Tuition Freedom Scholarships
Tuition-Free Courses
Up to an Associate Degree
For College Credit Plus Students
North Central State College will provide up to an Associate Degree tuition free to every qualifying College Credit Plus or Career Tech student, from a partner secondary school, to continue their education after graduating from high school.
The Financial Aid Office will automatically apply the Tuition Freedom Scholarship after any other scholarships and grants. Please contact the Financial Aid Office if you have received any outside scholarships or grants.
Tuition Freedom will pay for a maximum of 64 credit hours of courses as long as you are pursuing an Associate Degree as a full-time student. Credits taken as a CCP student in high school are counted as part of the 64 maximum credit hours. Books and fees are not covered by Tuition Freedom.
You may also be interested in College Credit Plus.
Important 2021 Dates to Remember
TFS Scholarship Application and Testing deadline
Acceptance deadline
FAFSA priority deadline
Deadline to submit any information requested by Financial Aid
Steps to Take Advantage of the Tuition Freedom Scholarship
- Graduate High School in 2021.
- Complete 8-9 Credits as a CCP Student.
- Students must complete 8 credit hours except those seeking direct admission into a health program who will need 9 credits to qualify.
- Achieve a 2.75 grade point average in all CCP classes. Career Tech students must have achieved a 2.75 GPA in their articulated technical course work and all students must have a 2.75 high school cumulative GPA.
- Apply to the college using the NC State General Application, opens in a new window.
You must declare a major. - Complete the FAFSA, opens in a new window.
FAFSA Application deadline is July 2, 2021. Submit any information requested from financial aid by July 15, 2021. - Complete the Tuition Freedom Scholarship Application, opens in a new window by June 4, 2021.
This is in addition to the college application completed in step 4. - Attend a Connect to College half-day orientation program (offered April to August) and take NC State’s First Year Experience course in the first term of enrollment. The only exception to the FYEX course are direct admits to competitive health programs.
- Maintain Full-Time Student status (12-18 Credit Hours per semester).
You must enroll full-time Fall-Spring terms until your degree or certificate is completed. Summer after the first year is optional. Maintain full-time status for the duration of the semester. Earn 30 semester hours per year. - Maintain a minimum 2.75 GPA.
Tuition Freedom Scholarship Expanded to Spring 2021 for 2020 Graduates
North Central State will welcome new incoming scholars for Spring 2021 Semester that begins on January 11, 2021. The additional boost is intended to help 2020 graduates whose fall post-secondary plans were disrupted by the pandemic.
NC State will offer about 40 additional scholarships to eligible students that did not attend college this fall. Students must complete all applications and financial aid materials by December 1, 2020.
To guarantee consideration for this scholarship, we recommend completion of the TFS application and Free Application for Federal Student Aid (2020-2021 year) by November 6, 2020. FAFSA’s filed after this date risk processing delays that could hinder finalization of the aid package prior to the December 8 tuition payment deadline. In any case, no applications will be accepted past December 1, 2020.
Requirements for 2020 Graduates to enroll for Spring 2021 include:
- 2020 high school graduates who did not attend college this fall
- Minimum 2.75 high school GPA
- 9 Semester hours of College Credit Plus (CCP)
- Minimum 2.75 GPA in CCP course work