Community Foundation of Western North Carolina
CFWNC serves students in the western region of North Carolina, including Wilkes County. Many scholarships are listed, with deadlines falling between January and July. To view the deadlines, please go to this page. Scholarship amounts and requirements vary, so students will need to conduct their own search of this site.
$500 scholarship awarded to one student pursuing a career in the teaching profession or the ministerial profession from either Wilkes County Schools, Iredell-Statesville Schools, or Yadkin County Schools. All application materials are available on the link posted above. Deadline is February 12, 2026.
The Legacy Awards application opens on September 1, 2020. Legacy Awards provide $4,000 scholarships for children and grandchildren (including stepchildren, step grandchildren and legal wards) of dues-paying Elk members. A total of 350 awards are given nationally. The deadline to apply is February 2, 2026.
While filing the FAFSA is not a scholarship, it is an essential part of seeking scholarships and financial aid for college. Many scholarship programs use FAFSA calculations to determine financial need. Additionally, colleges and universities award federal financial aid dollars based on a first-come, first-served basis, so you want to be sure you are considered for aid you may be eligible to receive.
Florence Kidder Memorial Scholarship
The Florence Kidder Memorial Scholarship (FKMS) honors the memory of the first president of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of North Carolina. A $3000 scholarship is awarded annually to a student who plans to attend a North Carolina college or university. $1000 is awarded to the runner up. Deadline is February 8, 2026.
Foundation for Rural Service Scholarship
The Foundation for Rural Services annually awards scholarships to an exceptional group of rural students for their first year or college or vocational school. All applicants require sponsorship by an NTCA -- The Rural Broadband Association member company to be eligible. Wilkes Communications/RiverStreet Networks participates in the FRS Scholarship Program. Criteria include being a graduating senior, a U.S. citizen, have a C grade point average, be accepted by a two or four-year college or university, and have an interest in returning to a rural community after college. Please read application instructions carefully. Deadline is February 14, 2026.
G. Gerald Hendley Family Scholarship
Scholarship awarded to a Wilkes County Schools graduate who plans to pursue a degree/career in a medical field and has demonstrated financial need. Maximum scholarship award is $25,000. Multiple awards may be given. Deadline is February 12, 2026.
Hugh Chatham Health Foundation Healthcare Scholarship
This scholarship seeks to invest in the local community by recognizing and providing financial support to individuals who want to further their education in the field of healthcare. Successful applicants will be entering a two or four-year college planning to major in a medical field (including, but not limited to nursing, physical therapy, administration, radiology, etc.) Deadline is February 28, 2025.
John Kirkman Honorary CTE Scholarship
One $1,500.00 scholarship will be awarded annually to one qualifying high school senior who is pursuing
further education (certificate, diploma or degree) at an accredited college (including community college) or university. One $100 scholarship will be awarded annually in each of the eight CTE Educational Regions to one qualifying high school senior who is pursuing further education (certificate, diploma or degree) at an accredited college (including community college) or university. Students must have 3.0 gpa and be a CTE completer. Deadline is February 27, 2024.
LeeAnn Tuttle-Thomas Memorial CTE Scholarship
One $1,500.00 scholarship will be awarded annually to one qualifying high school senior who is pursuing
further education (certificate, diploma or degree) at an accredited college (including community college)
or university. Students must have a 3.0 gpa and be a CTE completer. Deadline is February 27, 2024.
Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation
The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation is the nation's oldest and largest provider of need-based scholarships to military families. Last year they awarded over $10.8 million to more than 2,700 students. 10% of those students were pursuing non-degree certificate CTE programs. They provide scholarships to eligible children of Marines and Navy Corpsmen, Chaplains, and Religious Program Specialists. Scholarships are for students pursuing a post-secondary education at any accredited school--whether that be a trade school, career training school, community college, or four-year university. Be sure to check out the eligibility criteria, scholarship FAQs and this CTE scholarship brochure to get all of the details. Deadline for undergraduate and associate degree scholarship applications is March 1. The CTE scholarship applications are reviewed on a monthly basis, so it's never too late to apply.
Matthew C. Graziadei Scholarship Award
The Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center (ECAC) is proud to offer the Matthew C. Graziadei Achievement Scholarship Award to support North Carolina high school seniors with disabilities. The award amount is $1,500, with the potential for a higher amount and/or runner ups depending on funds. This scholarship is awarded directly to the student and can be used for any postsecondary experience, including further education, employment related expenses, independent living, pursuing hobbies, or purchasing assistive technology and/or other equipment needs. Deadline to apply is February 28, 2025.
