Financial Aid Resources and Tips

Scholarships and financial aid can offset some of the costs of attending NC State. The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid has a variety of financial resources that students and families can apply for, including the four-year Goodnight Scholarship, Park Scholarship, Caldwell Fellows, special merit awards, work-study programs, grants and need-based scholarships.

But students shouldn’t stop there. The college encourage students and families to seek other financial assistance and scholarship opportunities that may be available through federal student aid programs such as submitting the FAFSA and public and private sources, including their local businesses and community organizations. The university also offers scholarship resources in which students can search by employer, freshman or transfer status, undergraduate or graduate status, or miscellaneous funding.

The college also encourages students to reach out to their community organizations. Small businesses, religious organizations, city clubs and a variety of other sources may have small scholarship opportunities. Resources such as College Board or Fastweb can also help students seek out national opportunities.

Students should never have to pay to complete FAFSA or apply for a scholarship.

Financial Aid Tips

To qualify for scholarships and other financial aid through the college, students must first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by March 1, the national priority deadline.

The college uses information in the FAFSA as the financial portion of the College of Sciences scholarships application. The FAFSA application opens on Oct. 1, 2019, for the 2020-21 academic year. Students are encouraged to apply early for optimal consideration during the college scholarship process.

Here are helpful tips on applying for scholarships and financial aid in the College of Sciences:

• Plan ahead: The earlier students begin financial planning for college, the better.
• Meet the deadlines: Missing university and national deadlines for financial aid and scholarship applications can prevent students from receiving an aid package or decrease the amount of aid.
• Enrollment status and grades matter: Students are encouraged to work hard and take a full-time course load (12+ hours) each semester. If you can not take a full course load, please discuss this with your financial aid counselor or email cos-scholarships@ncsu.edu.
• File the FAFSA early: While the priority deadline is March 1, if students file early, financial aid staff can begin working on aid packages as soon as possible. Students do not need to be admitted to NC State to have their financial information sent to the college.
• Always file a FAFSA: Students are encouraged to file a FAFSA even if they don’t think they will qualify for need-based awards.
• Enter the correct school code on the FAFSA: The NC State University school code is 002972.
• Use 2018 tax return data: This data should be used for the 2020-2021 FAFSA.
• Take the time and answer every question: Students are encouraged to be diligent when completing financial aid and scholarship applications.

The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid has more tips and information on other scholarships and financial aid available at NC State.