Scholarships around the world for first-generation students

Odyssey Scholarship Programme – This programme at the University of Chicago provides academic, social, and career support to students who are from lower-income families or the first in their families to attend university. Odyssey Scholars are selected on the basis of financial need and family circumstances and will be eligible for additional funding for study abroad and other costs such as health insurance. Students must apply for need-based financial aid in order to be considered for the Odyssey Scholarship. 

APIA Scholarship Programme – Open to AANHPI (Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander) undergraduates attending any accredited US university or college. Scholarship amounts range from US$2,500 one-year awards to US$20,000 multi-year awards. The organisation has a special focus on supporting AANHPI students who live at or below the poverty line, are in the first generation of their family to attend university or come from communities that have been underrepresented on college campuses due to limited access and opportunity. 

First Generation Scholarship – Undergraduates at the University of Colorado Boulder can apply for this programme, which awards US$4,000 and US$8,000 to residents and non-residents respectively. This scholarship is open to students who have financial need and whose parents or legal guardians do not have a bachelor's degree. During the first year, recipients are required to participate in the First Generation Scholars Program, offered through the university’s Center for Inclusion & Social Change.  

First in Family Scholarship – This programme by the Farash Foundation provides financial support for tuition, room and board, textbooks, and mandatory fees. A condition of the scholarship is that all recipients are required to undertake community service with local nonprofit organisations. Additionally, recipients are given opportunities to interact with each other – as a group, and at a variety of programmes, performances and sporting events. You can find information on which universities offer this scholarship here.  

IFSA First-Generation Scholarship – Winners of this scholarship receive up to US$2,500 to help them cover the cost of airfare, visas, passports, and housing. As well as financial support for university, students can also study abroad on a January, summer, semester, or year- long IFSA programme. Applications are open twice a year, with the next deadline on 1 March 2023.  

First in the Family Scholarships – Eight scholarships are up for grabs for students commencing a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Melbourne. AUD$10,000 is awarded annually for each year of the degree (three years). Recipients of the scholarship will automatically be admitted into the Abernethy Scholars Program, which provides unique opportunities such as mentoring programmes and leadership events.  

Grigg Family Access to Education Scholarship – This scholarship at Deakin University supports students who are from a remote or regional home location and the first in their family to reach university. Up to AUD$5,000 is awarded each year for up to three years.  

Hills First in Family Scholarship – Designed to assist New Zealand citizens or permanent residents for up to four years of study in any discipline at the University of Auckland.  

WSU ‘First’ in Family’ Scholarship – Three awards, each worth NZD$1,000, are on offer for full-time undergraduate students at the University of Waikato. Students from any subject discipline can apply for the scholarship.  

Graduate Women Wellington, First in Family Scholarship – Open to female students (including cis-gendered and trans-gendered) at the Victoria University of Wellington. The number of scholarships available and amount awarded is subject to funding each year. Preference will be given to students who, because of financial hardship, may not otherwise be able to undertake a university degree.  

Ontario First Generation Bursary – A scholarship which assists students attending a publicly-assisted college or university in Ontario only. Bursary amounts range from CAN$1,000 to CAN$3,500, but the exact amount will be determined by your chosen school. Top-ranked institutions such as the University of Toronto offer this scholarship – further details can be found here.