The road to a college degree is paved with countless detours for the average student, but if you are the first in your family to choose that path, you can anticipate more obstacles in your academic endeavors. Rest assured, there is ample financial support for those who qualify.
As a first-generation student, you are likely to be challenged with navigating the college process without the learning curve that comes from having a college graduate family member to lean on. Parents who do not have much first-hand experience or insight on how to maximize your financial aid package or the importance of internship opportunities, and networking can be difficult. While figuring out how to balance a full course load, a part-time job, and social life are skills you will develop along the way, most colleges and quite a few organizations offer scholarships specifically for first-generation students to help them thrive in higher education.
Wherever you are in your college journey, Scholarships.com can help you reach your destination. Below is a list of some popular first-generation scholarships from our database of over 2.7 million awards. You can find even more scholarships by conducting a free college scholarship search and be well on your way to starting a new family tradition.
The Gilman Scholarship Program is open to U.S. citizen undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study and intern abroad programs worldwide. For more information or to apply, please visit the scholarship provider's website. [...] More
Preference is given to first-generation students (defined as a student whose parents have not graduated from and institute of higher education with a four-year degree).
This scholarship is given on behalf of Benjamin and Patricia Allen in honor of their dedication to the College of Business. This scholarship is funded by the Allens, University Faculty and Staff, business leaders, and the [...] More
This scholarship was established by the friends, family, and colleagues of Carol Hurley, a VSAC outreach counselor who helped first-generation college-bound students prepare for college. In order to apply, you must be a graduate of one of the following high schools: Randolph Area Vocational Center, Randolph Union High School, Rochester Union High School, Whitcomb High School, Windsor High School, [...] More
The First Generation Minority Student Scholarship is available for students enrolled in the College of Undergraduate Studies. This scholarship provides an opportunity for minority students whose parents did not attend college to complete a Christian college degree. CCU will support the students through a series of academic, personal, mentoring, and leadership development activities. The selection [...] More
Colorado Mesa University offers small class sizes, state-of-the-art facilities, and expert faculty who take an interest in your success. A CMU education is a great value, and we stand by our commitment to keep higher education affordable. Last year, we awarded more than $73 million in financial aid and scholarships to 75% of the student body.
CMU's First Generation Scholarship is valued at [...] More
This scholarship was established in 2005 in the name of Cynthia E. Morgan, who passed away in October 2004 after a courageous, but all-too-brief, fight with stomach cancer. It has been established in an attempt to aid select college students in paying for their post-secondary education. This year’s scholarship is set at $1,000.
Applicants must be a current resident of the state of Maryland and [...] More
The Fontana Transport Inc. Scholars Program is open to underrepresented, low-income and first-generation college-bound students. Students must be pursuing an undergraduate degree full-time in transportation, math, science, engineering, architecture, environmental design, PreMed, psychology, Spanish language/literature. The applicant does not have to be a U.S. citizen but must have a minimum 3.5 [...] More
HEEF scholarships are based on a combination of low-income family background, academic achievement, and involvement in extracurricular activities, community volunteer work, church service or work-employment. Graduating high school seniors with a minimum 3.0 GPA, who have been accepted into an accredited four- or five-year program in architecture or engineering may apply. Second-year community [...] More
High school seniors residing in Shelby County (Ohio) and attending a school in Shelby County (Ohio) who will be a first-generation student (neither parent has a bachelor's degree or higher). You must have a minimum 2.5 GPA and will be enrolling as a full-time student in an accredited college or university in the coming academic year. The required essay cannot exceed 500 words. For more [...] More
Thanks to an extremely generous gift of $100 million from an anonymous alumnus, we are now able to offer an even more competitive financial aid package to many of our students. The Odyssey Scholarship program provides enhanced academic, social, and career support to students from lower-income families or who are the first in their families to attend college. Odyssey Scholars are selected on the [...] More
The Taigh (a Gaelic term for "home or dwelling") Scholarship was established to inspire and encourage residents of Peacham, Vermont, to pursue a post-secondary education. In order to apply, you must attend an accredited school approved for federal Title IV funding (Pell grants, Stafford loans, PLUS loans); reside in Caledonia County (preference given to applicants who are residents of Peacham [...] More
Administered by the TELACU Education Foundation, the College Success Program was created in 1983 to develop and empower new generations of leaders in the communities it serves. The Program is funded by TELACU and the generous contributions of our partners - corporations, colleges, and universities, non-profit organizations and individuals - who have joined us over the past 30 years in advancing [...] More
Through The David C. Lizárraga Fellowship, TELACU recognizes graduate students who demonstrate the potential and commitment to advance TELACU's mission of building self-sufficient communities through economic empowerment.
Applicants must be a first-generation college student, pursuing a master's degree in business administration or engineering (students pursuing other graduate degrees may also [...] More
The First Generation Grant is awarded to Colorado residents whose parents do not have any education or technical training beyond high school. Additionally, students awarded with the First Generation Grant have the opportunity to participate in the First Generation scholars program. The award amount is $100 - $1,000 per semester depending on financial need, and can be renewed if certain criteria [...] More
The Education Department will rewrite its overhaul of a 2016 Obama Loan Rule - most likely by dropping the "most restrictive provisions" of an earlier attempt to replace the borrower-defense rule. The loan rule outlines how borrowers who were defrauded or misled by their college can seek loan forgiveness. [...]
Despite evidence that transfer students from community colleges are highly likely to succeed academically and bring diversity to more competitive colleges, a new study reveals that elite colleges are less likely to admit them. [...]
Across the nation, nearly 20 states offer statewide free college programs in an effort to increase the number of students attending college. The hope is that "five years from now, we would expect that a majority of the states in the country would have free college tuition, and that would be a tipping point." States including Tennessee, Arkansas, Indiana, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon and Rhode Island have already rolled out statewide free community-college programs, "and more are expected to follow." [...]
