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Undergraduate Grants
Grant assistance typically refers to funding that does not have to be repaid and eligibility is often determined on the basis of financial need. Meredith College administers a variety of grants to eligible students from federal, state, and institutional resources.
Federal Pell Grants
Federal Pell Grants are awarded to undergraduate students who display exceptional financial need and have not earned a bachelor’s, graduate, or professional degree. Pell grants currently range from $600 to $5,920 and do not have to be repaid.
How to Apply
By completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), students are automatically considered for all need-based grants. Students meeting the eligibility criteria will automatically receive all available need-based grants in their Statement of Award from the Office of Financial Assistance. These grants cannot be applied for separately.
North Carolina Need-Based Scholarship
Created by the 2011 North Carolina General Assembly, this is a need-based program for NC residents attending private institutions of higher education located in North Carolina. Award amounts vary depending on the EFC and range from $600 to $7,500 per year.
Applicant must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Be a North Carolina resident as well as an N.C. resident for tuition purposes, as defined by the N.C. Residency Manual
- Be enrolled as an undergraduate student in at least 9 credit hours at a qualifying private North Carolina campus
- Demonstrate a certain level of financial need based on calculated Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from the FAFSA – EFC must be $15,000 or less to qualify
- Meet requirements for the Federal Pell Grant (except the EFC range restrictions)
How to Apply
Applicants must complete the FAFSA, listing at least one qualifying private North Carolina institution. Consideration for the grant is automatic once the FAFSA is filed. To determine residency in North Carolina, please complete the online Residency Determination Service (RDS). In order to receive the funding, if eligible, you will need to complete RDS.
Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
The Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) awards typically range from $100 to $4,000 and do not have to be repaid. Meredith College has a limited number of these grants and awards are provided only to students with the highest demonstrated financial need.
How to Apply
By completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), students are automatically considered for all need-based grants. Students meeting the eligibility criteria will automatically receive all available need-based grants in their Statement of Award from the Office of Financial Assistance. These grants cannot be applied for separately.
Meredith College Grants
Annual grants are provided by Meredith College for students with demonstrated need. These grants supplement federal and state aid. To be renewed, students must maintain satisfactory academic progress and continue to demonstrate need. These grants do not have to be repaid.
How to Apply
By completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), students are automatically considered for all need-based grants. Students meeting the eligibility criteria will automatically receive all available need-based grants in their Statement of Award from the Office of Financial Assistance. These grants cannot be applied for separately.
Second Bachelor's Degree Grants
Meredith College may provide grants of up to $10,500 annually to full-time students who are pursuing their second bachelor’s degree and who have demonstrated need. Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress and continue to demonstrate need in order for the grants to be renewed. These grants do not have to be repaid.
How to Apply
By completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), students are automatically considered for all need-based grants. Students meeting the eligibility criteria will automatically receive all available need-based grants in their Statement of Award from the Office of Financial Assistance. These grants cannot be applied for separately.
TEACH Grant
The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program will provide up to $4,000 a year in grant aid to undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate students enrolled in a teacher credential program. For more information about this federal program, visit the U.S. Department of Education website.
How to Apply
To apply for the TEACH grant, click on our Forms & Application page to download the TEACH Grant Application. Once the steps on the application have been completed and the proper documentation has been submitted to the financial assistance office, our office will verify your eligibility for the program.
Forgivable Education Loans for Service (FELS)
Forgivable Education Loans for Service (FELS) provides financial assistance of a maximum aggregate limit of up to $20,000 to qualified students enrolled in an approved education program and committed to working in critical employment shortage professions in North Carolina. For more information, visit College Foundation of North Carolina.
How to Apply
Apply for FELS
Golden Leaf Scholars
The Golden LEAF Scholars Program is designed to assist current high school seniors and North Carolina community college transfer students. Recipients must be from certain rural counties and demonstrate both financial need and merit. The scholarship is funded by the Golden LEAF Foundation through a grant to the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority.
