University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
PA-8: Affordability and Access

The Carolina Covenant (through the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid) makes college possible for qualified students regardless of their financial means. Students from households that earn less than 200% of the federal poverty level graduate debt free. Grants and work-study positions pay the bills. North Carolina residency is not required. A student may be designated as a Covenant Scholar when admitted to Carolina as a first year or transfer student. Carolina was the first major public university in the US to introduce such a program in 2003. In 2013, 13% of first-year students were eligible for the program, and more than half are the first in their families to attend college. http://carolinacovenant.unc.edu/ Additionally, UNC meets 100% of the need for all eligible financial aid applicants. 96% of undergraduates who received need-based financial aid also received scholarship and/or grant aid.

In order to boost retention and graduation rates, Carolina Covenant Scholars are matched with a volunteer faculty or professional staff member who mentors them during their first year at Carolina. The mentor commits to support a small group of Scholars in their daily lives and to help them discover and participate in campus life and community-building activities. Each year, some 35 mentors attend a training session before meeting with their Scholars, work with up to 15 Scholars each, meet with Scholars individually, and host social activities for the students in their group. http://carolinacovenant.unc.edu/facultystaff-mentors-guides-advocates-friends/

Project Uplift (sponsored by Diversity and Multicultural Affairs in conjunction with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions) organizes a college life experience for rising seniors from under-served communities or disadvantaged backgrounds and in the top 25% of their class. It enables students to visit classes, meet with faculty and staff, interact with students, and participate in cultural and social activities. It began 43 years ago with the goal of enhancing the racial/ethnic and socio-economic diversity of Carolina's undergraduate student body. Each year, high school guidance counselors across North Carolina nominate students to attend the 2-day program, and approximately 1,200 students participate. https://diversity.unc.edu/resources/prospective-students/project-uplift/ NC Renaissance (sponsored by Diversity and Multicultural Affairs in conjunction with North Carolina Renaissance) is a one-week enrichment program for rural high school sophomores to participate in sessions exploring team building, college admissions, financial aid, the Ackland Art Museum, and community service. http://diversity.unc.edu/resources/prospective-students/north-carolina-renaissance/ Other recruitment and retention programs include Upward Bound, Carolina Advising Corps, Increasing Diversity and Enhancing Academia (IDEA), Carolina Millennial Scholars Program, Cultural Competence Leadership Institute, and Carolina Latina/o Collaborative.

James M. Johnston Awards (Office of Scholarships and Student Aid) are the University's premier need-based scholarships. Every year, approximately 25 entering freshman are chosen to be Johnston Scholars, based on outstanding high school records, financial need, and leadership potential. Faculty mentors, Johnston honors seminars, and special leadership activities are included as part of the program. Johnston scholarships are renewable, provided the recipients achieve a minimum grade point average of 3.0. The scholarship also covers additional expenses associated with UNC-sponsored Study Abroad programs. http://studentaid.unc.edu/types-of-aid/internal-scholarships/ Awards for new and returning Johnston Scholars totaled more than $1.7 million in 2010. The Blanchard Scholarship is a one-time award of $5,000, though in the event of demonstrated financial need, the scholarship can be renewed on a year-by-year basis. Applicants must demonstrate affiliation with an Episcopal Church. Priority consideration is given to applicants with financial need.

The High School Honors Day Program (sponsored by Diversity and Multicultural Affairs) offers students and their parents an opportunity to gain valuable first-hand knowledge from University officials and student leaders about academic programs, admissions requirements, and scholarship opportunities and financial aid. http://diversity.unc.edu/resources/prospective-students/hsh/ UNC Scholars Day is designed to offer high achieving seniors and their parents the chance to visit the University and participate in informational meetings specifically structured for academically competitive students. Representatives from Undergraduate Admissions, Scholarships and Student Aid, Honors Program, Undergraduate Research, Study Abroad, plus student leaders and various academic departments will be available to answer questions. A complimentary lunch is provided along with personal tours and scholarship sessions. http://diversity.unc.edu/resources/prospective-students/unc-scholars-day/ Upward Bound provides academic instruction in mathematics, laboratory sciences, composition, literature, and foreign languages. Upward Bound parents are organized into associations that provide assistance to program participants, serve as a support group, and recruit students. http://upwardbound.web.unc.edu/

Tar Heel Target (Diversity and Multicultural Affairs): Minority student recruitment volunteers visit their hometown high schools during Carolina’s fall break and meet with prospective students in various locations around North Carolina and a few specifically selected schools out of state. http://diversity.unc.edu/resources/prospective-students/tar-heel-target/

