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The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The Office of Scholarships & Student Aid

Merit-Based Scholarships

Each year the University offers special scholarships to a select group of entering freshmen. These competitive awards recognize and encourage academic excellence. Criteria for merit-based scholarships include academic achievement, leadership qualities, commitment to service, and potential for success at the University. Financial need is not a consideration. The University seeks to identify students who have earned academic distinction in high school, but selection goes beyond metrics of test scores and grade point averages, focusing on a holistic review of the entire application. Because UNC-Chapel Hill is a selective university, competition for these awards is very strong. Approximately 200 new scholarships are awarded each year to an incoming class of over 3,800 students. The recipients of these awards demonstrate impressive academic and extracurricular achievements, and show promise of engagement in the life of the University.

There is no separate application for merit-based scholarships at UNC-Chapel Hill. Selection is based on the information provided in the application for admission. For fullest consideration for these awards, students must apply to the University by January 15. Beginning fall 2009, candidates for the Pogue Scholarship will be notified by the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid, and will be asked to submit additional information. Finalists will be notified in mid-February and invited to the interview weekend. Scholarship candidates who are selected to move forward in the process for other merit-based scholarships will be notified shortly after they have been admitted to the University to inform them about Scholar Day and the selection process. All merit scholarship recipients will receive strong consideration for the University's Honors Program. There is no separate application for the Honors Program.

In addition to the merit-based scholarships listed below, UNC-Chapel Hill is home to two exceptional scholarship programs that are not administered through the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid:  the Morehead-Cain Scholars Program and the Robertson Scholars Program. Please proceed directly to their web sites for more information.

Individuals interested in establishing a University scholarship or who wish to give to an existing fund can find more information here: Carolina Merit Campaign

Types of Merit-Based Scholarships available through the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid:

• Carolina Scholars Awards Program represents the most academically competitive of scholarships sponsored by the University. In addition to superior academic achievement, self-direction and motivation for learning are the chief criteria for selection. Carolina Scholarships are part of UNC’s Scholars Program, which provides recipients with faculty mentors, leadership experience, and other academic enrichment opportunities. Recipients from North Carolina receive renewable awards of $8,500 per year; those from out-of-state will receive an award equivalent to the cost of tuition, fees, room and board.

• Pogue Scholarships place special emphasis on minority applicants who, in addition to solid academic performance and strong leadership potential, demonstrate an abiding commitment to their local communities and embrace diversity as a value. Competition for this award is now open to North Carolina and out-of-state students. The Pogue Scholarship provides a renewable award of $7,500 for N.C. recipients and an amount covering the cost of tuition, fees, room and board for non-resident recipients. The Pogue Scholarship is part of UNC’s Scholars Program, which provides faculty mentoring, leadership experience and other enrichment opportunities.

• Colonel Robinson Scholarships provide renewable awards to students who exhibit high academic achievement and potential for leadership at the University. For N.C. recipients, these competitive scholarships provide a $5,000 award. Out-of-state recipients receive the equivalent of tuition, fees, room and board. Colonel Robinson Scholars are invited to participate in activities sponsored by the Scholars Program.

• Old Well and Founders Scholarships provide renewable awards of at least $3,000 to students from North Carolina who come to the University with an exemplary academic record. Additional criteria for these awards may include county of residence and high school attended.

• College Fellows Scholarships provide renewable awards of $2,500 to high-achieving students from North Carolina.

• College-Sponsored National Merit Awards are annual awards of $1,000 (or $2,000 in the case of substantial financial need) to National Merit finalists who have not been offered another type of National Merit award and have notified the National Merit Scholarship Corporation that UNC-Chapel Hill is their first college choice. Recipients of National Merit’s one-time $2,500 Merit Scholarship will be eligible to receive the annual $1,000 college-sponsored award after their freshman year.

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