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While your main source of financial aid is likely to be the federal government, you can and should look for other forms of financial aid to help minimize the cost of higher education. In some cases, simply filing the FAFSA is enough to put you in the running for both federal and institutional aid, but you may be asked to fill out an additional application by your college. If you want to receive scholarship money from other sources, though, you’ll need to apply. This article will cover scholarships specifically for students from North Carolina, but you’re likely eligible for a wider range of scholarships than listed here. Make sure to do some Google searches of your own!
Scholarships for students who can demonstrate financial need:
Assistance League of the Triangle Area Scholarships
Award Amount: Up to $10,000
Minimum GPA Required: 2.5
Letter of Recommendation: Yes
Essay: Yes
This scholarship is for students who live in Durham, Orange, or Wake County and can demonstrate financial need. Both high school seniors and current college students are eligible to apply, provided they plan on attending or already attend a school in North Carolina. Students must submit a copy of the FAFSA, a description of their financial need and educational and career plans, a list of their extracurricular and work experience, two letters of recommendation, and a 300- to 500-word essay on one of two given topics. High school students must also submit their SAT or ACT scores and their transcripts. College students must submit their high school and college transcripts. The application for 2019 has passed, but be on the lookout for the 2020 application soon!
Aubrey Lee Brooks Scholarships
Award Amount: Varies
Application Deadline: January 31, 2020
Students who can demonstrate financial need and who plan to enroll full time at North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, or the University of North Carolina at Greensboro may be eligible for a scholarship that covers up to half the cost of their undergraduate education. (The award amount varies, but last year it was given in the amount of $12,000.) Students must live and attend high school in one of the following counties: Alamance, Bertie, Caswell, Durham, Forsyth, Granville, Guilford, Orange, Person, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry, Swain, or Warren County. To apply, students must complete the FAFSA and the Brooks Scholarship application. This scholarship is renewable provided students maintain a 2.75 GPA and full-time enrollment while in college.
Carol Ann Beerstecher Nursing Scholarship
Award Amount: Up to $5,000
Application Deadline: May 31, 2019
Letter of Recommendation: Yes
This award is for students who are currently pursuing a nursing degree or who have been accepted to a nursing program in North Carolina. Students must meet all requirements for in-state tuition at their institution and must have lived in one of the following counties for at least one year prior to the scholarship application: Chatham, Durham, Orange, Person, or Wake County. Students must demonstrate financial need. Awards are renewable for up to two years, provided students maintain a 2.0 GPA. To apply, students must submit two letters of recommendation, transcripts going back three years, and a copy of their Student Aid Report from the FAFSA.
Golden LEAF Scholarship Program
Award Amount: Up to $3,000
Application Deadline: March 1, 2019
This scholarship is for graduating high school seniors who plan to attend a four-year institution in North Carolina or community college students who are transferring to and enrolling in a four-year institution in North Carolina. Students must demonstrate financial need by filing the FAFSA each year and be residents of tobacco-dependent or economically distressed counties (see the list here). This award is renewable for up to four years or until a student completes their bachelor’s degree, provided all other requirements are met.
Award Amount: Varies
These scholarships are administered by the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority to students with financial need who are enrolled or plan to enroll at one of sixteen University of North Carolina locations. The award rotates between the sixteen institutions that make up the University of North Carolina system each year; this year, recipients must attend or plan to attend Appalachian State University. Students must also be residents of North Carolina who plan to attend college full time and can demonstrate academic achievement and leadership. To apply, students must first be nominated by their school’s financial aid office; talk to the staff there for more information.
NC Sheriffs Association Undergraduate Criminal Justice Scholarships
Award Amount: $2,000
Letter of Recommendation: Yes
North Carolina residents with financial need who are majoring in criminal justice are eligible for $1,000 per semester to help cover the cost of college. Students must attend Appalachian State University, East Carolina University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University, North Carolina State University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Western Carolina University, or Winston-Salem State University on a full-time basis. Children of sheriffs and deputy sheriffs, children of fallen law enforcement officers, and children of deceased or retired sheriffs and deputy sheriffs are given priority.
Scholarships for students who are currently or were previously in foster care:
North Carolina Education and Training Voucher Program
Award Amount: Up to $5,000
This scholarship is for current or former foster care children who were either in foster care after their 17th birthday or were adopted or entered into kinship guardianship after their 16th birthday. Students must demonstrate extreme financial need, with personal assets totaling less than $10,000. Additionally, students must be between 18 and 21 years old to apply and already accepted to or enrolled in an accredited institution. The award is renewable, provided students maintain a 2.0 GPA. It is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
North Carolina Reach Scholarship
Award Amount: Varies
This scholarship is for students who were either adopted from foster care after their 12th birthday or who aged out of foster care on their 18th birthday. Students must live in North Carolina and enroll at a public institution of higher education in North Carolina (and therefore be eligible for in-state tuition). Students must be younger than 26 years old to apply. This scholarship is renewable for up to four years provided the student fills out the FAFSA each year, maintains a 2.0 GPA, enrolls for at least six credit hours each semester, and stays connected to North Carolina Reach.
Other scholarships for students from North Carolina:
Cancer for College Carolinas Scholarship
Award Amount: Up to $5,000
Letter of Recommendation: Yes
This scholarship is open to any cancer survivor who is enrolled in an accredited institution in the United States, provided they are U.S. residents and either residents of North or South Carolina or attending a college in North or South Carolina. Students are required to submit their parents’ most recent tax return, a letter of good standing from their school, copies of their high school and/or college transcripts (going back two years), and a letter from a doctor confirming their cancer diagnosis. The application will become available on November 1, 2019.
Chairman’s and Next Step Scholarship Programs
Award Amount: $2,500
These scholarships are awarded by Crumley Roberts Attorneys at Law to high school seniors who attended high school in North Carolina and who will attend an accredited four-year institution and to students attending community colleges in North Carolina who are planning on transferring to four-year institutions. Call 866-691-0607 for more information.
St. Andrew’s Society of North Carolina Scholarship
Application Deadline: November 1, 2019
Letter of Recommendation: Yes
Essay: Yes
North Carolina residents who wish to enroll in a university in Scotland and can prove that they are of Scottish descent may be eligible for a scholarship from the St. Andrew’s Society. Students must be available to interview after their application is complete. Applications must be submitted alongside a personal statement, a financial statement, high school transcripts, and the names of two individuals who will write letters of recommendation.
Triangle Pest Control Scholarship Fund
Award Amount: $500
Letter of Recommendation: Yes
Essay: Yes
Triangle Pest Control offers this scholarship to high school seniors who are planning to enroll in college in the fall and to currently enrolled college students, provided future or current enrollment is in a North or South Carolina institution. Students must be pursuing or planning to pursue a business or business-related degree. To apply, students will be required to submit an official application (found online), a letter of intent (similar to an essay), and one letter of recommendation. Be on the lookout for the fall 2019 scholarship application and deadline on the provider’s website.
Applying for scholarships may not be the most fun, but there’s the potential for a big payoff. Don’t stop after applying for just one! Up your chances of winning an award by applying to many different scholarships and applying often.
