The Golden LEAF Scholarship application is now available at CFNC.org/goldenleaf. The deadline for applications is Tuesday, March 1, 2016.

A total of 215 awards will be offered to first-time recipients to assist with tuition at participating institutions for the 2016-17 academic year. The awards are valued at $12,000 ($3,000 per year for up to four years) for high school seniors and community college transfer students from qualifying counties who attend a participating North Carolina campus. [Tyrrell is a qualifying county].

The scholarship program is funded by a Golden LEAF Foundation grant to the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA). Recipients are selected by NCSEAA based upon multiple factors including grade point average, financial need, length of residence in the county and the ability to communicate a commitment and desire to returning to a rural county that is economically distressed.

Candidates must submit a Golden LEAF scholarship application, available at CFNC.org/goldenleaf; a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), available at www.fafsa.gov; and a current high school or community college transcript no later than March 1.

Students awarded Golden LEAF Scholarships are also eligible to participate in the Golden LEAF Scholars Leadership Program (subject to funding availability).  The program provides:

– leadership training at the Center for Creative Leadership, one of the nation’s leading leadership development organizations.

– paid internship opportunities in rural N.C. communities.

– stipends up to $8,830 (for all four years of participation) in addition to Golden LEAF Scholarship funding.