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Carolina Covenant

Carolina Covenant

about the covenant

The Carolina Covenant is a financial aid package and network of support that provides an opportunity for students who qualify to attend and graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill debt-free. The Covenant meets full financial need through grants, scholarships, and work-study – no loans. The Covenant also offers academic, career, and well-being support to help Covenant Scholars thrive at Carolina and beyond.

Carolina Covenant Scholars are from families with a total income that is at or below 200% of the poverty guideline and who meet additional economic criteria to qualify. Eligibility for all financial aid – including the Carolina Covenant – is automatically assessed with the general financial aid application process, there is no separate application process. Please continue reading below for more insight on eligibility for the Carolina Covenant and the network of support provided to Carolina Covenant Scholars.

Eligibility Criteria and Notification

  • Incoming first-year or transfer student
  • Admitted to Carolina as a full-time student
  • Pursuing first undergraduate degree
    • Enrolling in professional programs, like the PharmD program, will affect eligibility. Graduate and professional students are not eligible for undergraduate scholarship programs.
  • Making steady progress toward a degree

 

  • Both dependent and independent North Carolinian (resident) students are considered for eligibility
  • Dependent out-of-state students (non-resident) are considered for eligibility
  • Independent out-of-state students (non-resident) are not eligible for consideration

 

  • For independent in-state students, the student’s total income does not exceed 200% of federal poverty guidelines (based on family size; see below).
  • For dependent students, parents’ total income does not exceed 200% of federal poverty guidelines (based on family size). For the 2024-25 academic year, parents’ total income in 2022 did not exceed the amounts below.
  • Amounts listed were established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Poverty Guidelines

Family SizeMax Total Income (200% Poverty Guidelines)
2$36,620
3$46,060
4$55,500
5$64,940
6$74,380
*For each additional family memberAdd $9,440

 

  • Financial need, based on information reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the College Board’s CSS Profile application.
  • Limited assets and/or other resources with which to pay for college costs.
  • Eligible for federal student financial aid.
  • Meet the deadline for University aid consideration.

Note: Aid is reevaluated annually, and substantial changes in your financial circumstances can result in a change in the total amount of aid you receive each year.

If you qualify for the Covenant, you will receive an electronic notification via email from the Director of Scholarships and Student Aid notifying you that you have been named a Carolina Covenant Scholar. This will happen after we have received and reviewed your aid applications and any additional requested financial aid items on your To-Do list it in ConnectCarolina to determine eligibility.

If you are named a Covenant Scholar, you remain one for your undergraduate career at UNC-Chapel Hill. However, you must complete the FAFSA on time each year in order to qualify for financial aid, including the Carolina Covenant Scholar financial aid package.  You do not need to do the CSS Profile after the first year, unless you have been away from school for more than one academic year.

Terms of Carolina Covenant Scholar funding: The Carolina Covenant financial aid package meets individual Covenant Scholars’ need to cover the standard cost of attendance toward their first undergraduate major/minor requirements. The financial aid package is limited to a standard number of semesters (fall and spring) based on their entry point at the university and standard semesters of enrollment to graduate. Please see the policy on semesters of Carolina Covenant financial aid here.

Network of Investment and Support

The Carolina Covenant Program works with partners across the University to provide Covenant Scholars with outstanding resources and opportunities for intellectual, personal, and professional growth.

Covenant specific information sessions are held for admitted Scholars as part of the University’s summer orientation schedule to welcome you to Carolina and to provide more information about opportunities available through the Covenant to help you thrive at Carolina.

You will have the opportunity to be connected to an outstanding personal faculty, peer, and professional staff mentor at Carolina who can provide direct support for your individual interests and goals. Our rich network of mentors represent a wide range of academic departments, professional schools, and administration, and have supported thousands of Covenant Scholars along their path to success at the University and beyond.

In collaboration with several academic and student support units on campus, the Covenant offers a wide range of experiences to support Scholars to thrive in college and prepare for post-college success.  Examples include workshops on effective financial aid award management, understanding academic and career pathways and outcomes, networking events, and direct connections to global study, undergraduate research, service, well-being, and other high-impact opportunities at Carolina and beyond. The Covenant also leverages a rich network of strategic University partnerships to offer graduate school test-prep review sessions and graduate school preparation discussions as well as pathways for high-impact career preparation across a wide array of professions.

Throughout the year, Scholars engage with our program’s mentors, network of career and well-being supports, alumni, and one another at special events, meetings, and gatherings. Covenant Scholars are also connected with one another and share resources in community both in person and on social media. From trivia nights, to workshops, alumni speaker panels, intentionally designed gatherings on high-impact topics and influential spaces, and more, Covenant Scholars are surrounded by a dedicated community of support.

Meet The Covenant Team

We can't wait to hear from you, feel free to reach out.

Catch Up with the Covenant

Hear from the Covenant team about current efforts to support Covenant Scholars.

Guide For Scholars

A guide with everything you need to know about being a Carolina Covenant Scholar.

Need to get in touch?

Drop-In Hours

Monday – Friday:

9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Covenant Office Location

3rd Floor SASB North

(#3327)