Resources : FGA

970-491-6321
 
Free Application for Federal Student Aid
 
(can assist first generation college students with scholarship search help)
970-221-4421

 

First Generation Award Program

Who
Those eligible to apply are:
  • Colorado residents entering in the fall as freshmen or transfer students whose parents have not received a bachelor's degree;
  • able to demonstrate financial need; and
  • who have met the March 1 deadline for admission, submission of FAFSA and First Generation Award (FGA) application
 
What
The First Generation Award was created in 1984 by the governing board of the University to encourage participation in college by first generation college students who have significant financial need, and to promote diversity within the University's student population. The selection process is competitive and there are a limited number of awards available.  The award amount is up to a maximum of $4,000 annually, and is contingent upon full time enrollment during both the fall and spring semesters.  The award carries the possibility of renewal.

Awards are supported by state and Colorado State University funds and recipients must verify financial need.

When
Applications are only accepted between late December and March 1 and only students newly admitted for the upcoming fall semester are eligible (currently enrolled, continuing students are not eligible to apply).
 
How
To apply, complete the application and essay responses and make sure CASA has it by March 1st.  Start the application process.

For complete details on eligibility and application procedures, please contact Barb Musslewhite by phone at (970) 491-7095 or at Barbara.Musslewhite@Colostate.edu 

What They Say : FGA

  • “This scholarship has allowed me to focus all of my efforts on schoolwork and extracurricular activities instead of worrying about how I’m going to pay for college.
  • I have had a wonderful time this past year as a first generation student while being exposed to a whole world that I never knew existed.
  • As a result, I have chosen to explore CSU and some of the many opportunities that this great university has to offer.” J.M.
  • “Being a first generation recipient has changed my life tremendously. My mother always told me “I can’t afford to send you to college, somehow, some way you have to find a way to make that happen for you”. This award has helped fund my education, which is something that I value most highly in life. I am making both my family’s dreams, and my dreams come true, and this wouldn’t even be a possibility if it wasn’t for the First Generation Award.” R.M.
  • “I am happy to report that my GPA for this last semester was a 3.916. I am very fortunate to be part of this program, and am looking forward to continuing my education. Thanks so much for making me a part of the FGA family and for helping to make a dream a reality.

    Sometimes we're afraid of reaching for something, thinking that it's unobtainable, and we convince ourselves that it just wasn't meant to be. I guess I am learning with age that the hard stuff takes time and the impossible just takes a little longer (as someone somewhere once said). A.S.
  • Had I not received the First Generation Scholarship… I very definitely would not have been in a position to try to provide that very same kind of assistance to other students (at the high school where I now teach) who so richly deserve to benefit from the same type of assistance in continuing their educational endeavors.

    I truly feel that the best way for me to pay back the opportunities from which I benefitted, is to make sure that I have some part in seeing that other students are afforded just the same kind of opportunities, especially those students who might otherwise not have the chance to continue their educational aspirations. M.D.