A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Perceived Costs and Assets Among Underrepresented College Students

Educational choices and behaviors are powerfully shaped by students’ motivational beliefs, including their perceptions of cost (i.e., the negative aspects of academic engagement). Although the past decade has seen an abundance of research examining students’ cost perceptions using Situated Expectancy-Value Theory (SEVT), surprisingly little is known about the cost landscape for college students who are institutionally underrepresented (URS) – i.e., Black, Latine, Indigenous, and/or those who are first in their family to attend college (First-Gen). We used a mixed-methods approach with liberal arts students to (a) compare cost perceptions among 113 URS and 303 non-URS via survey measures and (b) explore the costs, assets, and support resources leveraged by 14 URS via semi-structured interviews. URS reported higher emotional and psychological costs than their non-URS peers, with effect sizes in the small-to-medium range. Differences in psychological cost remained even after adjusting for final course grades. Thematic analysis revealed that URS experienced a complex set of costs (academic underpreparedness, identity liminality, insufficient institutional supports) and utilized a rich set of assets to mitigate those costs (values-driven engagement, self-reliance, community grounded supports). Findings extend SEVT by framing cost within identity-context dynamics and highlighting opportunities for institutions to reduce barriers while leveraging students’ cultural strengths.