More than 130 college scholarships now open for applications across North Carolina
More than 130 college scholarships administered by the North Carolina Community Foundation are now open for applications.
Scholarships are available for students from all 100 counties, including for non-traditional students, and for students attending all types of institutions, including community colleges.
As eligibility criteria vary greatly, all students are encouraged to complete the NCCF Universal Scholarships Application on the NCCF Scholarships Portal.
There is no cost to apply, and the application matches students with available scholarships using details like county of residence, GPA or intended major. After submitting answers to initial questions, students are provided with scholarships they may be eligible for and can then submit any additional information needed to apply. For step-by-step instructions and answers to frequently asked questions, visit nccommunityfoundation.org/Scholarships.
Interested students and guardians may sign up to attend a virtual information session about NCCF scholarships at 6 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2026, to learn more about the application process. This session is optional and is hosted in partnership with the North Carolina State Educational Assistance Authority.
NCCF partners with donors to administer scholarships for students across the state. All scholarships are established through endowment funds at NCCF with criteria determined by the donor.
In 2025, NCCF awarded over $3 million in scholarships to over 500 students, including $1.3 million to 110 students through the NCCF Disaster Relief and Resilience Scholarship. The scholarship supported students in western North Carolina whose financial ability to pay for higher education was affected by Hurricane Helene. NCCF will offer that scholarship again this year to support incoming freshmen from the counties that were most impacted by the storm.
“Our scholarships cover a wide variety of interests, fields and goals,” said Jennifer Tolle Whiteside, President & CEO of the North Carolina Community Foundation. “We encourage all students to explore these opportunities to help further their education.”
The deadline to submit most NCCF scholarship applications is March 3, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. About a dozen other NCCF scholarships have separate applications with different due dates. Students are encouraged to review the criteria for those and follow the instructions on how to apply. To learn more and get started, students should visit nccommunityfoundation.org/Scholarships.
About the North Carolina Community Foundation
The North Carolina Community Foundation transforms the collective generosity of our donors into a permanent source of community support, with a focus on the state’s rural areas.
NCCF partners with donors and a network of affiliates to sustain over 1,300 endowments totaling nearly $570 million in assets. More than $338 million has been awarded as grants to charitable organizations and scholarships to students, creating stronger communities for generations to come.
To learn more about how we turn generosity into impact, visit nccommunityfoundation.org.