Top 15 First-Generation Scholarships for Students
Being the first one in your family to go to college is a big deal and an accomplishment to be celebrated. But navigating the process of applying for college, and figuring out how to pay for it, can be more challenging for a student whose parents didn’t attend college. First-generation students are often more likely to qualify as low-income and face financial obstacles when it comes to affording college.
Scholarships, which are financial awards that don’t have to be paid back, are a great way for students to cover the various costs of their education. When you’re a first-generation college student, you have access to a multitude of scholarships created especially for you.
Read on to learn about 15 of the top scholarships for first-generation college students and tips on finding even more of these financial awards.
Key Points
• First-generation scholarships are designed specifically to assist students who are the first in their families to attend college, providing unique financial aid opportunities.
• Applicants can qualify based on financial need, academic performance, or a combination of both, ensuring access for a variety of students.
• Many first-generation scholarships are available to students across different fields of study, making them versatile options.
• Top first-generation scholarships include the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, the First in the Family Scholarship, and the Federal TRIO Programs.
• Other ways first-generation students can pay for college include grants, federal student loans, and private student loans.
Are You the First in Your Family to Attend College?
When it comes to explaining what a first-generation college student is, there’s no clear cut definition. However, according to The Higher Education Act of 1965, a first-generation student refers to a student whose parents, or in the case of a single-parent household, one parent, who didn’t earn a bachelor’s degree.
While this is a widespread guideline, colleges or universities can set their own criteria. For example, sometimes a first-generation student is considered someone who is the first to attend school in the U.S., meaning their parents could have earned their degrees in another country.
The Ultimate List of First-Generation College Student Scholarships
Scholarships help students better afford school, and in some cases even do away with the need to take out a federal or private student loan. At the very least, it can limit the amount of money you have to borrow.
These 15 scholarships are specifically set up for students who are the first in their family to go to college. Some are merit-based, some are need-based, and some are a combination of both. There are also first-generation scholarships geared towards minority students and underrepresented segments of the population.
Read on for first-generation scholarships to consider and, where applicable, the prize amount, number of awardees, and deadline date.
1. Coca-Cola First Generation Scholarship
The Coca-Cola First Generation Scholarship, funded by the Coca-Cola Foundation , allocates funds in the form of grants to a number of colleges each year. There’s no direct application process through the Coca-Cola Foundation because schools distribute these prizes directly through their financial aid offices.
To find out if a college is a recipient of this money, the Coca-Cola Foundation advises students to contact the college’s financial aid department.
2. Fontana Transport Inc. Scholars Program
The Fontana Transport Inc. Scholars Program is for first-generation high school seniors who are underrepresented, are in financial need, and are passionate about furthering their education as a way to help themselves, their family, and their community. This scholarship of up to $5,000 is awarded to one winner, and the deadline is March 14, 2025.
To qualify, applicants need to pursue a full-time undergrad degree at any four-year accredited college or university in the U.S. Applicants of this scholarship must plan to study in one of the following areas: transportation management, math, science, engineering, architecture, environmental design, pre-med, psychology, or Spanish language/literature.
3. First Generation Civil Rights Fellowship Program (FirstGEN)
FirstGEN , or the First Generation Civil Rights Fellowship Program, is a program for first-generation undergraduate students who intend to pursue a career in the field of social justice. This paid summer program lasts from June to August, and recipients of the fellowship will serve as a summer intern with one of FirstGEN Fellowship’s partners: Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), or the National Immigration Law Center (NILC).
Over the course of their summer internship, FirstGEN fellows gain experience advocating for civil rights, participating in training and professional development seminars, and becoming part of a group of emerging leaders in the FirstGEN Alumni Network.
Fellows receive a $1,500 stipend, and the estimated deadline is January 20, 2025.
4. Institute for Study Abroad (IFSA) First-Generation College Student Scholarship
This scholarship offers a financial award for first-generation college students who want to study abroad. The IFSA First-Generation College Student Scholarship awards up to $2,500 to help offset upfront costs of studying abroad including airfare, visa/passport, and housing.
Application deadlines for summer, fall, or year terms are March 1, and October 1 for January and spring terms.
5. Boyd J. Cameron Memorial Scholarship
First-generation college students can apply for the Boyd J. Cameron Memorial Scholarship . The $1,000 prize is specifically for those students who are pursuing a degree in business. Application deadline is February 1, 2025.