National Technical Honor Society Scholarships
There are several different scholarships available to members of the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS). The applications are available September - April each year. Check out their website for details and deadlines.
The Next NC Scholarship is a financial aid program that helps most North Carolinians from households making $80,000 or less pursue a higher education, by fully covering tuition and fees at any community college in the state or more than half of, if not all, tuition and fees to attend any public university in North Carolina. Students attending a North Carolina community college will receive at least $3,000 - more than the cost of full-time tuition. Those attending a public university will receive a minimum of $5,000, which pays for more than half, if not all, of tuition and fees. All you need to do to apply is complete the FAFSA!
NC Community Foundation Scholarships
The North Carolina Community Foundation offers scholarships to students in all 100 counties. These scholarships are available to students attending all types of institutions, including community colleges. You will need your school counselor's email address, the email addresses of your references, and FAFSA Student Aid Index if applying for need-based scholarships. Most applications close March 3, 2026.
CFNC sponsored monthly $1000 scholarship drawing. Simply fill out the form and your name is entered into the drawing. A new winner is selected every month, but you have to re-apply every month for consideration.
NCHSAA Endowed Funds Scholarships
Thanks to the generosity of many donors, there are several scholarships offered to eligible student-athletes. Deadlines fall between November and April and require the submission of a form to the high school counselor to release transcripts to the scholarship committee. Please review all scholarships offered to determine your eligibility.
NC Scholarship for Children of Wartime Veterans
Visit the website to learn about all of the types of financial assistance available for NC Veterans. To apply, follow this link. The scholarship for Children of Wartime Veterans is due on February 14.
Safe Kids Wilkes County Scholarship
The Safe Kids Wilkes County Scholarship was established to help a Wilkes County high school senior attend college. The scholarship may provide a $1,000.00 non-renewable award for students who will pursue full-time undergraduate degrees from accredited post-secondary institutions. Scholarships may be applied to the cost of undergraduate tuition, fees, room and board, books, and other college expenses. Successful applicants must have a minimum 3.0 unweighted GPA through first semester of senior year, financial need (financial need and merit will be weighted equally), and a commitment to creating social media content promoting activities aligned with the organization's mission, such as bicycle safety, ATV safety, pedestrian safety, water safety, and motor vehicle safety (including child passenger restraints). The recipient of the scholarship will be expected to collaborate with the organization on the development of future social media content. No prior social media experience is required. Deadline is February 28.
TheDream.US National Scholarship
TheDream.US National Scholarships are for highly motivated undocumented students who want nothing more than to get a college education but are unable to afford the cost. The National Scholarship Award will cover your tuition and fees up to a maximum of $16,500 for an associate degree and $33,000 for a bachelor’s degree. An additional stipend of up to $6,000 will be awarded for books, supplies and transportation. You can renew the Award each year so long as you meet the continuing eligibility criteria. You may be eligible for the National Scholarship if you: 1) Have graduated or will graduate with a high school or GED diploma by the end of the 2025-2026 academic year; 2) You are a first generation immigrant student who is currently undocumented (with or without DACA or TPS) and came to the country before November 1, 2020; 3) You entered the US before the age of 16 and have lived here continuously since you entered ; 4) You have significant unmet financial need (if you qualify or are eligible for Federal Pell grant, you do not qualify); and 5) You have a GPA of 2.5 or better on 4.0 scale. Deadline is February 28.
Wilkes Community College Education Promise Scholarship
WCC Education Promise is a two-year, last-dollar scholarship designed to ensure every qualifying student graduating from high school in Wilkes, Ashe, and Alleghany counties can get a college degree from Wilkes Community College tuition-free. This scholarship program makes sure every qualifying student is 100% covered for the roughly $2,571 annual cost for tuition and institutional fees.
Wilkes Community College Scholarships
Please visit this page to view all of the scholarships available at Wilkes Community College. Priority deadline is June 1.
Wilkes Education Foundation Scholarship
These highly competitive scholarships (one $10,000 and ten $1,000 scholarships) are available to students from Wilkes County. Deadline is February 12, 2026.
The Foundation has been providing financial assistance to students for over 94 years and has helped more than 15,000 students attend college. Last year, there were 614 scholarships worth $1.4 million dollars awarded to 537 students from Wilkes, Forsyth, Davie, Davidson, Stokes, Surry and Yadkin counties. There are many scholarships available through this site that all use a single scholarship application, with deadlines beginning in January. The deadline for most merit-based scholarships is March 15 and the deadline for financial need-based scholarships is July 1. Definitely check this website out to see what might fit for you. The single-stop scholarship application opens January 1.