<p>Congratulations on your Son’s success! Your assessment of merit-only scholarships at NCSU is correct…they are VERY rare, thus very competitive. Be sure to check out the scholarship page on ncsu.edu. The Hugh Shelton scholarship is another one that comes to mind.<br>
[North</a> Carolina State University :: Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid](<a href=“http://www7.acs.ncsu.edu/financial_aid/schphs.html]North”>http://www7.acs.ncsu.edu/financial_aid/schphs.html)</p>
<p>I will say from recent experience getting my daughter into NCSU and watching her peers compete as well, the high academics MUST be accompanied by strong, demonstrated leadership. Too many kids spread themselves thin getting lots of extra-curriculars to pad their resume, but lack depth. What they really want to see is deep engagement and passion in a shorter list of extras, where the student’s work made a difference in their community…and the more adversity they overcame the better. It is a tough task. </p>
<p>I have 1 sophomore at NCSU who was a very good high school student. Good enough to make it into the highly selective College of Design. But she fell short of securing a merit-only scholarship. Fortunately for her, ours is a 5 person home with just one average wage earner. Our relatively low FAFSA EFC (not zero, but lower than most 2 earner homes), garnered her some need-based financial aid. We are In-State. </p>
<p>I wish your son the best working hard at his NCSU dream. Many OOS’s win Park Scholarships. In fact, one of my D’s best friends is an “out of country” Park Scholar (US citizen living overseas).</p>