Leveling the Playing Field
Delivering Outcomes for Students and the Region
By Susan Messina
Photography: Kat Lawrence,
Video Production: Ozzie Hernandez,
Graphic Design: Chris Guiliani
Key Takeaways:
• UNC Charlotte stands out with only 90 other universities designated a "Equity Engines" — and, more specifically, a "Super Equity Engine."
• "Equity Engines" are colleges and universities where students whose tuition is supported by Federal Pell Grants graduate at rates higher than the national average.
• UNC Charlotte alumni whose educations were supported by Pell Grants are succeeding in high-impact industries and contributing significantly to their communities.
Opening Doors, Closing Gaps
Across the United States, Federal Pell Grants open the door to higher education.
At UNC Charlotte, students who receive Pell Grants cross the finish line at rates that outperform national benchmarks. And their success doesn’t stop at graduation.
Workforce ready and motivated to contribute, they are making inroads in industries that drive growth across the region, proving that when opportunity is matched with the right environment, outcomes follow.
A Reason to Succeed
The success of these Niners positions UNC Charlotte among just 91 -- or 6% -- of the nation's universities defined as “Equity Engines,” a distinction defining institutions where students receiving Pell Grants graduate at higher-than-average rates.
Even more unequivocally, the University is recognized as a “Super Equity Engine,” reflecting outcomes that transcend access to deliver measurable success.
Charlotte was always my first choice: close to home and accessible to Uptown Charlotte. The Pell Grant, in addition to other financial aid, enhanced my UNC Charlotte experience. Taking it even further will be my summer internship with the North Carolina Victims Assistance Network in Raleigh, which supports victims of violent crime. I’ll work with the public relations team on news releases and public messaging; it’s meaningful work for someone who has lived in various parts of North Carolina.”
Lyndsay Rammaleare, Class of 2027
Hometown: Holly Springs, North Carolina
Major: Communication Studies
UNC Charlotte: North Carolina's only public university
Super Equity Engine
36% of enrolled students are Pell Grant eligible
64% of them graduate in six years
(National average Pell Grant graduation rate: 51%)
What Exactly is an "Equity Engine?"
According to a 2025 University of Arkansas study, “Equity Engines” are institutions where at least 34% of enrolled students are Pell Grant eligible, with 55% of them graduating within six years. For “Super Equity Engines,” the graduation rate jumps to 60%.
Without Pell Grant support, I would have found a way to go to school through additional loans or scholarships. Because of my Pell Grants, my debt was significantly reduced — and I was able to eliminate it relatively quickly.”
Maria Garcia ’19, Data and Technology Consultant
B.A., International Studies and French Language and Literature; Minor: German Language and Literature; Graduate Certificate 2020: Language Interpretation and Translation
Garcia served as a commencement bell ringer in 2019.
Master of Foreign Languages, Large Language Models and the Language of Personal Finance
A visit to UNC Charlotte’s Career Center for vocational assessment – and some serious time with Niner Finances — set Maria Garcia ’19 on a path to entrepreneurship, financial priority setting and home ownership before her 30th birthday.
Born in Colombia, she immigrated to the United States as a child. To attend college, student loans were a given – but support from the Federal Pell Grant program alleviated Garcia’s overall debt, and made a dream of learning new languages and studying abroad — twice — a reality.
Add to the mix a campus job that sparked an interest in natural language processing, which led to employment with Wells Fargo to translate a language model for customers. Subsequent tech career steps followed with PwC, Amazon Web Services, Qualtrics and Protiviti.
Now a data and technology consultant, Garcia has broadened her entrepreneurial reach to include Maria’s Money and Mindset Consulting, a side hustle that applies principles she learned from Niner Finances and personal experience to help clients achieve their financial goals. A habitual hustler, she’s also a freelance Spanish interpreter. Her next big financial goal: Early retirement.
PELL GRANTS
Facts and Fiction
Pell Grants are:
Pell Grants are not:
Federally funded, needs-based grants for qualifying students that cover ~25% of tuition costs
Loans that must be reimbursed
For students from low-to-moderate income families who may not qualify for other aid
Only for students who are most economically disadvantaged
Based on need more than performance, with a requirement to maintain satisfactory academic progress
A pathway to college for less-academically-capable students
I would not be at UNC Charlotte without Pell Grant support. With or without it, I need to work to pay rent. However, my out-of-pocket expenses would be exponentially higher were that help unavailable.”
