UNC Charlotte provides all new freshmen, transfer, and returning undergraduate students the opportunity to apply for scholarships.  Scholarships can be merit-based or need-based, and may also focus on other criteria defined by the individual donor or donors who fund the award.  Scholarships can be used to offset tuition, room and board, books, or study abroad experiences, and do not have to be repaid.

UNC Charlotte committed to offering students an elite scholarship resource on campus by establishing the University Scholarship Office in 2015.  This designated student resource office exists to make it easier for students to find and apply for scholarship opportunities, while serving as the single point of contact to student, parents, faculty, and staff with scholarship-related questions.

NinerScholars Portal

The NinerScholars Portal serves as the common application system for all scholarships offered by a college, department, office, or program at UNC Charlotte.  NinerScholars uses the University’s student information system to build a scholarship profile specific to each student’s academic history and current status.  The Portal then compares a student’s profile to the criteria for each UNC Charlotte scholarship, matches them with those scholarships they are eligible for, and provides the student with the ability to apply in real-time.

The NinerScholars Portal gives students direct access to apply to more than 1,000 scholarship opportunities with one application, through one online system.  To access the NinerScholars Portal, learn more about the scholarship opportunities below, or take advantage of additional scholarship resources, visit the University Scholarship Office website at scholarships.uncc.edu.

Scholarship Programs

Levine Scholars Program

The Levine Scholars Program is UNC Charlotte’s most prestigious merit scholarship program that was established in 2009 by benefactors Sandra and Leon Levine.  The inaugural class of Levine Scholars entered in the Fall semester of 2010 and a new cohort of approximately 20 students is selected to join the program each year.  Levine Scholars carry a high honor, one that bestows tremendous opportunities and assumes high expectations of its recipients - as students, as leaders within the university, and as citizens of the great global community.  No matter what their interests, Scholars find campus and community partners eager to embrace their contributions and enhance their education through hands-on experiences.  To complement classroom learning, Levine Scholars participate in rich and varied opportunities in the vibrant commercial and cultural center of Charlotte.

Crown Scholars Program

The Crown Scholars Program is part of the University Honors Program and is administered by the Honors College.  Crown Scholarships are merit-based and represent the heritage of the University, as award packages are comprised of scholarships in the names of many of the University’s founding mothers and fathers, as well as leaders from the Charlotte region who have supported the University.  Crown Scholars represent the “crowns” of the University Honors Program, the oldest and largest major honors program at the University, founded in 1983.  Candidates for the Crown Scholars Program demonstrate the following attributes: Scholarship (strong academic foundation); Intellectual and social breadth (interdisciplinary interests, range of social/cultural experiences); Interest in research (curiosity about knowledge-making); Commitment to engagement in the community through sustainable partnerships; and capacity for reflection, growth.

Scholarship Opportunities

Institutional Scholarships

UNC Charlotte offers more than 1,000 merit and need-based scholarship opportunities each year to recognize outstanding students for prior and sustained academic achievement, and provide assistance to students who have demonstrated financial need.  Students apply for all Institutional Scholarships through the NinerScholars Portal which can be accessed at scholarships.uncc.edu.  Applicants for need-based scholarships must have submitted a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the University’s Priority I deadline for the upcoming academic year and have no outstanding requirements or financial obligations to the university in order to be considered.  Institutional Scholarships can be used to offset tuition, room and board, books, or study abroad experiences and do not have to be repaid.

External Scholarships

The University Scholarship Office maintains comprehensive resources to help students research and apply for scholarship opportunities that are administered and awarded by public and private corporations, philanthropic organizations, or individual donors.  These resources include free search engines and a database of specific scholarship opportunities, which are open to students with varying majors, GPAs, or professional goals.