»Financial Resources

Marian Wright Edelman First Generation Endowed Scholarship

The Marian Wright Edelman First-Generation Endowed Scholarship supports first-generation students who have financial need and who desire to use their education in service to their community. This scholarship can be used to fund the purchase of books and other academic resources. This scholarship is by application only.

Click here to learn more about scholarship opportunities

First Generation Travel Award

We strongly encourage our first-generation students to take advantage of this incredible opportunity to study abroad and broaden their global perspectives!

Are You First-Generation?

Funding is limited to undergraduate first-generation students. A first-generation college student is defined as a student whose parent(s) or legal guardian(s) have not completed a bachelor’s degree. Students must be officially designated as first-generation by Chapman University to be eligible.

Investment in Your Journey: Funding Details & Requirements

• Dedicated Support: Limited funding is available to support your travel course or study abroad journey.
• How Many Times? Eligible students can benefit from this funding up to two (2) times throughout their undergraduate program.
• Where Can You Go? Funding applies only to Chapman-sponsored travel course and study abroad programs.
• What It Covers: The fund supports air travel, covering up to 50% of your flight costs. Please note that this travel award is provided as a reimbursement. Funding is for basic or economy fairs only.
• Demonstrated Need: Funding is contingent upon demonstrated unmet financial need and acceptance of the subsidized federal loan, verified by the Office of Financial Aid.
• Preparation for Success: Starting Fall 2025, all participants must complete the Financial Wellness program, ensuring you're well-prepared for your financial journey abroad.
• Application Requirement: You must submit supporting cost estimates for your flights (like screenshots or quotes) with your application to demonstrate your needs.
• Please note, if selected the travel award will be processed through your student account. If selected, your award will be disbursed to your account and the refund will be electronically deposited to your eRefund account set up within your student center. If one does not exist at the time of processing, a paper check will be issued via regular mail. The Student Business Services Office will send you an email to your Chapman email address once the refund is processed.

Ready to Apply? Mark These Application Windows!

• Fall: April 1st – May 15th
• Interterm: September 15th - November 1st
• Spring: September 1st - October 15th
• Summer: February 15th - April 1st

Click here to access the application

Promising Futures Funding Request

The Promising Futures First-Generation Program supports first-generation students in completing their academic goals and professional goals. Funds may be put towards tuition, airfare for study abroad/travel course opportunities, or research/projects related to your field of study.

Funding is limited to undergraduate first-generation students. Eligible first-generation undergraduate students may receive funding for a maximum of 2 times during their undergraduate academic program at Chapman.

Funding for Scholarly/Creative Activity projects are to be submitted to the Center for Undergraduate Excellence. The Promising Futures Program in collaboration with the Center for Undergraduate Excellence will fund a limited amount of scholarly/creative activity projects submitted by first-generation students. Applications and instructions for a Scholarly/Creative Activity grant request can be found on the Center for Undergraduate Excellence Scholarly/Creative Grants web page.

If you have any questions, please contact firstgen@chapman.edu.

Panther Pantry

Chapman's Panther Pantry provides food items that can be used for a week’s worth of meals during times when members of the Chapman community are experiencing food insecurity, which is defined as lacking adequate food for your household and being unable to consistently afford adequate food for your household.

The Panther Pantry serves as a supplemental resource specific to the Chapman community and has locations on both the Orange and Rinker campuses, each of which offers boxed, canned, and refrigerated food items and hygiene products.

Click here to learn more about access to the Panther Pantry