The Morehead-Cain — the oldest, most prestigious merit scholarship program in the United States — will welcome 51 new scholars in the Class of 2016 to UNC-Chapel Hill in August.
Twenty-six of the newest Morehead-Cain Scholars are from North Carolina high schools; 19 are from other U.S. high schools. The class will also include three British and three Canadian scholars.
Since its founding in 1945, the Morehead-Cain has been a model for countless merit awards throughout the United States, including the University of Virginia’s Jefferson Scholars Program; Duke University’s Benjamin N. Duke Scholars Program; and Emory University’s Woodruff Scholars Program.
More than 220 Morehead-Cain scholars currently study on campus, making outstanding contributions across the full range of University life. From student government to community service to the performing arts, Morehead-Cain Scholars play a prominent role in Carolina’s vibrant student community.
In the past nine years, 12 Morehead-Cain scholars have won Rhodes Scholarships to England’s Oxford University, one of the world’s most competitive and prestigious awards for graduate study. Since the first Morehead Scholars graduated from Carolina in 1957, 29 of UNC’s 32 Rhodes Scholars have been Morehead-Cain graduates. Morehead-Cain Scholars have accounted for 22 of the University’s 30 Luce Scholars and 19 of Carolina’s 32 Truman Scholars, among the nation’s most generous and distinguished awards for graduate study. Twenty-six Morehead-Cain Scholars have won Fulbright Fellowships.
Published April 27, 2012.