“College should be possible for everyone who can make the grade, regardless of family income. A covenant is a promise. With the Carolina Covenant, we are telling students that, despite what they may see in the news, college is affordable, no matter how limited their financial resources.” - James Moeser, Chancellor

The Carolina Covenant Campaign

What is The Carolina Covenant?
On Oct. 1, 2003, Chancellor James Moeser announced a groundbreaking initiative to give the children of low-income families an opportunity to attend Carolina—without borrowing a penny. The Carolina Covenant enables low-income students to come to Carolina and graduate debt-free if they work on campus 10 to 12 hours a week in Federal Work-Study jobs during their four years here. Carolina is the first public university in America to launch such an initiative.

The Carolina Covenant is more than the promise of debt-free attendance at the University through an exceptional financial aid package. It is also a commitment to student success, through a comprehensive infrastructure of support systems. Every effort is made to ensure that Carolina Covenant Scholars have the opportunity to successfully complete their baccalaureate education.

Who are the Covenant Scholars?
Students who qualify for the Carolina Covenant program are first admitted to the University solely on the basis of their academic qualifications. The average SAT of Covenant Scholars is over 1220, and their average high school GPA exceeds 4.0.

Only after they are admitted to the University is their financial need assessed. The family income of a Carolina Covenant Scholar is less than 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, and the average family income of Covenant Scholars is approximately $20,500.

Most of the Carolina Covenant Scholars—nearly 90 percent—are North Carolina natives.  More than half of them are first-generation college attendees, and approximately 60 percent of them are students of color.

The Covenant Campaign
Additional resources beyond those currently available are needed to fully fund the Covenant. Between 2004 and 2007, generous donors contributed $10 million to support the launch and early implementation of the Covenant program.  Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams and his wife Wanda served as honorary chairs of this initial fundraising campaign.

Now, we are seeking to raise an additional $10 million to assure full support for Covenant students in the future. We want to be ready in the upcoming decades to keep our promise of a debt-free Carolina education to these low-income students. Because we are planning for the longer-term, this additional $10 million campaign has a special focus on planned gifts. With a bequest or other planned gift, donors can assure that future generations of Covenant scholars will receive all the assistance they need.

Gift Opportunities
Establish a Carolina Covenant endowment fund. Donors who wish to create and name an endowment to support the Carolina Covenant may do so with a minimum gift of $100,000. Income from the endowment will be used for Covenant Scholars and the Covenant program.

Contribute to the Covenant General Endowment Fund. Gifts of any size may be made to the Covenant’s general endowment. Income from the general endowment will be used to for Covenant Scholars and the Covenant program.

Making Your Gift
If you want to set up an individual Covenant endowment fund or make a planned gift in support of the Covenant, please contact Elizabeth Dunn, senior associate vice chancellor for development, at 919-962-3292 or edunn@unc.edu.

You may make a gift online to the Covenant General Endowment Fund by clicking here. Look for “Scholarships and Student Aid” in the University Designation menu.

You may also mail your support for either of the Covenant gift opportunities to the following address:
The Carolina Covenant
c/o Elizabeth Dunn
Office of University Development
208 West Franklin Street, Campus Box 6100
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-6100

Learn more about the Carolina Covenant at www.unc.edu/carolinacovenant.

General Questions about the Covenant and Other Need-Based Scholarships?
Contact Dan Thornton, Associate Director of Scholarships and Student Aid, at 919-962-4168 or thor@email.unc.edu.

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