FAQ
Common questions about the First-Gen Scholarship
Short answers, with links to the pages that go deeper. If your question is not here, email [email protected].
Eligibility
What does "first-generation" mean for this scholarship?
You are a first-generation college student for this program if neither of your parents or guardians completed a four-year (bachelor's) degree. A parent who attended college without finishing a bachelor's degree, or who has an associate degree or a certificate, does not change that. Siblings do not count. Guardians count the same as parents.
My parent has a two-year degree, or started college and left. Am I still first-generation?
Yes. Only a completed four-year (bachelor's) degree counts. An associate degree, some college credits, a certificate, a trade license or an apprenticeship credential does not make a parent a bachelor's degree holder, so you are still first-generation under this definition. The same is true if a parent started a bachelor's program and left before graduating.
Do I have to prove that I am first-generation?
No. You confirm it yourself on the application by checking a box and typing your name. This is called self-attestation. The program never asks for family income, tax returns, a FAFSA, a parent's transcript or any financial document. The only thing we verify is that the selected recipient is enrolled, and we do that with the school before paying. A false statement disqualifies the application.
Can graduate students apply?
Yes. Undergraduate and graduate students are both eligible, in any field of study, as long as they are enrolled at an accredited college or university in the United States and meet the first-generation definition. Holding a bachelor's degree yourself does not affect your answer, because the definition looks only at your parents or guardians. Part-time, transfer and returning students can apply on the same terms.
Applying
Can I apply to both Pelican scholarships?
Yes. 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. The two programs have separate websites, forms and rules and are decided independently. A first-generation student may submit one application to each.
Is there an essay, a GPA requirement or a fee?
No essay, no minimum GPA and no fee. Your grades are not part of the decision, and there is nothing to write or upload. There is also no purchase, no account to open and no client relationship with the sponsor, required or considered. The form asks for your name, contact details, school and level of study, plus your first-generation statement. That is all.
How is the recipient chosen?
There is nothing to score: no essay, no GPA. Every complete application from an eligible student goes into one pool, and one recipient is selected from that pool by the sponsor's scholarship administrators under one method applied the same way to every application, as described in the official rules. Whether you or your family has any relationship with the sponsor is not considered. When you submit within the window makes no difference.
What happens after I apply?
The form shows or emails you a confirmation when your application arrives. After the January 15, 2027 deadline, one recipient is selected under the official rules and contacted by email and phone. We confirm that person's enrollment with their school, pay the $2,500, and name them on the winners page on February 10, 2027 if they agree. If you are not chosen, you can apply again next year while you are still enrolled.
The award and the sponsor
Is the $2,500 taxable?
It may be. Under U.S. tax law, scholarship money can be taxable depending on how it is used. The recipient is responsible for any tax. The sponsor does not give tax advice, so please ask a tax professional about your own situation. The official rules say the same thing.
Will my name be made public if I win?
Only if you agree. After selection we ask you in writing what you want published, if anything: your name, your school, a photo. We do not publish quotations or comments from recipients. You can say no to every part of it and the award is unchanged. Being listed on the winners page tells readers that you are a first-generation student as this program defines it; no other detail about your family is ever published.
How is the money paid?
After your school confirms you are enrolled, the $2,500 is paid once, in the way described in your notification, usually to you or to your school for education costs. The award cannot be transferred to another person or exchanged for anything else. Payment details are collected only from the recipient, after selection. The application form itself never asks for bank information.
Does applying create any relationship with Pelican Family Office?
No. Applying is free and creates no client or advisory relationship with Pelican Family Office (Pelican Advisory LLC), the SEC-registered investment adviser that funds the award. Your application information is used only to run the scholarship. It is never used to market the firm's services, never sold and never shared with advertisers, and within the firm it is seen only by the people who run the scholarship and the staff who maintain its systems.
Who sponsors the scholarship?
Pelican Family Office, the business name of Pelican Advisory LLC, an investment adviser registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and based in Covington, Louisiana. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Pelican Family Office is not affiliated with Pelican State Credit Union, the Pelican Institute, the New Orleans Pelicans or any CPA firm.
Is this a one-time scholarship or does it come back every year?
It is awarded every year to one student, and the sponsor intends to keep running it. The 2026-27 cycle is the first, with applications closing January 15, 2027 and the recipient announced February 10, 2027. Each later year has its own deadline and its own recipient, published on this website, and the official rules explain how any change to the program would be announced.
Still have a question?
Email [email protected]. Questions never affect an application.
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.