The Pelican First-Generation Scholarship gives $2,500 to one first-generation college student every year. The 2026-27 cycle is the first. A cycle is one round of the program: applications open, the deadline passes, a recipient is chosen and paid, and the following year it starts again.
Who the scholarship is for
You can apply if both of these are true:
- You are a first-generation college student. For this program that means neither of your parents or guardians completed a four-year (bachelor's) degree.
- You are enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student at an accredited college or university in the United States, in any field of study.
Accredited means a recognized accrediting agency has reviewed the school. Community colleges, four-year colleges and universities can all be accredited; your registrar or financial aid office can tell you whether your school is. Any major, any year of study, any state.
The complete terms are in the official rules. If a term here is unclear, the first-generation page and the FAQ explain each one.
What you confirm yourself
The application asks you to state, by checking a box and signing your name, that neither of your parents or guardians completed a four-year (bachelor's) degree. This is called self-attestation: your own statement is the confirmation. We do not contact your parents, and we never request family income, tax returns or other financial records. A statement that turns out to be untrue disqualifies the application.
What the application does not include
- No essay or short-answer questions.
- No minimum GPA.
- No application fee.
- No purchase and no client relationship. Neither is required, and neither is considered.
- No transcripts or recommendation letters.
Dates for the 2026-27 cycle
- Applications close: January 15, 2027
- Recipient announced: February 10, 2027
The announcement appears on the winners page. The recipient is also contacted directly using the email address and phone number on their application, so keep both current until the announcement.
How the recipient is chosen
With no essay and no GPA there is nothing to score. Every complete application from an eligible student goes into the same pool, and one recipient is selected from that pool under a single method applied the same way to every application, as set out in the official rules. Whether you or your family has any relationship with the sponsor is not considered. Submitting on the first day and submitting on the last day are treated the same.
How the award is paid
Before any payment, we confirm with the recipient's school that they are enrolled. Then the $2,500 is paid as described in the recipient's notification, usually to the student or to the school for education costs. Scholarship money may be taxable depending on how it is used. The sponsor does not give tax advice, so please ask a tax professional about your own situation.
A program that repeats every year
This is a yearly program, not a one-time award. Each year has its own deadline, its own pool of applicants and its own recipient. The sponsor intends to run it every year; the official rules explain how any change would be announced. If you are not chosen this year and you are still enrolled next year, you are welcome to apply again.
Where to apply
The only way to apply is the form linked from this website's apply page. Your college, its first-generation student office, a TRIO program or a scholarship directory may list this award; those listings are for information only, and the form on this site is the only place an application counts. If any site asks you to pay, to open a paid account or to apply somewhere else, it is not this program.
TRIO programs are federally funded programs, such as Student Support Services, that support first-generation and other students on many campuses.