Carolina Student Transfer Excellence Program (C-STEP)- With the help of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, the University launched C-STEP to enable more community-college students to transfer to and graduate from Carolina. Talented low- and moderate-income high school students are guaranteed eventual admission to Carolina if they enroll at one of five local community colleges -- Alamance Community College, Carteret Community College, Durham Technical Community College, Fayetteville Technical Community College, or Wake Technical Community College -- and complete the program successfully. Students who are invited to participate in C-STEP agree to earn appropriate associate degrees and participate actively in the program. C-STEP offers students special events and advising, both at their home college and at Carolina, while they are pursuing their associate degrees, and provides exemplary transition and support services once they have enrolled at Carolina and are pursuing their bachelor degrees. Carolina guarantees to meet 100 percent of every admitted student's demonstrated need through grants, scholarships and loans. Qualified C-STEP students will be offered the opportunity to enroll as Carolina Covenant scholars. http://admissions.unc.edu/apply/transfer-students/carolina-student-transfer-excellence-program-c-step/

Each year the University offers special scholarships to a select group of entering first year students. 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. 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. Types of Merit-Based Scholarships available through the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid: Pogue Scholarships are awarded to minority applicants who, in addition to solid academic performance and strong leadership potential, demonstrate an abiding commitment to their local communities and embrace diversity. The Pogue Scholarship provides $9,000 annually to N.C. students, and the equivalent of tuition, fees, room, and board for out of state students. The award is renewable for up to eight semesters provided Scholars maintain a 3.0 GPA. Each scholar receives a four-year mentor. The Pogue Scholarship is part of UNC’s Scholars Program, which provides leadership experience and other enrichment opportunities. http://uncscholarsprogram.com/pogue/ The Morehead-Cain Scholarship, launched in 1945, was the first merit based scholarship program offered in the United States. Selected students receive full tuition, fees, and board as well as a laptop and books. A four-year Summer Enrichment Program, made up of diverse, customized experiences that begin the summer before freshman year, includes outdoor leadership, public service, international research, private enterprise, and Discovery Funds to be used for education opportunities. http://moreheadcain.org/about/ The Robertson Scholars Program, created in 2000, selects students with the personal drive to have an impact on the world around them. It provides full student privileges and covers all fees at both UNC and Duke University, three unique summer experiences, a laptop, and individual mentoring and coaching. About half the students enroll at Duke and half at UNC. All the students take courses at both schools and spend a semester in residence at the other campus. An average of 36 students, from all over the world, are selected for the program each year. http://www.robertsonscholars.org/ The Carolina Scholars Program rewards academic achievement, self-direction, and motivation for learning. Carolina Scholars have access to faculty mentors, leadership experiences, and other academic enrichment opportunities. Recipients from North Carolina receive renewable awards of $9,000 per year; those from out-of-state receive awards equivalent to the cost of tuition, fees, room and board. Colonel Robinson Scholarships provide renewable awards to students engaged in math and the sciences who exhibit high academic achievement and the potential for leadership. For N.C. recipients, these competitive scholarships provide a $9,000 award. Out-of-state recipients receive the equivalent of tuition, fees, room and board. Colonel Robinson Scholars have faculty mentors during their first year and 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 have exemplary academic records. 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. http://studentaid.unc.edu/

The Burch Fellows Program was established in 1993 by a gift from Carolina alumnus Lucius E. Burch III. Its purpose is to recognize undergraduate students at the University who possess extraordinary ability, promise, and imagination. It grants up to $6,000 to support self-designed, off-campus experiences that will enable students to pursue a passionate interest in a way and to a degree not otherwise possible. Any full-time undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill may apply, provided that, at the time of application, he or she has completed at least one but not more than six semesters. Regardless of a student's official class standing, it is the expectation of the Program that a student will complete two additional semesters at UNC following completion of the Burch Fellowship experience and prior to graduation. http://honorscarolina.unc.edu/current-students/fellowships/burch-fellowships-2/

Permanent UNC-Chapel Hill employees can have tuition waived for up to two courses per year (this includes classroom, online, and correspondence courses). If you are a UNC-Chapel Hill employee enrolled at UNC-Chapel Hill, the tuition waiver may be applied to one summer session course per academic year.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care Systems opened the University Child Care Center in August 1998 and contracted Victory Village Day Care Center to manage the facility. The Center is a nationally accredited, five-star licensed non-profit center. Children enrolled at the University Child Care Center are children of students, faculty and staff of UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care Systems. The population is a diverse group that reflects the race, ethnic and cultural diversity of the Chapel Hill community. The center can accommodate 120 children, ranging from infants to five year-olds. The Child Care Financial Assistance Program was developed and funded through the Chancellor’s Child Care Advisory Committee. It is designed to provide financial assistance to UNC-Chapel Hill employees and students for quality child care.

On line courses that accommodate non-traditional schedules are offered in a variety of disciplines. Multiple courses are offered in each of 28 disciplines from anthropology to Spanish.