Across the UA system, one third of the fall first year class was comprised of first generation college students.

The University of Alaska strives to provide a welcoming environment and support system for first generation students and continues to encourage first generation students to explore higher education. For example, high school students from rural Alaska are welcomed to the UAF campus each summer to participate in RAHI (Rural Alaska Honors Institute), a program that provides opportunities for high school juniors and seniors to take summer courses and gain college credits to put towards an eventual undergraduate degree. Nearly 1,800 students have gone through the RAHI program since it began in 1983, with more than 1,100 earning degrees from the University of Alaska. Many of those graduates were first generation college students.