide guidance to colleagues and institutions across higher education.”
For more information about the Kessler Scholars Collaborative, visit www.kesslerscholars.org or track the project’s external evaluation via Ithaka S+R. To learn more about the American Talent Initiative, visit www.americantalentinitiative.org.
Other questions or media inquiries can be directed to Gail Gibson by email at [email protected] or by phone at 734.600.0361.
