UNC announced its launch of a $20 million scholarship initiative earlier this month called the Blue Sky Scholars program, which is aimed at assisting middle-income undergraduate students from North Carolina.

The Blue Sky Scholars program is meant, in partnership with the Carolina Covenant program, to make studying at UNC a realistic goal for all North Carolinians, regardless of their financial situation.

Vice Provost for Enrollment and Undergraduate Admissions Steve Farmer says the university is seeking to lessen the sacrifices students’ parents or other family members are forced to make to help send them to college.

“The more we talked about where we wanted to be and what we wanted to do, the more we realized that we needed to do more to convince young, middle-income North Carolinians that they can come here and achieve their dreams,” says Farmer. “And they can do so without compromising the futures of their families.”

The Carolina Covenant program was launched in 2004 and aimed at helping low-income students graduate from UNC debt free. It is currently serving more than 1-in-10 UNC undergraduates. But there are two middle-income students for every one low-income student at UNC, Farmer says. And, until the Blue Sky Scholars program, there was no financial assistance designated for them.

The program is getting started with a $5 million gift from former president of the UNC System Erskine Bowles, who Farmer says has always worked to help fund opportunities for working class families across North Carolina.

“He really has a place in his heart for the sons and daughters of school teachers, first responders, pastors and others across North Carolina who are just working behind the scenes every day to help our state,” says Farmer.

The goal of the Blue Sky Scholars program is to help eligible students graduate with under $10,000 in debt.

Students are considered for the program upon application to UNC and is planned to begin no later than Fall 2020.

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