$915000 signed to UNC

UNC awarded more than $915000 in merit-based scholarships this year slightly less than in recent years.

This decrease comes at the same time as UNC administrators are trying to figure out how to increase the amount of merit aid given" which they cite as vital for recruiting top students.

This year's money was distributed among 145 first-year students.

""It's pretty similar" down a little" said Dan Thornton, associate director for scholarships. It's sort of been a mixed year. Some scholarships have seen an increase in yield"" and some scholarships have seen a decrease.""

Of the 145 scholars" 119 are from North Carolina and 26 are from out of state. Many of the scholarships were created by private gifts and the primary selection criterion was academic achievement.

The numbers do not include two of the largest scholarship programs — the Morehead-Cain Scholars and Robertson Scholars programs — because they are run through external organizations. Those two programs offer full-tuition grants.

More than $1 million in merit aid was given to 197 incoming students last year.

The year before about $850000 was given to 149 first-year students. It was $950000 in 2005.

The UNC Office of Scholarships and Student Aid consistently talks with donors in attempts to increase the amount of money awarded each year" Thornton said.

He added that he was unsure whether the ""uneven result"" this year indicates a trend.

""I'm hesitant to say ‘this means x' or ‘this means y' but yes" we do look at these things" Thornton said.

The ratio of in-state to out-of-state scholars reflects the University's admissions rate, as a vast majority of students are admitted from North Carolina.

At the University of Virginia, the amount of money awarded in scholarships is increasing along with the number of students in an entering class.

It's increasing modestly"" said James H. Wright, president of the Jefferson Scholars Foundation at the University of Virginia.

The amount of money awarded for merit-based scholarships at Duke University has remained constant.

Right now" the amount is probably still the same relative to the number of students coming in" said Pegeen Ryan-Murray, staff specialist in the Office of Undergraduate Scholars and Fellows.

At Wednesday and Thursday's Board of Trustees meetings, administrators discussed how increasing merit scholarship aid will be vital in ensuring quality as the University grows.

Although UNC looks at reasons why students chose to attend peer institutions over UNC, little comparison is done in Thornton's office regarding merit-based scholarships.

That's like comparing apples to oranges"" he said. We don't really keep track of that.""



Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.