How to Apply
Apply for Golden Leaf >>
North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program
Applicants must be committed to teaching special education or a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) field in an NC public school. For more information please visit the NC Teaching Fellows Website.
How to Apply
Apply for NC Teaching Fellows >
Strong Rankings
- According to U.S. News, Meredith has been consistently ranked both a top regional and national college
- Meredith is ranked #66 for social mobility among National Liberal Arts colleges by U.S. News, which speaks to our support for students who receive Pell Grants
- Has been ranked among the top 20% of colleges in the country by Forbes.com
- Is one of the “Best Colleges in the Southeast” according to The Princeton Review, placing Meredith among the top 23% of colleges in the U.S.
- Ranked a “Best College” by College Consensus
- Ranked the #2 Best Liberal Arts College in North Carolina by Niche.com
- Has been named a “College of Distinction”
- Named one of North Carolina’s best colleges by BestColleges.com
- Is among the “Top 50 Alma Maters of National Board Certified Teachers.” Meredith was the only private institution in North Carolina to make the list, which is compiled by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
- Named a 2022 Military Friendly School. This list honors the colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace America’s military service members, veterans, and spouses as students and ensure their success on campus.
- Named the #4 Best College for Veterans in the South by U.S. News
- Is among the Top 10 or 15% “Most Focused” for Biological and Biomedical Sciences; Family, Consumer, and Human Science; Visual and Performing Arts; Mathematics and Statistics; Chemistry according to College Factual
- Has the Top 15% “Highest Paid Graduates” in Business, Management, and Marketing according to College Factual
- Is among the top 20% of colleges in the country in providing financial aid to international students, according to LendEDU
- Rated number five on the College Choice 2015 Best U.S. Women’s Colleges ranking. Meredith scored a 91 in academic reputation, which was the second highest on the list.
- Fashion Merchandising program has been ranked 18th nationally by Fashionschools.org
- Digital Certificate Program was ranked #23 in the country by Bachelor’s Degree Center
- Meredith’s business school was ranked #1 for women by College Consensus
StrongPoints®
Strong Experience
- 97% of students participate in an applied learning experience such as internships, study abroad, or undergraduate research.
- More than 100 student clubs and organizations
- 32% of students study abroad (compare that to a 10% national average)
- 47% of students participate in undergraduate research (compared to a 23% national average)
- 10 NCAA Division III teams (basketball, cross country, golf, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field, volleyball).
Strong Faculty
- 10:1 student/faculty ratio
- 88% of full-time professors hold doctoral or terminal degree in their field
- Average class size of 15 students
Strong Accreditations
- One of only two women’s colleges in the world that are accredited by AACSB International. Just one third of U.S. business programs and 5% of business programs worldwide are AACSB-accredited.
- Program accreditation in education, social work, nutrition, music and interior design. Meredith is the only College in the Triangle area whose interior design program is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA).
- Accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate and masters degrees
Strong Support
- Academic Merit Scholarships provide $20,000-$27,000 annual funding to academically qualified students
- Over 95% of freshmen receive financial assistance
- Meredith awarded $30 million in scholarships and grants to students last year.
- Meredith coordinates $56.9 million in financial assistance annually
Strong Outcomes
- Meredith’s first-to-second year retention rate has increased 10 percentage points over the past seven years, and its four-year graduation rate has increased 15 percentage points over an equivalent number of years.
- Meredith’s four-year graduation rate is higher than the rates of nearly every N.C. public university.
- 95% of graduates would choose Meredith again, and 98% would recommend Meredith to others.
- 97% of Meredith graduates were satisfied with their academic experience, and 97% of alumnae say they were professionally well-prepared as a result of their Meredith experience.
Contact Information
1st Floor, Johnson Hall
1-800-MEREDITH
(919) 760-8565
Fax: (919) 760-2373
finaid@meredith.edu
