First in Family Scholarships

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.

Saint Mary’s University, for example, started their First-Generation Initiative that offers access and financial support to first-generation students. The University of Iowa provides the First Generation Iowa program to first in family students, the University of Colorado Boulder has the First Generation Grant and Texas A&M University offers the Regents’ Scholarship.

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.