Are you a scholarship provider?
Please mail payments directly to the University Cashier and fill out an Outside Award Submission Form so your students can receive their awards.
Outside Scholarships
Outside Scholarships
Outside scholarships include funding from sources other than UNC-Chapel Hill, the state, or the federal government. Awards from companies, foundations, civic and religious organizations, and employer tuition benefits are common examples of outside scholarships.
These scholarships can affect your aid, so they must be reported to the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid. The following steps explain our outside scholarships process.
The Outside Scholarships Process
Step 1 : Search & apply for outside scholarships
Spend some time searching and applying for scholarships. Scholarships vary greatly in the award amount, deadline, and application requirements.
The best time to search is early in your senior year of high school. Awards are available for returning college students, but not as many.
Before you search, beware of scholarship scams! We strongly advise against paying for scholarship searches – most legitimate websites will not charge you.
Fastweb is a free scholarship search platform that connects you to personalized scholarship recommendations.
CollegeBoard offers a free A-Z scholarships directory where you can search for scholarships and save ones you are interested in.
Scholarships.com offers a free scholarship directory and search tool that matches you to awards you qualify for.
Step 2 : Report your scholarship(s)
You’ve been selected for an outside scholarship – congratulations! You are required to report outside scholarships and awards each year. This includes cash or prizes provided only to students from entities outside the University, such as essay or film contest awards. If you have a scholarship that is renewed annually, you will need to submit a new form every year.
You can find the 2023-24 outside scholarships reporting form here. Once you have submitted the form, please allow around a week or two for your scholarship(s) to appear on your Financial Aid Offer list in your ConnectCarolina Student Center.
You do not need to report the following scholarships:
- Awards that already appear on your Financial Aid Offer in ConnectCarolina for this year.
- Awards from:
- UNC-Chapel Hill campus departments
- The Morehead-Cain or Robertson Scholar Programs
- The North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA), which includes:
- Golden Leaf Scholarship
- Aubrey Lee Brooks Scholarship
- Thomas Carrow Scholarship
- The North Carolina Teaching Fellows
- AmeriCorps National Service
- Certain federal Veterans’ Benefits – click here for a complete list of exceptions
Carolina Global Launch Students: Outside scholarships can be applied to your fall term while participating in the CGL program with your scholarship provider’s permission. Please contact the Outside Scholarships Team for details!
UNC Tar Heel NCAA Student-Athletes: Your outside scholarships must be approved by the UNC Athletics Compliance Office prior to the funds being applied to your student account. It is your responsibility to provide all the necessary information to the Compliance Office, including the UNC Student-Athlete Outside Financial Aid Disclosure Form, to avoid a delay in receiving your scholarship funds and to comply with all NCAA rules.
Step 3 : Receive aid adjustment
When you report outside scholarships, we will adjust your need-based aid. We always reduce need-based loans or Work-Study before scholarships or grants!
If you later find out that you will not receive a scholarship that you reported to us, please email outsidescholarships@unc.edu and we will revise your financial aid accordingly.
Here are a few examples of how outside scholarships might change your aid:
Example 1:
No outside scholarships
| Aid Type | Aid Amount |
|---|---|
| University grant | $16,000 |
| Federal Work-Study | $3,500 |
| Federal Direct Subsidized Loan | $3,500 |
| UNC Loan | $500 |
| Total need | $23,500 |
Example 2:
A $2,250 outside scholarship
| Aid Type | Aid Amount |
|---|---|
| Outside scholarship | $2,250 |
| University grant | $16,000 |
| Federal Work-Study | $3,500 |
| Federal Direct Subsidized Loan | |
| UNC loan | |
| Total need | $23,500 |
Example 3:
A $10,000 outside scholarship
| Aid Type | Aid Amount |
|---|---|
| Outside scholarship | $10,000 |
| University grant | |
| Federal Work-Study | |
| Federal Direct Subsidized Loan | |
| UNC loan | |
| Total need | $23,500 |
Getting more information for your scholarship provider
All payments should be mailed directly to the University Cashier:
Outside Scholarshipsc/o University Cashier’s Office450 Ridge RoadSuite 2215, CB 1400Chapel Hill, NC 27599-1400
The Office of the University Registrar can provide official transcripts and enrollment certification.
ConnectCarolina allows you to view and print your grades, registration information, and academic standing.
Your ConnectCarolina Student Center allows you access to all of this information, which should cover most financial requests from your scholarship provider. You can get a printable PDF of your Financial Aid Offer Letter that includes your cost of attendance, need calculation, and offer.
We’re happy to help with forms for scholarship providers. If they require the school to help certify information, please make sure you’ve authorized the University to share your information (typically with your signature on the provider’s form).
You can do any of the following:
- Send the form (along with your PID) as an email attachment to outsidescholarships@unc.edu
- Mail it to us:
- Outside Scholarships and Grants Manager
111 Pettigrew Hall, CB#2300
UNC-Chapel Hill Office of Scholarships and Student Aid
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
- Outside Scholarships and Grants Manager
- Fax the form to 919-962-2716
If your scholarship provider is requesting an official invoice from the University before sending payment, please complete the following:
• Sponsored Billing FERPA Form
• Request for Official Letter
Scholarship Payment Questions
This entire process can take up to 3 to 6 weeks.
If your provider sent the scholarship check directly to you, please complete the Outside Award Submission Form and mail the form and check to the University Cashier’s Office.
If your check is issued in your name or made co-payable to both you and UNC-Chapel Hill, you will need to endorse the check by signing the back of it before the funds can be applied to your student account. We recommend doing this in person at the University Cashier’s Office. You can bring the check in during orientation or once classes begin.
If you expect to receive a scholarship, grant, or benefit payment while you are out of the country, please download a copy of the Limited Power of Attorney Agreement form. This is particularly important if your award check will be issued in your name or made co-payable to both you and UNC-Chapel Hill.
Outstanding scholarship payments will not cause any issues with enrollment/registration or result in late fees as long as they were reported to our office via reporting form and included in your financial aid offer.
You can check to see if your outside scholarship payment has been received and view all your account details by logging into ConnectCarolina and clicking Manage/Pay Student Account in Student Home Page Links after the semester disbursement date.
Additional Questions?
We are happy to help! Email the Outside Scholarships Team for assistance.