The March 1, 2025 deadline is fast approaching for the Golden LEAF Colleges and Universities Scholarship. Information and the application for the 2025-2026 school year is available at CFNC.org. A total of 215 awards will be offered to high school seniors and community college transfer students from qualifying rural North Carolina counties attending participating North Carolina colleges and universities.
The awards are valued at $14,000 ($3,500 per year for up to four years) for North Carolina high school students attending a participating North Carolina college or university. North Carolina community college transfer students can receive up to $10,500 ($3,500 per year for up to three years).
“The Golden LEAF Scholarship Program is a component of Golden LEAF’s strategy to help rural communities thrive by creating a future generation of skilled, educated workers to come back home to live, work, and raise families,” said Golden LEAF President, Chief Executive Officer Scott T. Hamilton.
To be eligible, students must be a graduating North Carolina high school senior or a currently enrolled North Carolina community college transfer student, enrolling full-time in the fall at a participating North Carolina public or private college or university.
Recipients are selected based upon multiple factors including an intent to return to a rural North Carolina county after graduation. Applicants must also fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and demonstrate financial need with a Student Aid Index (SAI) that does not exceed 15000; have a cumulative GPA of no less than 2.5; and be a resident of and have strong roots in a rural North Carolina county that is economically distressed. Click here for the full list of eligible counties.
Scholarship recipients may also apply for the Golden LEAF Rural Internship Initiative. The Rural Internship Initiative provides Golden LEAF Scholars with professional work experience related to their career field in a rural North Carolina community. The Golden LEAF Foundation provides funding to pay intern participants for up to 400 hours of work. In the first year, interns earn $16 per hour; in the second year, interns earn $17 per hour; and in the third year, interns earn $18 per hour. Internships take place over 8-12 weeks, between May and August.
Meet Golden LEAF Scholar alumni who are living and working in rural North Carolina.
Nick Stanley of Pasquotank County received the Golden LEAF Scholarship to attend East Carolina University. He studied music education at East Carolina University and currently works as the director of bands at his high school alma mater Pasquotank County High School.
Stanley attended East Carolina University, which was close to home and had the same rural feel that he knew and loved. This was a major selling point that led him to the decision to attend ECU.
“It seems like everybody knows everybody,” said Stanley. “But, I wouldn’t change it. I’ve loved living in a small community. It was my goal to come back to someplace like this to work and live.”
Stanley not only lives and works in Pasquotank County, he gives back to the community as a volunteer firefighter with the Pasquotank-Providence Volunteer Fire Department.
Golden LEAF Scholarship alumna, Taylor Lugo of Washington County, also volunteers as a firefighter when she has free time from her job as a probation officer.
Attending the University of Mount Olive through a majority of online courses, Lugo received bachelor’s degrees in Criminal Justice and Criminology, as well as a masters in Criminal Justice, specializing in Forensic Psychology. She currently lives in Washington County and works in neighboring Beaufort County.
“The Golden LEAF Scholarship was a big reason why I was able to attend college,” said Lugo. “I was the first person out of my family to go to college, so I was really appreciative of that scholarship because otherwise, coming from a small community, I wouldn’t have been able to go.”
Lugo credits programs like the Golden LEAF Scholarship as a major support for rural communities.
“I have seen this firsthand through programs like the Golden LEAF Scholarship and the internship program, which I got to participate in, what extra support can result in,” said Lugo. “I am a result of this support and am truly thankful for the Golden LEAF Scholarship and the community that has come with it.”
For more information about the Golden LEAF Colleges and Universities Scholarship, click here.
