Scholarships
If your student is the first person in your family heading to college, they may be eligible for first-generation scholarship opportunities. These scholarships are designed to make furthering their education more affordable for first-in-family college students.
The scholarships in this list either target first-generation college students specifically or tend to give first-gen students special consideration, increasing the odds that a first-generation college student is selected. The exact qualifications can vary from one scholarship to the next, as some have additional eligibility requirements as well.
Explore these scholarships or share others with us so we may add to our list.
SMU Book & Course Materials Fund
Tuition aside, materials required for classes is expensive! Many of our first-generation students work multiple jobs to pay for laptops, textbooks and school supplies. Therefore, we offer modest funds to our undergraduate, first-generation students to cover or reduce the cost of their required course materials. Applications open two weeks before the beginning of the term, are offered on a first come first serve basis, and will close when funds run out (link will be inactivated).
Scholly by Sallie Mae - Scholarship Database
FirstGen Fellows
The First Generation Civil Rights Fellowship Program, or FirstGEN, is a paid summer program for undergraduate students who are the first in their immediate families to attend college and who intend to pursue careers in social justice. Our mission is to identify and support first generation college students as they emerge into tomorrow’s leaders. Fellows receive hands-on experience advocating for civil rights, participate in training and professional development seminars, and join a growing community of emerging leaders in the FirstGEN Alumni Network. Fellows are placed with the national Lawyers’ Committee and its partners at Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC and the National Immigration Law Center (NILC).
I’m First! Scholarship
ISFA First Generation College Student Program
StudySoup
Becoming a first-generation college student is a tremendous honor. We’re looking to support one student who demonstrates leadership qualities, commitment to education, and a capacity to triumph over challenges to become the first member of their family to attend college with a scholarship.
Most college students have faced a multitude of challenges and detours to reach where they are today. This fact rings especially true for those who are first in their family to attend college. Becoming a first-generation college student is a tremendous honor. And StudySoup would like to reward the exceptional work that goes into overcoming this barrier. Therefore, we are offering a $2000 scholarship this semester to one student who is looking for a leg-up in increasing their educational mobility. The winning student will be able to clearly demonstrate leadership qualities, commitment to their education, and a capacity to triumph over challenges.
TELACU Education Foundation College Success Program
Because TELACU believes that the future leaders of our community must be engaged in meaningful careers that will change the face of our world, our TELACU Scholar cohort in large part consists of young people majoring in the fields of STEM and business. These fields of study are where our Scholars are able to most immediately find employment upon graduation and embark on long-lasting, high-impact careers.