Bucks County philanthropists pledge $1M for local community college scholarships – PhillyBurbs
Two local philanthropists are giving $1 million to help local teens start their college career at the Bucks County Community College for free in the coming years.
On Aug. 18, Gene and Marlene Epstein announced that they were expanding an existing $100,000 scholarship for high school graduates in Lower Bucks County into the 2026-2027 school year. They pledged to fund the scholarship for at least the next 10 years.
“My feeling is that if you want to see a better world here in our own country, it’s incumbent upon everybody to make sure that those who can least afford an education can receive one,” Gene Epstein said during a phone interview Aug. 19.
Epstein said that the couple have been involved with the community college in “one way or another” over the last 25 years and that the institution gives students a great start on a good future.
“We just feel that what they offer is something really incredible in that somebody locally in the county can get a real decent preparation for any advanced studies they want to do or careers they want to pursue right here at the community college,” Epstein said.
The Newtown-based Gene and Marlene Epstein Humanitarian Fund established the scholarship for first-year, full-time students this past March with a $100,000 donation for the 2025-2026 school year.
The scholarship allows up to 100 students to attend their freshman year for free, a community college news release stated.
Epstein announced the nonprofit’s scholarship plans during an unveiling of a new gateway sign for the college’s Epstein Campus in Bristol Township.
The campus, which was first established in 2006 as the Bucks County Community College Lower Campus, was renamed in 2016 to commemorate a donation from the nonprofit. The campus was expanded in 2022 with a state-of-the-art Center for Advanced Technologies.
The goal of the Gene and Marlene Epstein Scholarship is to help students in Lower Bucks County attend college while eliminating the burden of student loans, according to information on www.bucks.edu.
On Aug. 19, a spokesperson for the college said that the information on the website is accurate for the current school year and that there are currently no changes expected for the 2026-2027 academic year.
The registration window to apply for the 2025-2026 school year was between Feb. 1 through Aug. 1 for students attending the fall semester.
Eligibility is open to graduates of one of the following high schools:
Before applying for the Epstein scholarship, students must first enroll for a minimum of 12 credit hours at the community college and complete the free application for Federal Student Aid, aka FASFA.
More information about the scholarship can be found at the college’s website or by contacting the college’s office of advancement and the foundation via email at scholarships@bucks.edu by calling 215-968-8416.
Chris Ullery can be reached at cullery@couriertimes.com.
