Senior Scholarships Swarm In

Currently at Charlotte Catholic, 88 students have received 204 different scholarships, generating $11,014,000. Since not all students have reported their scholarships, these statistics are expected to continue rising until the deadline to report, which is mid-April.

The majority of the scholarships received by seniors renew for four years, with the requirement that the student must retain a certain GPA. Additionally, the counseling office reported that this year students have been receiving more scholarships from smaller liberal arts colleges rather than larger universities.

All reported athletic and academic scholarships are published in The Catholic Daily. The counseling office includes only merit-based and athletic scholarships in the Daily to highlight students academic and athletic success. Financial aid scholarships are not reported, as they are tied to family financial information rather than academic or athletic performance. Knowledge of academic scholarship trends helps counselors to use data from previous years to better advise students on which scholarships best fit their goals and qualifications.

Typically, scholarships from in-state colleges award less money, while scholarships from out-of-state colleges provide larger amounts that often equal the cost of in-state tuition. In addition, private schools, especially Catholic institutions, often award more substantial scholarships. Military academies offer full-ride packages.

Charlotte Catholic offers six scholarships to students, including the Waldron Family Scholarship, the Arrive Alive Scholarship, the Jane Osborne Memorial Scholarship, the Florence Kidder Memorial Scholarship, the Lift Up Carolinas Scholarship, and the CLT Foundation Scholarship.

The most recently added scholarship is the Waldron Family Scholarship, which is designed to support the next generation of civic leaders and changemakers. It is a $5,000 scholarship, renewable for each year of college study, and is open to 12th-grade CCHS students who plan to major in Political Science, Government or Public Policy in college.

One senior, Soleli Demetry, received a full ride to Yale University through The Quest Bridge national college match scholarship. This scholarship is a competitive application program that connects high-achieving high school seniors with full four-year scholarships to top-tier colleges. Through this process, students can rank up to 15 partner institutions and, if matched, receive early admission with a comprehensive financial aid package covering tuition, housing, and food, with no loans or parental contribution.

So far, 27% of the senior class has received scholarships, and last year 37% of the class received them. The 37% consisted of 110 students who earned 310 scholarships, generating $17,224,184. Although at the moment this year's percentage is lower, the overall data from this year and last demonstrated a consistent pattern of achievement in students as they prepare for their plans after graduation.

Credit: Colleges of Distinction