Colleges and Universities Scholarship

This Golden LEAF Scholarship is open to high school seniors and community college transfer students who reside in a qualifying rural, economically distressed North Carolina county and are planning to enroll full-time in a participating public or private college or university located in North Carolina.

Eligibility Requirements

Be a North Carolina resident for tuition purposes
Reside in a qualifying rural North Carolina county
Be a graduating North Carolina high school senior or a currently enrolled North Carolina community college transfer student enrolling full-time in the fall
Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5
Plan to enroll in a participating North Carolina public or private college/university
Have a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Student Aid Index (SAI) that does not exceed the maximum permitted by Golden LEAF
Be able to communicate a commitment to returning to a rural North Carolina county after graduation from college

Award Amount

- High school seniors entering college as first year students are eligible for a four-year scholarship totaling up to $14,000 ($3,500 a year for up to four years).
- Community college transfer students are eligible for $3,500 a year for up to 3 years.

Qualifying Counties

Use the “+” and “-” tools to zoom to view the county names.

Download PDF of Qualifying Counties

Participating Colleges & Universities

Participating institutions include UNC System universities and most private, nonprofit institutions in North Carolina.

Download Participating College Information

Appalachian State University

Barton College

Belmont Abbey College

Bennett College

Brevard College

Cabarrus College of Health Sciences

Campbell University

Carolinas College of Health Sciences

Catawba College

Chowan University

College at Southeastern

Davidson College

Duke University

East Carolina University

Elizabeth City State University

Elon University

Fayetteville State University

Gardner-Webb University

Greensboro College

Guilford College

High Point University

Johnson C. Smith University

Johnson & Wales University

Lees-McRae College

Lenoir-Rhyne University

Livingstone College

Louisburg College

Mars Hill College

Mercy School of Nursing

Meredith College

Methodist University

Mid-Atlantic Christian University

Montreat College

North Carolina A&T State University

North Carolina Central University

North Carolina State University

North Carolina State Univ. – Agricultural Institute

North Carolina Wesleyan University

Pfeiffer University

Queens University of Charlotte

St. Andrews University

St. Augustine’s University

Salem College

Shaw University

University of Mount Olive

University of North Carolina at Asheville

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

University of North Carolina at Pembroke

University of North Carolina at Wilmington

University of North Carolina School of the Arts

Wake Forest University

Warren Wilson College

Western Carolina University

William Peace University

Wingate University

Winston-Salem State University

How to Apply

Visit the CFNC.org scholarship page here and fill out the Golden LEAF Colleges and Universities application form or call 1-800-700-1775, or email [email protected].