Ok, this is a long shot… But would colleges consider a kid at all to be first generation when one parent did not graduate from college but the other parent did? Thx!
Not usually.
I’ll go a step further and say no.
But the takeaway should really be: it is what it is. The application does not say “Check here if you are first gen.” You list the parents education and colleges will process the info as they see fit.
To add, I worked for many years for a federal support program, one of whose eligibility requirements was being first gen college. And that was based on neither parent having a four year degree.
And some scholarships may have their own different definition as well, but the OP’s question related to admissions.
I also work for a federal support program, and the question is broader. Did either of the people who raised you graduate from a four year college? Step-parents, grandparents, etc. Doesn’t matter, the benefit comes from being raised in a household where someone knew the ins and outs of the system.
And for those interested, if your parent got a degree outside the US, that doesn’t count as being first generation.