Scholarships

UNC Asheville Scholarship Portal

The Office of Financial Aid has a scholarship system used by current undergraduates for identifying scholarship candidates. Current students can register and complete the General Application to see your eligibility for scholarships.

Instructions for Accessing Your Scholarship Portal

University Merit Award

University Merit Award is a comprehensive scholarship program offered to incoming fall first-time first-year applicants. Students are considered for University Merit Award based on the application for admission. All first-year applicants are considered for University Merit Award if they apply by the Regular Decision deadline. The amount is dependent on the applicant’s residency status and their academic profile at the time the admission.

University Merit Award is renewable for up to four years (eight semesters) or until graduation, whichever comes first, provided that the student maintains the specified minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00, remains full-time in each semester and does not have a break in their enrollment.

Academic Department Scholarships

Academic scholarships vary in funding amounts and duration. Almost all departments host their own scholarships, which are exclusively for current undergraduates who have been studying at UNC Asheville for at least one semester, with limited exceptions. Visit the academic programs pages to find out more about these scholarships.

 

Outside Scholarships

The College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) has a comprehensive list of scholarships available to North Carolina residents. Information and applications for these programs are available through the College Foundation Website, cfnc.org.

If a student receives a scholarship from an outside source, you must inform our office as soon as possible so we can update your awards.

To facilitate this process, you should ask the awarding organization to make the scholarship check payable only to UNC Asheville and send the check directly to the Office of Admissions & Financial Aid. To ensure that funds are applied accurately, the scholarship check should contain both the student’s name and student ID number.

  • Outside scholarship checks should be sent to the Office Financial Aid, One University Heights, CPO #1330, Asheville, NC 28804-8502
  • When possible please send the check prior to August 1 for fall semester and December 1 for the spring semester, to allow enough processing time for funds to be available the first day of classes.
  • Make sure the student’s information accompanies the check. The student’s name and identification number (930xxxxxx) allows for faster processing

You may also choose to notify our office by submitting a copy of your award notification about the award. Please include your student identification number with all information submitted. You may also notify us via email at finaid@unca.edu. Please include the information about the scholarship (name of scholarship and amount of scholarship for the academic year).

Upon receiving the scholarship information, we add the amount as anticipated aid and make any necessary adjustments to your financial aid package. When the funds are received, they are applied directly to your account.

Resources for Outside Aid and Scholarships

Scholarship Scams to Avoid

On November 5, 2000, Congress passed the College Scholarship Fraud Prevention Act of 2000 (CSFPA). The CSFPA enhances protection against fraud in student financial assistance by establishing strict sentencing guidelines for criminal financial aid fraud.

Perpetrators of financial aid fraud often use these telltale lines:

  • The scholarship is guaranteed or your money back
  • You can’t get the information anywhere else
  • They ask for a credit card or bank account number to “hold” the scholarship
  • They say they’ll do all the work
  • The scholarship costs some money
  • You’ve been selected by a “national foundation” to receive a scholarship, or “you’re a finalist” in a contest you never entered

For more information on recognizing and avoiding scholarship scams, visit The Federal Trade Commission’s website on scholarship scams – how to recognize and avoid them.