Assessed the performance of a federal program designed to serve first-generation, low-income (FGLI) college students--the Ronald E. McNair Program. Using data from a Midwestern liberal arts university, found that FGLI program participants are far more likely to be retained to the university and successful in terms of timely graduation and placement into graduate school than FGLI non-participants, even when controlling for academic ability and ambition. (Author/EV)