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You’re doing something no one at home has done before — and that takes real drive. You don’t need connections or insider knowledge. Here’s the path, in order, with a free tool at every step.
Being first is an asset, not a gap. Many scholarships specifically seek first-generation students, and the help below is built for exactly your path. Everything is free, private, and asks no account.
Start here. Arizona has aid first-gen families rarely hear about — in-state tuition for undocumented graduates (Prop 308), TRIO, foster-youth support, and more. A two-minute, private self-check.
Open the aid finderSee your likely Pell Grant from your income, and claim the SAT/ACT and application fee waivers low-income students are entitled to. Applying shouldn’t cost money you don’t have.
Estimate aid + fee waiversStarting at a community college and transferring (the 2+2 path) can save tens of thousands for the same degree — a route that fits a lot of first-gen budgets.
See the transfer savingsYour background is a strength, not a gap. Write one strong base essay you reuse everywhere, and log your activities and honors — including work and family responsibilities, which count.
Start your essayAsk the teachers who know you best, then hand them a one-page packet of your activities so they write something specific and strong.
Track recommendersYour family wants to help but may not know how. Share the plain-language parent guide — it’s in English and Spanish — so you’re a team, not alone.
Open the parent guideAsk every college about TRIO Student Support Services and their first-generation student program — free advising, mentoring, and community built for exactly your path. Join early; spots are limited.
Your dashboard shows what to do next, your money picture, and a grade-aware timeline so nothing slips. You don’t have to hold it all in your head.
Open your dashboard“I don’t have the connections other students do.”
You don’t need them. Counselors, free programs (TRIO, GEAR UP), and these tools level the field — and your story is an asset admissions officers actively look for.
“Asking for help means I’m behind.”
The opposite. The students who ask the most questions get the most aid. Counselors and financial-aid offices expect it — that’s their job.
“We can’t afford college.”
Aid exists precisely for families like yours — the Pell Grant, fee waivers, the transfer path, and in-state tuition (including for undocumented Arizona graduates) change the math.
“Being the first is a disadvantage.”
Many scholarships specifically seek first-generation students, and admissions officers value the drive it takes to get here without a roadmap.