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Scholarships

We serve Carolina and our students – past, present and future. The following scholarships are supported by Carolina Alumni and its members. Learn more about the scholarships and current scholars.

Unless otherwise noted, applications are not required and recipients are selected by the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid.

GAA and Dibbert Scholarships

In 2001, the General Alumni Association established a $500,000 scholarship endowment that provides Carolina additional resources to help attract the best and brightest students. In 2007, the GAA Board of Directors added $50,000 to the GAA Scholars program in honor of GAA President Douglas S. Dibbert’s 25 years of service to the Association. Learn more.

Bernard Dibbert Scholars

In 2019, the UNC General Alumni Association donated $2 million to support scholarships for military families in honor of Army Lt. Col. Bernard W. Dibbert who was killed in action on June 1, 1965, and his son, GAA President Douglas S. Dibbert. Vaughn Bryson ’60, who served on the GAA Board of Directors and as the board’s chair, and his wife, Nancy Faison Bryson ’60, donated an additional $1 million in 2021.

The Lt. Col. Bernard W. Dibbert Carolina Covenant for Military Families Endowed Scholarship Fund will aid military-affiliated students eligible for the Carolina Covenant, which provides UNC students from low-income families the opportunity to graduate without loan debt. The gift also was made as part of UNC’s For All Kind: the Campaign for Carolina and its Red, White and Carolina Blue Challenge to support families of military veterans.

Carolina Club Scholarships

GAA-sponsored Carolina Clubs are encouraged to support Carolina students from their area through local club scholarships. Funds are raised by Carolina alumni and friends. Learn more.

J. Maryon “Spike” Saunders Scholarship

J. Maryon “Spike” Saunders ’25 led the General Alumni Association for 43 years and without fanfare built its membership from 700 to more than 15,000. Upon Spike’s death in 1995, the GAA solicited funds to establish the J. Maryon “Spike” Saunders Scholarship.

Light on the Hill Society Scholarship

In 2005, during the 25th anniversary celebration of the GAA-supported Black Alumni Reunion (BAR), the BAR committee created the Light on the Hill Society (LOTH) Scholarship. This scholarship serves as a tribute to Carolina’s early Black graduates of the 1950s and 60s and as a vehicle to support the academic pursuits of Carolina’s Black students. Scholars are selected by the Light on the Hill Society Scholarship selection committee through an application process. Learn more.