Where to find NC-specific scholarships for NC State that actually respond?

Congrats on your son's acceptance! NC has several great scholarship opportunities, but unfortunately many of them don't communicate well. Here are some NC-specific scholarships with better track records: 1. Golden LEAF Scholarship - specifically for rural NC students ($12,000 over 4 years) 2. NC Community Foundation scholarships - they have DOZENS specific to different counties and majors 3. State Employees' Credit Union Foundation Scholarship - $10,000 over 4 years if you're a member 4. NC State specific scholarships through their Portal (check your son's admissions account) Most importantly, call NC State's financial aid office directly to ask about departmental scholarships within your son's specific major. Those are often less competitive and not well advertised.

my son goes to unc charlotte and we got the same issue last year. most of those online scholerships are basically SCAMS they never anwser!! we had better luck with local stuff - check with your county, your employer, religious orgs if you belong to any. also your sons high school guidance office should have a list of LOCAL scholarships that actually give money. the small local ones ($500-$2000) add up and have WAYYY less applicants!

Heard back from any scholarships yet? I'm in the same boat with my daughter heading to App State. This whole process is SO frustrating!

Have you checked the NC State specific scholarship portal? It's different from the general application system. Login to your son's student portal, go to Financial Aid section, then look for "Scholarship Application Portal" - they have dozens of NC State-specific scholarships there that many students miss. Also, based on my experience with my daughter (now junior at NC State), apply to the departmental scholarships within his major. Those are much less competitive. For example, if he's going into Engineering, the departmental scholarships often have only 10-15 applicants for each award. Lastly, check out the "Pack Promise" program if your income qualifies - it can cover the entire gap in some cases.

The scholarship system is BROKEN! We applied to 23 scholarships for my daughter last year and only heard back from TWO. Even the ones that rejected her never bothered to send an email! It's completely disrespectful of students' time and hope. The FAFSA system is just as bad. They calculated our SAI ridiculously high because they count home equity but don't consider our ACTUAL ability to pay! We make decent money on paper but live in an expensive area with high mortgage. The whole system is DESIGNED to force middle class families into massive debt!!

I had the same problem with the NC scholarships last year. Nobody ever responds! I finally got through to someone at the NC State financial aid office after calling for THREE DAYS and they told me about some smaller scholarships I never saw online. If you're struggling to reach someone there, try using Claimyr (claimyr.com). My friend recommended it and it got me through to a real person at the financial aid office in like 15 minutes after days of trying. There's a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The financial aid officer told me about 3 smaller scholarships that weren't even on their website and my daughter ended up getting one for $2,500. Definitely worth the hassle of calling.

Have you looked into the NC Education Lottery Scholarship? It's not a full ride by any means, but it provides between $1,350 and $4,000 per year depending on your FAFSA results. Also, is your son a strong student? If his GPA and test scores are good, NC State has merit scholarships available even after admission. For NC State specifically, each college within the university has its own scholarship funds. For instance, if he's going into Engineering, the College of Engineering has separate scholarship applications. Same for Business, Humanities, etc. Lastly, don't forget that many scholarships have spring deadlines for the following fall. You might be applying at just the right time for some cycles.

My daughter got a scholarship we never even applied for! It was from her dad's employer - they have a program for employees' kids but never advertise it. Check with both parents' workplaces!

One more thing to consider - if your FAFSA SAI came back higher than expected, you might want to submit an appeal for special circumstances to NC State's financial aid office. If your financial situation has changed since the tax year used for FAFSA (which is 2023 taxes for the 2025-26 academic year), you can request a professional judgment review. Common reasons for successful appeals include: - Job loss or reduction in income - Extraordinary medical expenses not covered by insurance - Support of extended family members - One-time income that inflated your tax return (like a property sale) The financial aid office has discretion to adjust your aid package based on current circumstances rather than just the FAFSA formula.

Hey Ruby! Congratulations on your son's acceptance to NC State! I'm a current NC State parent and wanted to share a few more resources that really helped us close the funding gap: 1. Check if your county has a Community Foundation - many have scholarships specifically for students attending NC universities. We found three through our county that totaled $4,500. 2. Look into professional associations related to computer science - organizations like the NC Technology Association often have student scholarships that aren't widely known. 3. Don't overlook the smaller "random" scholarships - we found one through a local Rotary Club for $1,000 that only had 8 applicants because it was so specific (had to write about community service AND be going into STEM). 4. NC State's Computer Science department specifically has industry partnerships with companies like Red Hat and SAS that offer scholarships directly to incoming CS students. Email the department chair directly - sometimes these opportunities don't make it to the main scholarship portals. The lack of communication from scholarship organizations is SO frustrating, but keep applying! We ended up piecing together about $8,000 from 5 different small scholarships. It's totally doable, just takes persistence!