6. OCA-UPS Gold Mountain Scholarship for Rising College Seniors
Applicants for OCA-UPS Gold Mountain Scholarship must be first-generation high school seniors who identify as either Asian-American or Pacific Islander, and who will be attending college right after high school graduation.
To be eligible, students don’t have to be a U.S. citizen, and the scholarship is open to DACA and undocumented students, as long as they can provide a Social Security number or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. Awards are $2,000 each.
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7. The Kim and Harold Louie Foundation Scholarship
Students who are the first in their family to attend college are eligible to apply for The Kim and Harold Louie Foundation Scholarship . Award amounts vary, but the organization anticipates giving out approximately $100,000 in annual scholarships.
The scholarship is specifically for those who will be enrolling as a freshman in a college or university in the U.S., but it’s not just limited to high school seniors. Students who decided to take a gap year or adults returning to school are also allowed to apply. Scholarship recipients should have displayed academic merit, outstanding personal achievement, leadership qualities, and/or participation in community service.
Deadline for this scholarship is March 15, 2025.
8. Sharon and Mila Kohute Scholarship
Female first-generation high school seniors or college undergraduates who live in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, or Virginia are eligible to apply for the Sharon and Mila Kohute Scholarship .
The aim of this need-based award is to help give women, who may be part of a cycle of generational poverty, the opportunity to attend college. This scholarship is awarded annually to two winners, each of whom receive $1,000 to use toward their education.
9. Editor World First-Generation Scholarship
If you’re a first-generation student about to enroll, or are currently enrolled, at a trade school, college, or university in the U.S., you’re eligible to apply for the Editor World First-Generation Scholarship . The $500 scholarship is awarded to one undergraduate first-generation student who could use some assistance with educational costs.
10. National Society of Collegiate Scholars First in the Family Scholarship
The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) has partnered with GEICO to offer many scholarships, including the First in the Family Scholarship . This particular scholarship is created for those first-generation students who are honor society members at one of more than 300 colleges and universities in the U.S., including Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico.
Eight students will be chosen for a $2,500 NSCS scholarship. To be eligible to apply for one of the NSCS First in the Family scholarships, students must be a member of NSCS and show proof of a 3.0 GPA. Deadlines for this scholarship vary.
11. José Ventura and Margarita Melendez Mexican-American Scholarship Fund
Students who are Mexican or Mexican-American and either are, or will be, a first-generation undergraduate college student are eligible to apply for the José Ventura and Margarita Melendez Mexican-American Scholarship .
The $1,000 scholarship will go to two individuals, and applicants will be asked to submit a short essay about why they’re passionate about being a first-generation, Mexican-American college graduate. The application deadline is December 2, 2024.
12. Kadzai Law Group First-Generation College Student Scholarship
First-generation U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are attending an accredited college or institution in the U.S. can apply for the Kadzai Law Group First-Generation College Student Scholarship . The scholarship awards one student with $2,500, and is open to both undergraduate and graduate students.
Applicants will have to submit a three- to five-minute video discussing challenges facing a first-generation student and how the experience either will provide benefits for you (if you’re a first-time freshman) or has provided benefits for you. The deadline for applying for this award is April 2, 2025.
13. EducationDynamics Minority $10,000 First-Generation Scholarship
EducationDynamics Minority $10,000 First-Generation Scholarship awards one $10,000 scholarship to a minority student who is the first in their family to attend college. Those applying need to be at least 17 years old and pursuing an associate degree, a bachelor’s at any accredited post-secondary institution of higher learning, or a certificate program. This year’s deadline was August 30, with winners being notified on or about November 15, 2024.
14. RSM US Foundation First-Generation Scholarship
The management and financial consulting company RSM US Foundation offers a First- Generation Scholarship to five students, with up to $30,000 each in scholarships, paid $10,000 annually over three consecutive academic years.
Applicants for the RSM US Foundation First- Generation Scholarship must be an undergraduate student who doesn’t have an immediate family member that received a bachelor’s degree. It’s important to note that with this scholarship, students are still eligible even if their immediate siblings have, or are currently pursuing, a bachelor’s degree.
Other requisites include being a legal resident of any of the 50 states and Washington D.C., and being at least 18 years old. They must also be a full-time student in their first, second, or third year at an accredited college or university, have a 3.0 or above GPA, and be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in a business or technology program.
