Alumni Association First Generation Scholarships

Fall 2025: 2025 -2026 Academic Year Award

The goal of the Alumni Association FIRST GENERATION Scholarship is to encourage and support first generation families in their pursuit of higher education.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Must be the first individual/generation in your family to attend a 4-year college or University.
• High School or Community College of CSUN GPA must be greater than or equal to a 3.0.
• Must have a well balanced, meaningful involvement and leadership in community and/or extra curricular activities.
• Must be and remain in good academic standing throughout the award year.
• One letter of recommendation will be submitted on my behalf via the myMatadors Scholarship portal.
• Undergraduate students must enroll in 12 units or more each term of the next academic year.
• Graduate students must enroll in 6 units or more each term of the next academic year.
  Any change to your enrollment status resulting in less than required enrollment for any term within the award year will result in a cancellation of your award.
• Must have a current FAFSA or California Dream Act Application on file for the upcoming academic year.
• Must submit an educational resume.

*Multiple scholarships will be awarded.

• One award will be funded by the Scott and Jill Feinstein First Generation Scholarship following the criteria above.
• Five awards will be funded by General First Generation Scholarship
• One award will be funded by the Len Friedman First Generation Scholarship.
• Two Awards will be funded by Project GRAD LA with additional criteria listed below.

Applicants for the Project GRAD LA award must have graduated from one of the following high schools:
- Arleta High School
- Cesar Chavez Learning Academies (any of the 4)
- San Fernando High School
- Sylmar Charter High School

About Project GRAD LA: Project GRAD Los Angeles is a college readiness program designed to increase rates of college admission, persistence, and graduation for low-income minority students. Project GRAD LA works consistently to address the inequities in under-resourced schools in the Northeast San Fernando Valley. They provide exceptional college advising and college experiences to thousands of high school students which has directly resulted in college acceptances at nearly three times the national average for similar students across the country. This contributed to over 3,000 students applying to and attending CSUN during the last twenty years. The organization has seen the transformative power of a college education and how it ignites the full potential of first-generation students, their families, and their communities.

After 21 years of serving students in the Northeast San Fernando Valley, Project GRAD Los Angeles closed its doors on August 21, 2020. To continue their mission of supporting first-generation students attending and completing college, the Board of Directors is pledging a portion of their organizational funds to endow first generation student scholarships to champion their work in perpetuity on the campus of California State University, Northridge.

*All recipients of these awards agree to submit a thank you letter addressed to the Alumni Association Board of Directors Scholarship Committee in order for award to disburse.

Should you have questions regarding this scholarship opportunity, please contact Melissa Dreiling @ (818) 677-2000

The CSUN Writing Center is available to help you write any of the essay questions listed below.