Program Overview

Introduction to the Coca-Cola First Generation Scholarship Program

The University of Houston was awarded a $200,000 grant from The Coca-Cola Foundation to fund the Coca-Cola First Generation Scholarship Program in Fall 2017. This program awards individual scholarships to 40 academically outstanding students who are the first in their families to attend college and demonstrate a financial need.

Scholarship Program Overview

The program supports students in adjusting to college life, as well as providing opportunities for them to grow as an individual and as a member of the university community. Scholarship recipients receive a total of $5,000.

Scholarship Eligibility

In order to qualify for the scholarship, students must:

• Be a first-generation college student (parents did not complete a bachelor's degree)
• Be an incoming freshman at the University of Houston Main Campus
• Be a member of the Center for Student Empowerment
• Demonstrate a financial need

Scholars Expectations

Coca-Cola Scholars are expected to:

• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater
• Be enrolled full-time (at least 9 credits) for each consecutive academic term except for the summer and winter term
• Complete CSE membership requirements of attending at least three CSE events per semester in the following categories: academic, financial, career, and civic engagement
• Attend any mandatory meetings (both individual and group) with CSE staff

Program Details

The Center for Student Empowerment (CSE) worked in tandem with UH to develop the framework for the program. Currently, nearly half of the university's undergraduate population, or 49 percent, are first-generation college students.