For the average student, the road to a college degree is filled with many detours, but if you are the first in your family to take that direction, you can expect even more challenges in your academic pursuits. Rest assured that those who apply would receive sufficient financial assistance.
As a first-generation undergraduate, approaching the college experience without the learning curve that comes with getting a college graduate family member to rely on can be difficult. Networking can be daunting for parents who do not have any first-hand experience or insight into how to optimize the financial aid program or the value of internship opportunities. Although balancing a full course load, a part-time career, and social life is a skill you’ll learn along the way, most colleges and organizations have scholarships exclusively for first-generation students to help them succeed in higher education.
Since access to higher education is a valuable indicator of success, First in Family Scholarships are offered to families who are sending their first participants to college. If you are the first in your family to attend college, this grant will give you a leg up on the competition.
The scholarships are funded by a combination of public and private funds and are conducted according to the specific requirements of each grant. Students who are eligible for first-in-family scholarships must meet a number of merit and need-based criteria. First-in-family scholarships also require above-average GPAs, as well as financial needs relative to college. And in order to help you achieve that, here is a concise list of 10 scholarships to get you started!
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Arnold White Memorial Scholarship
You must be a GED alum, a current graduating senior, or a recent graduate of high schools in the Nebraska counties of Lyons, Lincoln, and Fairbury to qualify for the Arnold White Memorial Scholarship. The claimant must show that he or she is in financial need. Applicants who are first-generation college students will be given priority. (This criterion can only be used to break a tie between students who are equally qualified.)For further information about the scholarship or in order to apply for this scholarship, please click the link below.
Provided By: GED
Award: $1,500
Education level: High School Senior
Subject: All
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Benjamin and Patricia Allen Scholarship
Applicants must be full-time Ivy College of Business students to be considered for the Benjamin and Patricia Allen Scholarship. First-generation students would be given priority, which is described as a student whose parents have not completed a four-year degree from an institution of higher education. Undergraduate candidates will be eligible for this scholarship. This scholarship will be extended for another three (3) years if applicants fail to fulfill the requirements (including a 3.0 GPA). For further information about the scholarship or in order to apply for this scholarship, please click the link below.
Provided By: IASTATE
Award: Varies
Education level: High School Senior
Subject: All
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California Hispanic Education Endowment Fund (HEEF)
The Hispanic Educational Endowment Fund (HEEF) of Orange County (OC) only represents US citizens, permanent residents, and Dream Act/AB 540 students who reside in Orange County, California. HEEF provides affordable tuition grants to OC high school and community college transfers who are eligible for need-based financial assistance who plan to enroll in a four-year college or university. For further information about the scholarship or in order to apply for this scholarship, please click the link below.
Provided By: HEEF
Award: $2,500
Education level: High School Senior
Subject: All
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Carol A. Hurley Memorial Scholarship
Carol Hurley, a VSAC outreach mentor who helped first-generation college-bound students prepare for college, created this scholarship with the aid of her parents, family, and co-workers. Applicants must be Randolph Area Vocational Canter, Randolph Union High School, Rochester Union High School, Whitcomb High School, Windsor High School, or Woodstock Union High School seniors who expect to enroll full-time at an accredited college to pursue an undergraduate degree, have a minimum 2.5 GPA, and show financial need. Applicants who are the first generation of their communities to attend post-secondary school would be given priority. For further information about the scholarship or in order to apply for this scholarship, please click the link below.
Provided By: VSAC
Award: $1,000
Education level: High School Senior
Subject: All
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Dorrance Scholarship
The Dorrance Scholarship for first-generation students is a need-based grant that provides financial and academic assistance to Arizona high school graduates who are earning an undergraduate degree at one of the state’s public universities. The award can be renewed for a total of eight semesters (four years). Applicants must be Arizona high school graduates, first-generation college students, accepted to one of Arizona’s three residential public colleges, show financial need, plan to participate in all scholarship program activities (including foreign travel), have a minimum GPA of 3.0, a minimum SAT score of 1110 or ACT score of 22, and agree to live on campus as freshmen, among other requirements. For further information about the scholarship or in order to apply for this scholarship, please click the link below.
Provided By: Dorrance
Award: $12,000
Education level: All
Subject: All
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Microsoft Tuition Scholarship
This initiative provides annual college-tuition scholarships to currently enrolled undergraduate students who are majoring in computer science, computer engineering, or a similar STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) specialty and have a 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or 4.0 (on a 5.0 scale) GPA. To apply or for further information about the scholarship, please click the link below.
Provided By: Microsoft
Award: Full-tuition
Education level: All
Subject: All
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Regeneron Science Talent Search
This national competition encourages the country’s most talented young scientists and mathematicians to bid for money when doing long-term original research ventures. To be considered, you must have completed six months or more of independent research in a science or mathematical area. In order to be considered, students must also apply a study report with their submission. To apply or for further information about the scholarship, please click the link below.
Provided By: Regeneron
Award: Full-tuition
Education level: All
Subject: All
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Flinn Foundation Scholarships
Flinn Scholarships are awarded each year to 20 of Arizona’s top high school seniors who wish to attend an Arizona public university (including Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona). This scholarship pays for four years of tuition, fees, room, and board, a summer seminar in China, an extended study-abroad experience, an internship program, mentorship, and social events, as well as a summer seminar in China (for scholarship winners only). Any of this is worth more than $120,000! To apply or for further information about the scholarship, please click the link below.
Provided By: Flinn Foundation
Award: Full-tuition
Education level: All
Subject: All
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AFSA High School Scholarships – American Fire Sprinkler Association
Fire sprinklers are easy to overlook until there is a fire that needs to be extinguished. The American Fire Sprinkler Association, on the other hand, exists to ensure that fire sprinkler makers, builders, builders, and others in the industry are fairly compensated. The AFSA, which was established in 1981, is a non-profit organization that offers professional training, market consulting, and representation for the fire sprinkler industry, collaborating with a number of other fire protection organizations to raise the profile of the humble sprinkler. Ten winners will also earn $2000, which will be paid directly to their college or university, allowing them to convince the world that fire sprinklers do more than saving buildings – they help kids go to college. To apply or for further information about the scholarship, please click the link below.
Provided By: AFSA
Award: $2,000
Education level: All
Subject: All
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All Iowa Opportunity Scholarship – Iowa College Student Aid Commission
The Iowa College Student Aid Commission was founded by the Iowa General Assembly in 1963 to provide opportunities for Iowans who wished to attend college, and it has been doing so for more than five decades. Every year, the ICSAC supports more than 25,000 students with scholarships, grants, and loan repayment, assisting in the removal of financial obstacles that would otherwise prevent Iowa’s young people and working adults from making the most of their schooling, jobs, and lives. “College Changes Everything,” as the ICSAC puts it. To apply or for further information about the scholarship, please click the link below.
Provided By: ICSAC
Award: $8,700
Education level: All
Subject: All
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