New first generation student scholarship available at Pellissippi State Community College

Pellissippi State Community College has a new scholarship available for first-generation college students thanks to a $50,000 endowment from an anonymous donor. The scholarship will enable students who are the first in their families to attend college to have a little bit of additional financial assistance to work toward pursuing a college education.

The Fall 2024 semester at Pellissippi State Community College was made up of 45% first-generation college students. This number has increased in the past year, as in the Fall 2023 semester, 40% of students were first-generation college students. The school has noticed that despite the growing number of students who are the first in their families to attend college, the graduation rates for these students are not as high as for those who come from families who have attended college before them.

According to an article on Pellissippi State Community College’s website, Oakley Atterson, who serves as the executive director of Institutional Effectiveness, Assessment and Planning, was quoted as saying of the aforementioned data, “We know from looking at our own data, that graduation rates for first-generation students tend to be a bit lower than for non-first-generation students. And we can look at retention rates as well and see that a smaller percentage of our first-generation students come back for a second fall than our non-first-generation students. So, this scholarship could be a game changer for some of our first-generation students.” Atterson went on to say, “As an open-access institution for 50 years, it’s in our DNA to think about being a higher-education option for everyone. We know that an institution like Pellissippi might be the best option, or maybe even the only option, for some of our students. And we’re ready to meet them where they are.”

The cost of tuition, fees, books, and other course materials may be seen as especially overwhelming to first-generation college students, especially those who are working in addition to attending college. A scholarship specifically for these students may help them lessen the financial burdens of attending school, which may in turn lead to increased retention and graduation rates for the population.

Pellissippi State Foundation Executive Director Aneisa Rolen said, “As a first-generation college student, I understand the unique challenges that many of our students face. This scholarship is more than financial aid; it’s a promise to our first-generation students that Pellissippi State is here to support them every step of the way. By investing in their futures, we are strengthening families and our community.”

The First-Generation Scholarship was a featured fund for donations during the “Life Happens. You Can Help,” giving campaign. While the scholarship is no longer the featured fund, anyone who donated during the giving campaign can choose to direct their donation to the First-Generation Scholarship until the campaign ends on December 3.

For more information about Pellissippi State Community College, visit the school’s website.