A $2,500 scholarship for first-generation college students
If neither of your parents or guardians completed a four-year (bachelor's) degree and you are enrolled at an accredited college or university in the United States, you can apply. No essay, no GPA minimum, no fee.
Applications close January 15, 2027. The recipient is announced February 10, 2027.
Key facts
- Award
- $2,500
- Recipients
- One student, every year
- Who can apply
- First-generation undergraduate and graduate students
- Deadline
- January 15, 2027
- Announced
- February 10, 2027
Who qualifies
First-generation means neither parent or guardian completed a four-year (bachelor's) degree
For this scholarship, you are a first-generation college student if neither of your parents or guardians completed a four-year (bachelor's) degree. That is the whole test. A parent who took some classes, or who finished a two-year degree, does not change your answer. A brother or sister who went to college does not change it either.
You confirm this yourself on the application. We never ask for your family's income, tax returns or any financial paperwork.
Read the full definition and the situations students ask about
Three steps
Apply in one sitting. No essay in any step.
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Check the two requirements
You are first-generation as defined above, and you are enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student at an accredited college or university in the United States. Any major, any year.
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Fill in the short form
Your name, contact details, your school and your level of study, plus a statement that you meet the first-generation definition. Nothing to upload.
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Wait for February 10
Applications close January 15, 2027. One recipient is selected from all eligible applications under the official rules and announced on the winners page from February 10, 2027, if they give permission.
Kept simple on purpose
Four things this scholarship does not require
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No essay. Not even a short one.
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No minimum GPA. Your grades are not part of the decision.
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No financial documents. No income figures, no tax returns, no FAFSA.
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No fee, no purchase, no account to open. Applying is free and starts no relationship with the sponsor.
Why first-generation
The first person in a family to go to college often does it without a map
Students whose parents did not finish college often work out applications, financial aid, registration and campus life without someone at home who has done it before. Pelican Family Office, a firm in Covington, Louisiana, that describes itself as a multi-family office, funds this award to put $2,500 toward one of those students' education every year, with as little paperwork as possible.
Also from the sponsor
You may apply to both Pelican scholarships
Pelican Family Office also funds the Pelican Family Office Scholarship, a separate $2,500 award open to any undergraduate or graduate student at an accredited U.S. college or university. It has its own website, its own rules and the same deadline. A first-generation student can apply to both.
Everything in writing
The rules, the results and your privacy, all public
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Official rules
Eligibility, dates, how the recipient is chosen and how the money is paid, written in plain language.
Read the rules -
Winners
Each year's recipient is named on this site on February 10, with their consent, along with confirmation that enrollment was checked before payment.
See the winners page -
Privacy
What the application collects, what it never asks for, how long we keep it and how to have it deleted.
Read the privacy notice
Who funds this award
The Pelican First-Generation Scholarship is funded and run by Pelican Family Office, the business name of Pelican Advisory LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser in Covington, Louisiana, that describes itself as a multi-family office. The firm's registrations and public filings are linked on the sponsor page. Applying costs nothing and starts no relationship with the firm.