More NC students are applying for federal student aid. Growth is highest in US
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- North Carolina led the nation with the largest FAFSA growth from 2025 to 2026.
- North Carolina high school FAFSA completion rate reached 55%, about 62,000 students.
- The high school seniors are eligible for an estimated $122.5 million in Pell Grants.
Hello reader! I’m Jane Winik Sartwell, and this is your higher education newsletter from The News & Observer. Welcome back to Higher Stakes.
Today, we’ll look at how the new state budget affects disciplinary procedures at public universities; some interesting FAFSA trends; and why one former professor lost his lawsuit against UNC-Chapel Hill.
Read on to find out about all these stories and more.
The number of FAFSA applicants is growing faster in NC than other states
North Carolina experienced the most growth in the number of federal student aid applications among all U.S. states between this year and last, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education.
This year, more than half of all North Carolina public high school seniors completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, according to the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority. That’s more than 62,000 students. They’re eligible for an estimated $123.7 million in federal Pell Grants.
Overall FAFSA completions — including adult learners, current college students and high school seniors — grew by 11% from 2025 to 2026. That’s the biggest increase in the country.
“It’s our goal for every prospective college student to know what options are available to make paying for a higher education more manageable,” wrote Mary Shuping, executive director of the assistance authority, in a statement. “It’s now easier than ever to do that, and that’s a win for the students and for the state of North Carolina.”
What is the Future Universities Alliance?
Led by Duke University, the Future Universities Alliance is a group of institutions that gather to discuss solutions to modern challenges, including “technological disruption, social polarization, economic development, and resource security.”
According to Duke, the times we live in “require universities that can think and act differently.” To identify how, the alliance has launched an Innovation Sandbox Cohort, a 12-month program for higher ed leaders. It’s based on the idea that while universities can learn a lot from one another, they lack a structure to do so.
The inaugural cohort, named in June, includes 49 institutions from 23 countries. Schools include familiar names like Georgetown and Northeastern, but also schools like Musizi University in Uganda and Taejae University in South Korea. Participants were chosen through a competitive application process, according to Duke.
New state budget establishes economic forecasting initiative at UNC-Chapel Hill
The new state budget provides $3 million in one-time money to UNC-Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. The funds will support the launch of an economic forecasting initiative that will look at county-level economic conditions, creating data about present and possible future conditions.
The goal is to provide policymakers, businesses, community colleges, small businesses, and economic developers with relevant economic forecasts. Think GDP and employment numbers, but also two new forecasts — housing affordability and the most in-demand skills from employers.
“Local stakeholders need timely data specific to their communities, and too often they don’t have access to it,” wrote Paige Ouiment, executive director of the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, part of the business school, in a statement. “By creating a clearer understanding of how their communities are changing, we can help these decision-makers to support and grow their communities.”
Higher ed headlines from this week
- North Carolina’s new state budget includes some interesting higher ed provisions. For example, disciplinary records that include identifying information about students are no longer public record.
- A former UNC-Chapel Hill professor spoke out after the school secretly recorded his classroom. When the university let him go, he claimed in court it was retaliation. Now, he’s lost that case.
- A bomb threat at UNC-Chapel Hill led to a sweep of Kenan Stadium last week. Thankfully, investigators didn’t find anything.
What I’m reading
- NC State’s physical master plan changes campus layout at Coleen Tallod at the Nubian Message
- Duke’s upcoming tuition increase exceeds that of most of its peers by Luca Gragnoli at The Duke Chronicle
- UNC removes supplemental essays from 2026-27 undergraduate application by Julia Horstkamp at The Daily Tar Heel
- Duke’s ‘strategic enrollment’ efforts have become more visible. Here’s who they target by Ryan Kilgallen at The Duke Chronicle
Thank you for reading. If you have questions or comments about higher education in NC, please feel free to reach out. My email is jane.sartwell@newsobserver.com. I’d love to hear from you. And if you liked this newsletter, consider sharing it with a friend!
– Jane Winik Sartwell
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This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misstated the name of a Duke Chronicle reporter.
