A competitive, merit-based scholarship loan program that is funded by the North Carolina General Assembly, the NC Principal Fellows Program assists selected individuals to prepare for a career in school administration (i.e., assistant principal or principal). Each scholarship loan will provide funding for up to two years in the amount of twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) per year to support students who enroll in and complete a full-time, two-year master’s degree program in school administration at one of the participating institutions of the University of North Carolina. Recipients of the scholarship loan must be willing to practice at an approved site in N.C. as a full-time administrator for two years for each year of funding (four years) or repay in cash.

The Principal Fellows Program, now in its tenth year of operation, was begun in 1994. 798 Principal Fellows have participated in the program representing 91 school districts. Principal Fellows enroll in the Master of School Administration (MSA) program offered at eleven campuses of the University of North Carolina. The second year students participate in a required yearlong, full-time internship at various school districts throughout the state. The program has received widespread support from school districts through their granting of leaves-of-absence to employees who have been selected to receive the scholarship loan, providing sites for interns, and employing graduates of the program. The benefits of the program include the financial support provided to the Fellows while earning the MSA, the opportunity for school districts to work with Principal Fellow interns for a year, and the development of a pool of well-trained, highly-qualified administrative candidates available to all North Carolina school systems.

The deadline to apply for the 2004-2005 academic year is February 2, 2004. For applicant requirements and an application, you may write to the NC Principal Fellows Program, The University of North Carolina General Administration, P.O. Box 4440, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-4440; call (919) 962-4575; website http://www.ga.unc.edu/Principal_Fellows/; e-mail mupdike@northcarolina.edu ; or fax a request to (919) 962-4328.