What the Opportunity Scholarship pays for, and what it leaves out
The award pays a single kind of bill, the mandatory tuition and fees of a listed school. These five made-up Triangle budgets show where families hit that limit.
Last verified: October 2026
What does the NC Opportunity Scholarship pay for a Raleigh student?
Your tier amount goes toward whatever tuition and mandatory fees the listed school bills. Those fees may include required books, school transportation or equipment, and no school may raise a student's charges because of the scholarship.
What does the Opportunity Scholarship leave out?
Pre-K, home schools, online-only programs and optional extras such as aftercare, field trips, clubs and lunches are all outside it, as is anything beyond the school's required charges. Therapy, tutoring and devices are paid by ESA+ instead.
When does the money reach the school?
NCSEAA pays the school each semester, half the annual award at a time. The student has to be enrolled and attending by October 1 for the fall payment.
What is covered and what is not?
| Covered, up to the tier maximum | Not covered |
|---|---|
| Required tuition at a Direct Payment School | Tuition above your tier amount |
| Books, transportation or equipment the school requires and bills | Aftercare, trips, clubs and lunches |
| Kindergarten through grade 12 | Pre-K, home school and online-only programs |
| Two semester payments sent to the school | Cash or reimbursement paid to parents |
Five illustrative Triangle budgets
| Scenario | Tier and 2026-27 maximum | Tuition (illustrative) | Left before other aid | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Baptist academy in Durham, grade 4 | Tier 1 · $7,942 | $6,800 | $0 left | The award is limited to tuition, so it covers the full $6,800; the family pays only optional costs. |
| Parish K-8 school in Cary, two children | Tier 2 · $7,148 | $9,200 | $2,052 left | Each child can receive up to the Tier 2 amount; next, ask about the parish rate and school aid. |
| Christian K-12 campus in North Raleigh, grade 10 | Tier 3 · $4,766 | $13,500 | $8,734 left | Ask about need-based aid and a sibling discount; juniors can add free Wake Tech courses next year. |
| Listed independent school in Apex, grade 7 | Tier 4 · $3,574 | $10,500 | $6,926 left | Tier 4 needs no income documents and still trims about a third off this bill. |
| School for learning differences in North Raleigh with ESA+ | Tier 2 · $7,148 | $24,000 | $16,852 left | ESA+ pays tuition first; this example uses the Opportunity Scholarship alone to show the gap. |
Tuition amounts are invented for illustration and are not any school's real price; neither the state table nor the federal survey reports tuition. Award amounts are NCSEAA's published 2026-27 maximums, applied per child.
Find out which programs your child can use
About two minutes of questions. Then a Raleigh Edu Funding advisor phones you with an estimated tier, the programs that match and the deadlines coming up.