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. To access the Scholarship Portal:

Have your UNC Asheville username and password available.
Access OnePort at oneport.unca.edu.
Once logged into OnePort, navigate to the blue column on the left.
Click on “FINANCIAL AID & PAYMENTS”.
Sub links should appear. Click on “Scholarship Portal”. You will be redirected to the new UNC Asheville scholarship portal.
An information box with a welcome message should be visible on your screen. Make sure you are on the “Applicants and Administrators” tab, indicated just above the welcome message.
Click one Navigate to the large blue button that reads “Sign in Using Your UNC Asheville Credentials”.
Click on “Sign in Using Your UNC Asheville Credentials”.
Once logged into the scholarship portal, complete and submit the General Application for scholarships. Additional scholarship applications or department scholarship applications may populate after your general application is submitted. You’ll now be directed through the registration process.

University Merit Award

University Merit Award is a comprehensive scholarship program offered to incoming fall first-time first-year applicants. Students are automatically considered for University Merit Award based on the application for admission. All fall 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 of admission. This amount can change if a student defers their enrollment to a future semester.

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 2.50, remains enrolled full-time in each semester and does not have a break in their enrollment.

Academic Department and Program Scholarships

Academic department and program scholarships are available, varying in funding amount 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 mailed to:

Office of Financial Aid
UNC Asheville
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.

Grants

All grants are awarded on a first come, first serve basis. Students must have submitted a FAFSA and, if requested, additional documentation before they will be considered for a grant. Institutional grants are awarded while funding is available.

Find out if you can receive Federal Title IV Aid while enrolled in your current program.

Federal, State, and Institutional Grants

Federal Pell Grant

Required Forms: FAFSA
Who Awards the Funds: U.S. Department of Education
Annual Maximum Amount: Up to $7,395
Need-based and Requires FAFSA: Yes
Additional Award Criteria: Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress
Amount based on enrollment intensity
Renewal Criteria: Complete the FAFSA each year and make Satisfactory Academic Progress (12 semester maximum)
Additional Information: Federal grant for undergraduate students seeking their first baccalaureate degree

Students may be eligible to receive Pell Grant funding for the summer term if they were not enrolled full-time during the preceding fall and spring semesters.

If a student plans to attend more than one summer session, the student must register for all summer sessions prior to beginning their first summer session. Withdrawal from hours, after the financial aid has been credited to their account, will result in a reduction of Federal Pell Grant funding for any subsequent sessions and charges on your account.

Undergraduate students, who register for 6 credit hours (halftime enrollment) and subsequently drop below halftime, will have their loan aid cancelled and will need to repay the institution if those loans have already disbursed as students must be enrolled in at least six credit hours to receive Federal Direct Loan funding at this institution.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

Required Forms: FAFSA
Who Awards the Funds: UNC Asheville Office of Financial Aid
Annual Maximum Amount: Up to $500
Need-based and Requires FAFSA: Yes
Additional Award Criteria: Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress
Minimum Credit Hours For Disbursement per Term: 12
Renewal Criteria: Complete the FAFSA each year by the priority filing deadline of March 1
Additional Information: Federal funded grant for undergraduates with exceptional financial needs

Federal TEACH Grant

Required Forms: FAFSA & TEACH Grant Institutional Application
Who Awards the Funds: UNC Asheville Office of Financial Aid
Annual Maximum Amount: Up to $4,000 per academic year. $16,000 maximum for undergraduate and baccalaureate. $8,000 maximum for graduate level students.
Need-based and Requires FAFSA: Yes
Additional Award Criteria: Cumulative 3.25 GPA for each payment period or score above the 75th percentile on admission test (SAT, ACT, or GRE)+
Minimum Credit Hours For Disbursement per Term: Undergraduate 12 for full grant, 9 for the ¾, 6 for ½, less that 6hrs for ¼ grant. Graduate 9 for full grant and 5-8 for half grant.
Renewal Criteria: Complete the FAFSA each year & maintain at least a 3.25 GPA each payment period
Additional Information: If the terms and condition are not met, the grants must be repaid as an unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loan, with interest accrued from the date(s) of the original disbursement.
Post-baccalaureate students pursuing either a second degree or a teaching licensure program are NOT eligible for the TEACH Grant, only first-time degree seeking students.

Next NC Scholarship

Required Forms: FAFSA
Who Awards the Funds: NC State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA)
Annual Maximum Amount: Varies
Need-based and Requires FAFSA: Yes
Additional Award Criteria: Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress
Minimum Credit Hours for disbursement: 12 credit hours for full award, 9-11 credit hours for ¾ award, and 6-8 for half award.
Renewal Criteria: Complete the FAFSA each year
Additional Information: The student must be a North Carolina resident for tuition purposes