For students and families, college is one of the biggest financial and personal investments of a lifetime. As the cost of higher education continues to rise, an important question is becoming increasingly urgent: How can students make college worth the investment?
For first-generation college students, answering that question can be particularly challenging. Without family members who have experienced the college process firsthand, students may face additional challenges when trying to understand financial aid, compare colleges, navigate campus resources or connect their education to future career opportunities.
College Possible Minnesota helps students navigate these decisions with personalized coaching and support that extends from high school through college graduation. Despite growing concerns about college affordability, learners in the US continue to recognize the value of higher education. A recent survey from the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) found that most adults continue to believe a college degree is valuable, while employers generally expect the value of a degree to remain steady or increase. M
College Possible Minnesota provides personalized coaching to help first-generation students make informed decisions about their education. That support begins in high school and continues through college graduation. College Possible’s access and success coaches help students identify colleges that fit their academic, personal and financial goals, navigate the financial aid process, develop strategies for succeeding in college and work through challenges along the way. Coaches can help students consider the full picture when making college decisions, and tailor those recommendations to each individual student’s journey.
That personalized guidance can be especially meaningful for students who are the first in their families to attend college. Instead of navigating an unfamiliar system alone, students have a trusted coach who can help them understand their options and make a plan.
For students who are parents themselves, the challenges of completing a college degree can be even more complex. Balancing coursework with child care, housing and family expenses can create financial and logistical roadblocks that make staying enrolled difficult.
Through programs such as the Student Parent Support Initiative, College Possible Minnesota provides assistance with essential expenses including child care, rent and tuition. In 2026, the initiative awarded more than $100,000 to student parents.
For Leah Roche, College Possible Minnesota’s senior advising specialist, the grants have made a meaningful difference for students at different points in their educational journeys. Roche writes that the Student Parent Support Initiative “has made it possible for student parents to re-enroll and get closer to finishing their degrees, start college for the first time, or take more classes. In addition to the direct financial support, student parents have received coaching on financial aid and loans, scholarships, re-enrollment, transfer planning and community resources specifically available to families and parents.”
The initiative demonstrates how financial assistance and coaching can work together. Funding helps address an immediate roadblock, while personalized advising gives students the tools and knowledge to keep moving toward their long-term goals.
College Possible Minnesota helps students make college worth the investment by ensuring they don’t have to navigate that journey alone, from choosing the right path in high school to overcoming challenges in college and working toward the future they envision.
