Scholarships for First Generation College Students
By Muntasir • Published Jan 29, 2025 • Updated Sep 27, 2026 • US Financial Aid & Scholarships
First-generation means neither parent earned a four-year bachelor's degree, and dozens of national scholarships target these students with awards from $1,000 to $55,000 a year. Start with your college's financial aid office, then apply to programs built for first-gen students specifically.
🎓 I'm First Scholarship: $4,000 over four years, partner colleges only
💵 Jack Kent Cooke Foundation College Scholarship: up to $55,000 a year
💵 Horatio Alger National Scholarship: up to $25,000
🎓 QuestBridge National College Match: full four-year ride at partner colleges
📩 Most first-gen scholarships also require financial need documentation
What counts as first-generation
Scholarship programs and colleges define first-generation slightly differently, but the common standard is that neither of your parents or legal guardians completed a four-year bachelor's degree. Some programs count a parent's associate degree or some college credit without a degree as still qualifying you. Others narrow the definition to students whose parents never attended college at all.
Check each scholarship's own definition before you assume you qualify or that you do not. The Department of Education uses the neither-parent-has-a-bachelor's-degree standard for federal programs like TRIO, and most private scholarships follow that same line.
National scholarships built for first-gen students
These programs exist specifically because first-generation students face gaps in college knowledge and financial support that continuing-generation students often get from family. Award amounts and eligibility rules vary widely, so read the fine print on each one.
| Scholarship | Award | Who it targets |
|---|---|---|
| I'm First Scholarship (imfirst.org ) | $4,000 total, $1,000 a year for four years | High school seniors enrolling at an I'm First partner college |
| Jack Kent Cooke Foundation College Scholarship | Up to $55,000 a year | High-achieving students with financial need, many first-gen |
| Horatio Alger National Scholarship | Up to $25,000 | Students who overcame financial hardship, including first-gen applicants |
| QuestBridge National College Match | Full four-year scholarship at a partner college | High-achieving low-income students, a large share first-gen |
The I'm First Scholarship runs through the nonprofit imfirst.org, a resource hub built specifically for first-generation students, and only covers students matriculating at its partner colleges. Check imfirst.org for the current list of partner schools before you apply, since the roster changes.
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation College Scholarship is not exclusively for first-gen students, but its selection criteria weigh financial need and personal circumstances heavily, and a large share of recipients are the first in their family to attend college. The application typically opens in the summer before senior year, so check the foundation's site early.
QuestBridge's National College Match connects high-achieving, low-income high school seniors with full four-year scholarships at its partner colleges, which include many selective private universities. Around 80 percent of matched students are first-generation, according to the program's own reporting. The Match requires a strong academic record and runs on a September application deadline for the initial round.
Where else to look
Beyond national programs, first-gen students should check three additional places every application season.
Your target colleges' own financial aid offices. Many universities run internal first-gen scholarship funds that never appear on national scholarship search sites.
TRIO programs (Upward Bound, Educational Talent Search) through your high school, which connect first-gen and low-income students to scholarship pipelines and application support.
State grant programs. Some states add extra grant money for first-gen students on top of standard need-based aid. Check your state higher education agency's site.
Employer and community foundation scholarships, which often ask directly whether you are the first in your family to attend college as a tiebreaker or bonus criterion.
Documenting your first-gen status
Applications typically ask you to self-report first-gen status, sometimes with a short explanation of your parents' education background. Keep this consistent across every application: use the same definition and the same wording each time so a reviewer comparing your file to others does not find a contradiction.
Your FAFSA already collects your parents' education level as part of standard demographic questions, and some scholarship committees cross-reference that data if you submit your FAFSA Submission Summary as supporting documentation. File your FAFSA at studentaid.gov before applying to need-based first-gen scholarships, since several programs require it.
Combine scholarships with campus support
Scholarship money solves one part of the first-gen challenge. Most colleges also run first-generation student support offices that handle advising, mentorship, and emergency aid funds separate from scholarships. Ask your admitted colleges whether they have a first-gen program during your decision process, since campuses with dedicated first-gen offices tend to have more scholarship funding tied to that office as well.