Students graduating high school early to be eligible for NC scholarship – ABC11
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — A new incentive taking effect this year aims to encourage more North Carolina high school students to consider graduating early.
Students who meet the requirements to graduate early are eligible to receive a North Carolina scholarship to be used during what would have been their fourth year in high school.
The policy changes come after the passage of the October 2023 Appropriations Bill. The bill also lowered the amount of credits needed to graduate early to 22 credits.
The 2025-2026 school year is the first year students who graduate early will be eligible for the North Carolina scholarship, which can be used at a UNC system school or community college.
Millbrook Magnet High School students Morgan Talbot and Candela Bibolini are set to graduate in May 2026 and have been in the early graduation program.
"I feel like a lot of students will ask me why I'm doing it, and it's hard for them to understand," said Talbot.
Bibolini, who has been attending Millbrook Magnet as part of a foreign exchange program, says graduating early from a U.S. high school makes her a competitive candidate for a university in her home country of Argentina.
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"It's really like a big thing saying that you graduate early," she said. "It's more, and it's going to be great to work on for my life. I have to think of my future, what I want to do."
Stephanie Smith graduated early from Millbrook Magnet in May 2025, and is now in her first year at Elizabeth City State University chasing her dreams of becoming a pilot.
"It's a very long process to become an airline pilot," she said. "Being able to do it early and start this process of being able to do my profession was amazing."
Millbrook Magnet High School Dean of Students Catherine Brown said the ability to graduate early has existed for years. Students have to be at least 16 years of age, have completed three years of high school, and have met local school district requirements to graduate early.
"At Millbrook, what we do here is ninth-grade year is pretty much ninth-grade typical classes. We start doubling their classes up their sophomore and junior year," she said.
Brown said this scholarship gives more of an incentive for students and their families to consider the rigorous program.
"What would have been their fourth year in high school, they're able to now apply for that scholarship to go toward college," said Brown.
Past and present early graduates say they're also learning valuable life lessons along the way.
"I had to be motivated and have that self-motivation to keep going, stay on my work," said Smith.
"It's really just helping be able to balance everything better, especially when it comes to college," said Talbot.
Staff say advanced planning is key, so they encourage parents to contact their students' school as soon as possible if their student is interested in graduating early.
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