We’re excited you’re interested in applying for the Morehead-Cain! To set you up for success, we’ve outlined some steps to begin your application:

Am I eligible for the Morehead-Cain?

Your eligibility for the Morehead-Cain Scholarship largely depends on where you’re from. It gets a little complicated, so we have a whole page on our website devoted to helping you sort it out.

The basics:

• Students from North Carolina, the United Kingdom, and Canada can apply without an official school nomination. Students from those places can also be nominated by their schools or by an affiliate program.
• If you’re not from North Carolina, the United Kingdom, or Canada, you must attend and be nominated by an official nominating school or affiliate program.
• Another way for you to be considered is to apply to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill by the Early Action deadline (October 15) so you can be considered through the Morehead-Cain Admissions Referral Program.

What should be my first step when starting the application?

Before you even log into the application portal, you should choose your recommender. That way, you’ll be ready to submit your recommender’s name and email address via the application portal the moment the application goes live.

When you do, that person will get an automated email with instructions for how to upload their recommendation form for your application. Their final deadline for submitting is the same as yours ( October 1). So, it’s a good idea to give them as much advance notice as possible!

How do I decide who should be my recommender?

We ask each of our applicants to list one person who can recommend them for the scholarship. Students often choose a teacher or counselor, but your recommender can be any school official.

Your recommender should be someone who knows you well. They should be able to comment on your personal character and leadership qualities, as well as your commitment to learning and capacity to succeed academically.

Ideally, your recommender would be able to help us get to know you even beyond the project(s) you’ve worked on directly with that person. It might be someone who’s been able to see you in action in other parts of your life.

What’s most important is that your recommender is someone who has known you for a while, so they can tell us what you’re really like as a person and a leader, and how you’ve grown as an individual over time.

What does my school counselor have to do for my application?

Your school counselor needs to submit your high school transcript and some basic school information.

Once you’ve submitted your counselor’s and recommender’s information, you can take your time completing the rest of the application by the October 1 deadline.

So, to recap:

• Confirm your eligibility for the Morehead-Cain Scholarship on our Prospective Scholars page.
• Before you begin your application, decide who your recommender will be.
• Your recommender should be someone who knows you well, ideally even beyond the classroom.
• Before you submit their name in your application, you should talk to your recommender about what the Morehead-Cain is and why you feel you’re qualified.
• You should notify your school counselor that you are applying for the Morehead-Cain, and that they should expect an email asking them to provide us with some school information on your behalf.
• Completing these steps right away is smart because your recommender’s and counselor’s deadline for completing their portions of your application is the same as your final submission deadline. Your application cannot be considered unless all materials are received.