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First in Business is the only program at UNT built exclusively for first-generation students in the Ryan College of Business. Each year, just 25 students are selected to join a close-knit cohort that receives structured mentorship, academic guidance, professional development, and real community. Students earn stipends for staying engaged and hitting milestones, because showing up and growing as a leader should be recognized, not assumed.

The 2025–26 academic year showed what that support makes possible. Across three participating cohorts, students maintained a 3.44 overall program GPA while taking part in 16 events. From professional-development workshops to networking opportunities and community-building activities. Students rated their overall experience in the program 4.38 out of 5.

The program's newest layer of leadership also came into its own. Six Distinguished Fellows completed their first full year, meeting formally 12 times while holding a 3.4 average GPA. Alongside them, six Flight Leaders stepped up to support their peers directly, logging 22 mentor check-ins and posting a 3.643 average GPA of their own. Together, they represent something the program is built to produce students who arrive needing guidance and leave ready to give it.

That momentum was on full display at the FIRST RCOB Student Success End-of-Year Celebration, which drew 90 attendees and earned a 4.78 out of 5 satisfaction rating. And behind the scenes, the program hit every one of its annual goals, including the launch of a centralized system to track student GPA, engagement, and professional-development milestones

Now, First in Business has reached a milestone years in the making. For the first time, the program is running all four student cohorts simultaneously, officially becoming a fully implemented four-year program. That means a First in Business student can now be supported from their very first semester on campus all the way through graduation and career preparation, with no gap in the guidance, mentorship, and community that got them there.

None of this happens without support. Every stipend, every workshop, every mentor relationship depends on people who believe first-generation students deserve more than good intentions — they deserve a program built to see them through. As First in Business enters its first year as a complete four-year experience, your investment can help make sure every cohort, from the newest freshman to the graduating senior, has what they need to thrive.

Explore First in Business and see how you can support the program.