Opportunity Scholarship
The Opportunity Scholarship helps North Carolina families pay for tuition and other required fees to attend registered private schools.
Opportunity Scholarship
The Opportunity Scholarship helps North Carolina families pay for tuition and other required fees to attend registered private schools.
Save the date: The application for the 2027–28 school year will open on the first Monday in February.
About the Program
Have questions? You’re in the right place. Since 2014, we’ve helped families across North Carolina apply for educational funds through the Opportunity Scholarship.
Who can apply for an Opportunity Scholarship?
Students who meet the State's age eligibility requirements for kindergarten* and have not graduated from high school.
*For kindergarten eligibility, a student must be 5 years old on or before August 31 of the year they are applying.
How much money is it?
Awards range from approximately $3,000 to $7,000, based on a family’s household income.
How can the money be used?
The money can be used to pay for tuition and other required fees to attend registered private schools.
How to Apply
Visit the How to Apply page for Eligibility Requirements and information to help you apply for the Opportunity Scholarship.
Important Dates & Deadlines
Already awarded?
If you’ve already received your award you can learn more about next steps and find additional resources.
Resources
Additional Resources
Find further resources and information about the Opportunity Scholarship program, how it works, how to apply and what the requirements are.
Frequently asked questions
No, but more than 700 schools are currently registered to receive program funds. We call these “Direct Payment Schools”. Find a school on the list of Direct Payment Schools.
No. Students are not required to be enrolled in a private school when they apply. However, Opportunity Scholarship funds can only be used for tuition and fees at registered private schools. If a student is awarded a scholarship, they must be enrolled in and attending a registered private school, also known as a Direct Payment School, by October 1 to use scholarship funds for the fall semester.
State law requires that students live in North Carolina with the parent of record in order to be eligible for Opportunity Scholarship or ESA+ Program funding. Effective for the 2027-2028 school year, families must reside in North Carolina at the time they submit their student(s) application(s). The exception is for military families with official orders to relocate to North Carolina.
Not always. The scholarship amount varies by award tier and may not cover the full cost of tuition and fees of every school. If a school’s tuition and fees exceed the student’s award amount, families are responsible for paying the difference.