Brendon Coats
Biology major from Kannapolis, North Carolina
Class of December 2026
Pell Perseverance
During a post-high school gap year, Brendon Coats applied for an internship at the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis — his hometown. Working in the lab tapped a love for science and research, prompting him to enroll at UNC Charlotte as a biology major.
In 2025, he accepted a National Science Foundation summer internship at Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory in upscale Bar Harbor, Maine — a long way from home, in terms of both distance and environment. Attending school in a district where every K-12 student qualified for free breakfast and lunch, Coats learned about perseverance by observing his parents’ hard work — and the value of a degree through his mother’s interrupted higher education journey.
Over seven years, his mom had worked full time while attending evening classes at UNC Charlotte. With one semester left, she became pregnant with Brendon. Unable to afford both tuition and a growing family, she left school without graduating. Taking to heart her positive viewpoint that “no amount of education is ever wasted,” Coats embraced his Charlotte opportunity, supported by financial aid that includes Pell Grant support.
Because doctoral programs are fully funded — and master’s programs generally are not — Coats’ next step will be a Ph.D. program to study regenerative medicine, a field that captivated him in labs at both Kannapolis and Bar Harbor. There, the reasons he loves science — “pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and discovering new information” — will continue to fuel an emerging research career shaped by curiosity and endless tenacity.
49%
Between 2011-2025, nearly half of all Niner bachelor’s degree earners received a Pell Grant while enrolled at UNC Charlotte
Serenity Snead, Class of 2028
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Majors: Architecture and Anthropology, Minor: Urban Studies
Martin Scholar, Honors College and recipient of a U.S. Department of State Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship, which supports international opportunities for outstanding undergraduate students who receive Pell Grant support.
The Martin Scholarship and Pell Grant are covering the cost of higher education, and encouraging me to think beyond college. The Gilman Scholarship will allow me to expand my knowledge and skillset in Japan this summer as I learn about the impact of cities on people and the environment. After I graduate, I plan to apply to graduate school abroad to become an urban designer or environmental planner who can travel globally, and make cities more sustainable and community centered.”
While Pell Grants support access and provide the initial spark of opportunity, UNC Charlotte's focus is on the finish line. We take great pride in seeing our students graduate at higher-than-average rates, proving that financial background does not determine intellectual or professional potential.
When we support these students through to graduation, we aren't just helping them earn a degree; we are empowering a generation of professionals to strengthen the workforce and contribute to their communities.”
Claire Kirby, associate provost for enrollment management
As a young, married couple with a household to operate, we would have had to make some tough decisions about who could go to school and who would have to work had it not been for Pell Grant support.”
Micah Gaddy ’96 ’24 MBA
A Family Affair
After marrying as sophomores — and no longer completing the FAFSA with their parents’ incomes as guidelines — Micah and Fatima Gaddy found themselves eligible for Pell Grant support. They also decided to transfer “home” to UNC Charlotte from NC State to be near their families and support network.
Even with Pell Grants, working full-time for Micah and part-time for Fatima was non-negotiable, while both attended school full-time. He didn’t know it then, but his new job with Bank of America would jumpstart a career that continues to flourish 30 years later.
When both Gaddys graduated in 1996, their bottom line, thanks to Pell Grants and their combined work ethic, was a bit healthier than it would have been had they relied solely on student loans to cover their tuition shortfall.
Eventually, Micah connected with BOA’s UNC Charlotte alumni network, where he was introduced to master’s programs that the bank financed through its tuition reimbursement program. Ahead of completing a Charlotte MBA in 2024, he was promoted to vice president, business control manager.
Today, Micah’s ties to the community through volunteer service — and the entire family’s connection to UNC Charlotte — are stronger than ever. Serving as chair of the Alumni Board’s Student Success Committee, he collaborates closely with fellow board members to champion solutions that strengthen student success and access for today’s Niners.
Fatima and Micah Gaddy celebrated the UNC Charlotte graduation of their daughter, Mia, in 2021 and 2023, with their son, Daniel, who is currently a Niner theatre major and music performance minor.
High-Impact Careers
UNC Charlotte alumni Pell Grant recipients (2011-22) are fueling Charlotte’s — and North Carolina’s — rising prominence in fields that drive economic growth
1,135
Banking/Financial Services
645
Health Care
509
Corporate Retail
877
Higher Ed/Education
366
Technology
239
Manufacturing
184
Energy
167
Public Service/Government
153
Defense/Military
141
Insurance