Golden LEAF Colleges and Universities Scholarship

Financial need is part of how this award is decided, alongside merit.

Award

First-year students: $3,500 annually for up to four years ($14,000 total); community college transfers: $3,500 annually for up to three years ($10,500 total).

Timeline

1. Jan 202027-28 cycle: applications open 27
2. Mar 1, 2027Application, transcript and FAFSA due
3. May 20Awards announced 27

How to apply

Apply through the NCSEAA student portal linked by CFNC; complete North Carolina residency determination, upload a transcript with the most recent fall grades, and submit the FAFSA for the appropriate academic year.

What you'll need

• A separate scholarship application
• Required financial-aid forms (check the program's rules)

Who can apply

Graduating North Carolina high school seniors (or NC community college transfers) who are NC residents for tuition purposes, live in a qualifying rural, economically distressed NC county, have at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA and a Student Aid Index of $15,000 or less, and plan to attend a participating NC college or university full-time.

Good to know

Renew annually through the Golden LEAF Renewal Profile and processed FAFSA; continued financial need, at least 12 credits each semester at an approved institution, and institutional satisfactory academic progress are required. Prior college or university attendance outside dual enrollment is excluded by the CFNC rules, while current NC community college transfers are expressly eligible. The sponsor currently links a 2026–27 qualifying-county list; the 2027–28 county list is not yet confirmed.

Details

Need required