NAU, CPLC expand first-generation scholarships for La Paz County students

La Paz County first-generation college students now have a much larger financial opening: Chicanos Por La Causa and Northern Arizona University expanded their scholarship pool from 15 awards to 45, with each award worth up to $10,000 per academic year, depending on other aid. If every award reached the maximum, the program would put as much as $450,000 a year into students’ hands, up from $150,000 under the original 15-award limit.

The scholarship is open to first-generation Arizona students, including residents of Yuma and La Paz counties, and applicants can use it at any NAU campus. The deadline is April 15, and applications are handled through NAU ScholarshipUniverse. NAU defines first-generation students as those whose parents or guardians have not earned a bachelor’s degree.

For families in La Paz County, the expansion matters because college cost is often the hurdle that decides whether a student enrolls, persists, or stops out. CPLC says the award is designed to help cover tuition, fees and other expenses, which can make a real difference for students balancing school with work, family obligations and travel costs in a rural county. The broader NAU support system adds another layer, including mentoring and the First Scholars program, which provides a $2,000 tuition scholarship for first-generation students.

The local connection is strong. NAU says its Yuma Campus has served the region since 1988, and its students come primarily from Yuma, La Paz and Imperial counties. That makes the scholarship expansion more than a campus announcement; it is a regional investment in students who are often the first in their families to enter college and the ones most likely to carry degrees back into local jobs and communities.

CPLC, founded in the late 1960s by student activists pushing for equal education opportunities, now works across the Southwest in education, housing, health and economic development. NAU and CPLC first announced their scholarship partnership in 2022, celebrating the launch with community members in Yuma. The bigger award pool now gives first-generation students in La Paz County a better chance to move from college admission to completion, with less debt and a stronger path back into the regional workforce.