Fahim Billah Says the Coming Year Will Test First-Generation Students on Cost, Not Just Access
Education researcher Fahim Billah lays out what he expects first-generation and immigrant students to face in the coming year, and why he thinks the bigger problem is no longer getting in the door.
A Shift From Access to Affordability
Nevada, USA, Oct 07, 2026, ZEX PR WIRE — Fahim Billah, an independent education researcher and consultant based in Reno, Nevada, spends most of his time studying how first-generation and immigrant students move through higher education. For years, he says, the conversation in his field centered on access: who gets admitted, who gets recruited, who even applies.
That conversation is changing.
“Getting a student admitted was never the hardest part,” Billah says. “The harder part is what happens after. The next year is going to make that more obvious, not less...
