The Morehead-Cain Scholarship (originally the Morehead Scholarship) was the first merit scholarship program established in the United States, founded at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...

, the first public university in the United States. It is named for its benefactors, John Motley Morehead III

John Motley Morehead III

John Motley Morehead III was a chemist whose work provided much of the foundation for the business of Union Carbide Corporation. He was a noted philanthropist who made major gifts to his alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also served as mayor of Rye, New York and...

 and the Gordon and Mary Cain Foundation. Modeled after the Rhodes Scholarship

Rhodes Scholarship

The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...

, the Morehead-Cain provides a full four-year scholarship covering tuition, books, room and board, a laptop computer, and four summer experiences known as the Morehead-Cain's Summer Enrichment Program. Applicant must be a competitive applicant to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and unmarried and without children.

Before Freshman Year: Outdoor Leadership

Scholars participate in NOLS

National Outdoor Leadership School

The National Outdoor Leadership School , is a non-profit outdoor education school based in the United States dedicated to teaching environmental ethics, technical outdoor skills, safety and judgment, and leadership on extended wilderness expeditions...

 and Outward Bound

Outward Bound

Outward Bound is an international, non-profit, independent, outdoor educationorganization with approximately 40 schools around the world and 200,000 participants per year...

 courses throughout the country in order to push themselves physically and mentally through a number of grueling challenges.

Before Sophomore Year: Public Service

This summer students travel the world performing public service in a variety of settings. Projects range from teaching fellowships in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 to pre-natal care in Rwanda

Rwanda

Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...

.

Before Junior Year: Inquiry and Exploration

This summer is an opportunity for scholars to design a research topic and travel domestically or internationally in search of answers. Projects have included topics ranging from investigation of modern transportation in communist nations to exploration of traditional medicine

Traditional medicine

Traditional medicine comprises unscientific knowledge systems that developed over generations within various societies before the era of modern medicine...

 in South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

. Students may also seek non-profit, governmental, or private enterprise internships.

Before Senior Year: Private Enterprise

During this final year scholars are encouraged to work in a professional capacity. Projects have ranged from policy work with the World Health Organization

World Health Organization

The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...

 to Investment Banking and Industry Research with Goldman Sachs

Goldman Sachs

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...

.

Selection Process

The selection process for the Morehead-Cain is extremely rigorous with only four percent of each year's nominees selected as Morehead-Cain Scholars. High school seniors demonstrating exceptional impact and academic achievement from North Carolina and from select schools across the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and various other countries are eligible for the prestigious scholarship. Criteria for selection are:

• Moral Force of Character
• Leadership
• Physical Vigor
• Scholarship

Notable Alumni

Notable alumni include ACC commissioner John Swofford

John Swofford

John Swofford is currently the Commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference He was born on December 6, 1948 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. While at Wilkes Central High School, he played as quarterback for the Wilkes Central Eagles football team...

; author Taylor Branch

Taylor Branch

Taylor Branch is an American author and historian best known for his award-winning trilogy of books chronicling the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and some of the history of the American civil rights movement...

; U.S. Congressmen Jim Cooper

Jim Cooper

James Hayes Shofner "Jim" Cooper is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party and the Blue Dog Coalition. He previously represented from 1983 to 1995....

 and Mike McIntyre

Mike McIntyre

Douglas Carmichael "Mike" McIntyre II is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He is a member of the Democratic Party....

; Roy A. Cooper

Roy A. Cooper

Roy Asberry Cooper, III is the current North Carolina Attorney General. He is a member of the North Carolina Democratic Party.-Personal life and education:...

, Attorney General of North Carolina; Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 player Tyrell Godwin

Tyrell Godwin

Carlton Tyrell Godwin is a former Major League Baseball player who played for the Washington Nationals.-College career:...

; historian Donald K. Gowan II; David Gardner

David Gardner

David Gardner is one of the three founders of The Motley Fool, established in 1993.He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a Morehead-Cain Scholarship, graduating in 1988. He was a writer for Louis Rukeyser's Wall Street newsletter before joining the Motley Fool...

, co-founder of the Motley Fool

Motley Fool

The Motley Fool is a multimedia financial-services company that provides financial solutions for investors through various stock, investing, and personal finance products. The Alexandria, Virginia-based private company was founded in July 1993 by co-chairmen and brothers David and Tom Gardner, and...

; Peter Blair Henry

Peter Blair Henry

Peter Blair Henry, a Jamaican American economist, is Dean of New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business. Previously, he was the Konosuke Matsushita Professor of International Economics at Stanford University....

, Dean of New York University Stern School of Business; businesswoman Sallie Krawcheck

Sallie Krawcheck

Sallie L. Krawcheck , is the former president of the Global Wealth & Investment Management division of Bank of America. GWIM includes Merrill Lynch and U.S. Trust, the largest wealth management business in the world at $2.3 trillion in client assets...

, named by Forbes

Forbes

Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...

 to its list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women; Alan Murray, television personality and deputy managing editor of the Wall Street Journal; Clive Stafford Smith

Clive Stafford Smith

Clive Adrian Stafford Smith OBE is a British [see talk] lawyer who specialises in the areas of civil rights and the death penalty in the United States of America....

, the human rights lawyer; and Candice Woodcock

Candice Woodcock

Candice Woodcock Cody is an American doctor and is best known for being on the reality television show Survivor.-Biography:...

, a contestant on Survivor: Cook Islands

Survivor: Cook Islands

Survivor: Cook Islands is the thirteenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor, having premiered on September 14, 2006...

 and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains