Golden LEAF Scholarship Applications Due By March 1

Raleigh, NC – Golden LEAF Scholarship information and applications for 2020-21 are now available at CFNC.org/goldenleaf. A total of 215 awards will be offered to first-time recipients from qualifying counties for the 2020-21 academic year. Applications are due March 1.

The awards are valued at $12,000 ($3,000 per year for up to four years) for high school students attending a participating North Carolina college or university. Community college transfer students can receive $3,000 per year for up to three years.

Recipients are selected based upon multiple factors including the ability to effectively communicate a desire to return after graduation to a rural North Carolina county that is economically distressed. Applicants must be a high school senior enrolling full-time as a first-year student or a currently enrolled community college transfer student enrolling full-time at any participating North Carolina college or university in the fall of 2020; have a GPA of no less than 3.0; demonstrate financial need as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); be a resident of a rural county that is economically distressed and/or tobacco dependent. Click here for the full list of eligible counties.

“For 20 years, the Golden LEAF Scholarship Program has assisted rural students by providing the funding needed for a quality education to prepare them to enter the workforce,” said Scott T. Hamilton, Golden LEAF President, Chief Executive Officer. “There is truly no better investment in rural communities than creating a future generation of skilled, educated workers to come back home to live, work and raise families.”

The scholarship program is funded through a Golden LEAF grant to the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority, which administers the program. A complete list of program requirements, participating campuses and qualifying counties can be viewed at CFNC.org/goldenleaf. Contact the College Foundation of North Carolina toll-free at 866-866-CFNC, for more information.

Scholarship recipients also may apply for the Golden LEAF Scholars Leadership Program. This program, offered through the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, NC, provides leadership-building seminars, a summer internship and a stipend.

Students completing all four years of the leadership program can receive up to $8,830 in stipends in addition to the Golden LEAF Scholarship award. Click here for more information on the Golden LEAF Scholars Leadership Program.