RALEIGH, N.C. — Many high school students in western North Carolina have missed weeks of school after Helene brought devastation to their communities.

For seniors, it’s still time for college applications, and North Carolina schools across the state are trying to help them in any way they can.

What You Need To Know

  • October is countdown to college month and this week universities are focused on college applications

  • All 16 public, four-year universities are waiving application fees for many students in western N.C.

  • The University of North Carolina System is encouraging seniors to apply for college despite academic setbacks from Helene

  • Free applications go through 11:50 p.m. Sunday

“It's another way that our system is committed to helping those communities recover,” said Bethany Meighen, the vice president of academic and student affairs with the University of North Carolina System.

She said schools across the state are keeping western N.C. communities in mind.

“Our campuses want to make things a little bit easier for those students being mindful of everything they have going on,” Meighen said.

Many students have been out of school for about a month after Helene, leaving them without the opportunity to meet with high school counselors for help with recommendation letters or essays. With college application season here, Meighen said schools are aware of these setbacks and are trying to make the process a little bit simpler.

“Your application is a holistic process,” Meighen said. “They're looking at you as a whole student. So what's happened this past five weeks doesn't define who you are. It's the work that you've been doing the past three years that defines you.”

This year, all 16 public, four-year universities are waiving application fees for students in the 39 FEMA-impacted counties as well as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

“Just keep working hard,” Meighen said. “Be mindful that our campuses understand what you're going through. And then also give yourself some grace. This is really hard, what you've gone through. So let's just set some deadlines for yourself. Let's think about applying. And if you need a little more time, reach out to our campuses because truly they're here to help you. They want to see you be a part of their campus community in the fall."

This year the University of North Carolina System launched NC College Connect with six of their institutions. Last week 70,000 seniors got a letter that qualified them for this simplified application based off hard work and GPA. Meighen encourages those in western N.C. with limited internet access to check their college portals to see if they qualified for the program. She said she doesn’t want seniors to give up on their college and career dreams because of this year’s weather challenges.

“We don't want this to be a year where they think, you know what, things are too hard. I don't want to apply, so I'm not going to go anywhere,” Meighen said. “Things are hard. But let us help you apply. Let's help you waive that fee, and let's help you think about next year and how you can keep following your dreams.”

You can visit CFNC.org for a college application checklist to follow. Free applications go through 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

Three North Carolina schools on the western side of the state were affected by the storm last month. Appalachian State went back to school last week, Western Carolina went back Monday, and UNC Asheville starts up online next Monday.