The application period is from December 1, 2024 to February 28, 2025. Selections are made annually in April.
15. Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program
The goal of the McNair Scholars Program is to prepare undergrads who have demonstrated strong academic potential for doctoral studies via involvement in research and other scholarly activities.
Participants in the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, part of the Federal TRIO Programs, include first-generation college students with financial need along with members of a group traditionally underrepresented in graduate education. The McNair Scholars Program exists to increase graduate degree awards for underrepresented students in society.
Other Ways First-Gen Students Can Find Scholarships
There are many options when it comes to searching for first-generation student scholarships. A Google search can get you started, but it can be overwhelming. To help make it easier, you can find many by using SoFi’s scholarship search tool, along with other sites such as Bold.org, Scholarships360.org, ScholarshipOwl.com, College Greenlight, and Sallie Mae’s scholarship search scholarship search.
Many states also have their own first-generation scholarship opportunities for students. You can find out about these opportunities through your state’s education agency, the college’s financial aid office, your academic advisor, or if you’re a high school student, through your guidance counselor.
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General First-Generation Scholarship Opportunities
First-generation students may be able to get a scholarship through the federal government’s Federal TRIO Programs (TRIO). TRIO are outreach and student services programs created to identify and provide services for people from disadvantaged backgrounds. These programs are there to serve and help first-generation college students, low-income individuals, and those with disabilities to move forward through the academic pipeline from middle school to doctorate programs.
TRIO programs help with giving students academic support and the tools to enroll and succeed in college. The previously mentioned Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program is one of the eight standing TRIO projects, along with some of the others including Upward Bound and Talent Search.
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Do You Get Money for Being a First-Generation College Student?
Yes, you definitely can. With an understanding of many of the challenges first-generation students face when it comes to affording and applying to college, the federal government, along with many states, educational institutions, foundations, and organizations, offer specific scholarships for these students.
Can You Get a Scholarship for Being a First-Generation American?
First-generation American students are definitely eligible to apply for first-generation college scholarships. While many scholarships require the student to be a U.S. citizen, the parents may not have to be.
What Benefits Do First-Generation College Graduates Get?
As indicated above, there are a slew of scholarships only for those who are the first in their family to attend college, which means more opportunities to secure free money.
Some colleges and universities are more financially friendly for first-generation students, offering free application fee waivers and cost-free books and computers. Schools may also have specific support and social groups to help new first-generation students adjust to college life.
On a more individual level, first-generation college students can be inspiring for others in their family to follow in their footsteps, exhibit a stronger work ethic and determination to succeed because of the effort it took to get there, bring a unique perspective to other students and instructors, and be a catalyst for social change by championing educational equity.
The Takeaway
First-generation college students face certain hurdles compared to students who aren’t the first in their family to go to college. These obstacles include the difficulty in affording higher education and not having a parent to help navigate the application process and the transition to college life.
Fortunately, there are many scholarships created for first-generation students and other possibilities to get assistance for college, graduate school, and even doctoral programs. In addition to scholarships, first-generation college students can apply for grants, federal student loans, and private student loans.
If you’ve exhausted all federal student aid options, no-fee private student loans from SoFi can help you pay for school. The online application process is easy, and you can see rates and terms in just minutes. Repayment plans are flexible, so you can find an option that works for your financial plan and budget.
FAQ
Can being a first-generation college student be an advantage during the admissions process?
While being a first-generation college student doesn’t guarantee you’ll be admitted to your school of choice, your particular background and circumstances can help you to stand out. Many scholarships ask you to submit an essay or personal statement, and here is where you can delve into why going to college is so important to you and the particular struggles a first-generation college student may face.
Why do colleges care about admitting first-generation students?
First-generation college students can be an asset to any university because they add diversity and promote inclusiveness. Colleges have become increasingly more aware of the issues of inequity when it comes to the student body, and are interested in trying to do their part to give certain students a leg up and an opportunity for economic and career advancement.
How can colleges verify if I’m a first-generation student?
One of the initial questions on a college application is about the educational history of the applicant’s parents. Information can also be obtained through background checks. It’s best to be truthful about being a first-generation student to insure your admission won’t be rescinded.
Photo credit: iStock/David Schaffer
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