<p>Hello everybody,</p>
<p>I’m a freshman Carolina Scholar from out-of-state, so I can also try to help answer any questions you may have. I just went through this process last spring, so everything is pretty fresh for me. I guess I’ll go ahead and start with whonrock’s questions.</p>
<p>1.“Among those who got Carolina Scholar awards, what is a ratio between IS and OOS. I know UNC has a higher requirement (meaning higher SAT etc.) on OOS students than IS. And they admit a smaller % of applicants in the OOS pool. When it comes to the merit based scholarship, do they give the majority of the awards to IS? or it is half and half?”</p>
<p>Based on data released by UNC, 25 out of 161 merit scholarships awarded to the class of 2014, and only 15 out of 143 scholarships for the class 2015 went to OOS students. This includes Carolina, Pogue, and Robinson scholarships (which can be awarded both to OOS and IS students), as well as a number of smaller scholarships that are awarded only to IS students. Generally, however, more IS students receive these scholarships than OOS students. For example, for the class of 2015, only 4 of 23 Carolina Scholarships were awarded to OOS students. </p>
<p>[UNC</a> News - UNC awards $2.8 million in merit scholarships](<a href=“http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/4661/1/]UNC”>http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/4661/1/)
[UNC</a> News - UNC awards more than $980,000 in scholarships](<a href=“http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/4085/75/]UNC”>http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/4085/75/)</p>
<ol>
<li>“I heard that UNC gives out some number of OOS tuition waiver to outstanding students. Do you know how that is determined? If you know someone who got the OOS tuition waiver, can you give some indication of their HS stat’s?”</li>
</ol>
<p>I haven’t heard about UNC offering OOS tuition waivers. Maybe somebody else could help you out here. I do know that OOS students receiving Carolina, Robinson, and Pogue scholarships are considered as in-state students for tuition purposes and receive the full cost of in-state tuition, room, and board. Maybe this is what you heard about?</p>
<ol>
<li>"Does National Merit Finalist status play a role in getting a merit scholarship from UNC (any sorts, either a full scholarship, or a tuition reduction)? "</li>
</ol>
<p>National Merit Finalists receive a scholarship worth $1,000 per year. National Merit Finalists are also considered for other merit scholarships but are by no means guaranteed them.</p>
<p>[The</a> Office of Scholarships & Student Aid at UNC-Chapel Hill](<a href=“http://studentaid.unc.edu/studentaid/type/ssa_scholarships.html]The”>http://studentaid.unc.edu/studentaid/type/ssa_scholarships.html)</p>
<p>As the numbers suggest, it’s not easy to win a merit scholarship from Carolina, but it can be done. Students who receive these awards, from my experience, generally have very good objective statistics (GPA, SAT scores, etc) but bring something else to the table, an interesting life story, a unique skill, hobby, or perspective. At Scholarship Day, the admissions people continually stressed the importance of the essay: it’s the best way for them to get to know an applicant. I still have little idea why I was chosen for the Carolina Scholarship; the selection process is an inexact science. My stats were good, I had decent extracurriculars, and I wrote solid essays, but certainly, I was incredibly lucky. I am thankful for my stroke of fortune every day.</p>
<p>Go Heels!</p>