College Scholarship Funds for Low-Income Students Now Available From the North Carolina Lottery

The North Carolina Education Lottery is now taking applications from college students for the expected $35 million in scholarship grants that will be awarded from lottery proceeds this year. Thirty-five percent of all lottery revenues are earmarked for educational projects such as school construction, preschool programs, and class-size reduction measures. But 10 percent of all lottery proceeds are set aside for scholarships for low-income students.

The maximum award under the lottery program is $2,300. Students must be North Carolina residents who are enrolled in a public or private college or university in the state. About 33,000 North Carolina students are expected to receive scholarships.

Since blacks make up 21.6 percent of the North Carolina population and a larger share of the state’s low-income population, 8,000 or more African-American college students may benefit from the program.

Copyright © 2007. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.