Merit scholarships are a type of gift aid that help pay for college by rewarding talent. Most merit based scholarships go to students who stand out with strong academics.
Recipients of a merit scholarship may be high academic achievers or have strong athletic, artistic or other skills and values. Eligible students must also show a desire to serve the community or leadership skills.
Some merit scholarships also may look at financial need. But most of the time accomplishments and academic excellence are the primary factors to win a merit scholarship.
How Do You Get a Merit Scholarship?
Merit awards are different from needs based scholarships. A need-based scholarship uses family income to make decisions. Instead, the merit scholarship sponsors usually start out with a goal or reason why they offer it. This might be to develop their industry with smart minds or invest in the future of their community and college.
There are various criteria to qualify for a merit scholarship. Sometimes you need to be a member of a specific association or enrolled in the university. Other scholarship providers may specifically offer it to minority students, female students or for certain majors like STEM.
Either way, you’ll need to see if you qualify. One example is the Women Techmakers Scholarship. It is an academic merit scholarship. In order to be eligible, eligible students must show strong academic performance, leadership, and impact on the community of women in tech. You may fit the bill as an upstanding male student, but this one is for girls.
What is Merit?
That stated, what ‘merit’ means generally depends on the organization granting the scholarship. Some merit scholarships look at academic performance, test scores, and your recommendations. Others may only look at your SAT/ACT test scores.
Still others focus on your dedication to and performance in a specific field of study. This can be anything from music to math and others.
Many private companies, groups and nonprofits fund merit scholarships. There are no federal funds for merit-based scholarships.
Some merit scholarship providers are from local communities such as churches and cultural groups. Companies such as Google, Gates Foundation or Coca Cola also offer merit scholarships.
Most colleges also award merit scholarships. Often alumni endow funds to use for these awards. Merit based awards may thus carry the name of a person so that their legacy continues. You’ll also find charitable foundations offering merit aid which sometimes look at financial need.
What GPA do You Need to Get a Merit Scholarship?
An academic merit scholarship often requires a strong GPA. But the actual grade point average you need to get a merit scholarship varies.
For instance, you need a cumulative GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale to qualify for the SHRM Foundation’s Graduate Scholarships. This awards $5,000 to a graduate student pursuing an HR degree related program.
The Voice of Democracy Scholarship awards $30,000 to one national first place winner. Most high school students as well as military students may apply.
How Much is a Merit Scholarship?
The U.S. Department of Education tracks the aid schools award to undergraduates. According to the NCES study, they looked at the amount of money high-merit students received. It found that those in selective schools got about 58% of their tuition. Those in less selective schools received about 46% of their tuition amounts.
What Qualifies You to be a National Merit Scholar?
National Merit Scholars have the highest PSAT/NMSQT® Selection Index scores. About 1.6 million enter to compete. But about 50,000 qualify for recognition in the National Merit® Scholarship Program.
Each September, the sponsor colleges notify the recipients. They let them know if they have qualified as either a Commended Student or Semifinalist. Then about 15,000 semifinalists move to finalist standing.
About 7,600 winners of Merit Scholarship® awards (Merit Scholar® designees) may be notified. Part of the decision making process looks at students’ abilities, skills, and accomplishments.
How Do You Get the Most Money for Merit Scholarships?
Many scholarship providers factor in both need and merit. There are at least six things that may help you get the most merit aid for college.
Don’t forget to fill out the FAFSA. Depending on your circumstances, you may be eligible for federal aid too. This might be useful if the amount of your merit scholarship is not enough to pay tuition, fees, housing etc.
Apply to schools where your grades put you ahead. Many college admissions look at the entire pool of applicants. You may be ahead of the student body in some colleges and not in others.
Check whether the merit scholarship is renewable. If so, abiding by the terms may help pay your entire four years at college.
Make sure you understand the net cost of attending each school you apply to. Then assess the amount of merit aid you can get and see what makes the most sense to you.
Figure out where your talents lie and use them when you search for scholarships. It doesn’t have to be high marks. The Doodle for Google Scholarship rewards creativity.
When applying to a college or university, look at their financial aid section and scan for merit scholarships to see if you qualify.
This award is available to current high school seniors in California who have a parent, grandparent, or legal guardian who is a proprietor of an establishment with a California liquor license, or who is employed full-time by an individual or corporation holding a California liquor license. To be eligible, the applicant must have participated in one or more of the following extracurricular activities during his/her junior and senior years of high school: community service, athletics, music or the performing arts.
This award is available for graduating seniors at Arlington, Beacon, John Jay or Roy C. Ketcham High Schools in the Mid Hudson Valley region of New York state. Applicants must participate in school or community sports, and demonstrate a commitment to community service.
Coca-Cola Scholars are well-rounded, passionate, service-oriented, and demonstrate a sustained commitment to bettering their communities. U.S. High school seniors are eligible to apply. Children or grandchildren of employees, officers or owners of Coca-Cola bottling companies or subsidiaries are ineligible.
The Automotive Hall of Fame scholarship is a program to celebrate and honor the accomplishments of individuals in the global motor vehicle industry through educational programs and awards that challenge students to pursue higher levels of personal achievement.
The awarding body’s mandate is to increase the public’s understanding of the contribution that the international motor vehicle industry has had on our high standard of living and on our freedom of personal mobility.
Scholarships are the root of our purpose at Automotive Women’s Alliance Foundation (AWAF). We are an active professional foundation dedicated to supporting the advancement of automotive and mobility industry professionals.
Scholarships are selected by the Scholarship Committee and awarded quarterly to the women with a quest and drive for the automotive, mobility and related industries. It is our hope that with these scholarships, we can lessen the burden on students and allow them to focus on gaining knowledge and further development toward a solid career path in this ever evolving expansion of global mobility.
in addition to holding auditions in Boston, Berklee travels to more than 50 cities throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America in search of talented artists who are pursuing a college education in music, theater, or dance.
While the vast majority of awards are partial-tuition, a limited number of full-tuition awards are available to exceptionally qualified applicants.
The Undergraduate Scholarship Program is a financial needs-based initiative that offers undergraduate students an unmatched experience in a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment. Undergraduate students, serving as scholarship recipients with CIA, attend an accredited college/university on a full-time basis and work during summer breaks at the Agency.
Each year, Donald F. & Mildred Topp Othmer Scholarship Awards 15 AIChE student members a scholarship of $1,000. Awards are presented on the basis of academic achievement and involvement in student chapter activities. Nominations must be made by the Student Chapter Advisor. Only one nomination will be accepted from each AIChE Student Chapter.
The Donald F. and Mildred Topp Othmer Scholarship Awards of $1,000 each are awarded to chemical engineering students for their outstanding academic achievement and involvement in student chapter activities.
Today, Latinos are the fastest growing group in the country; however, this group also has the country’s highest high school drop-out rate. Latinos not only have to face the normal hurdles of school education, but many face the challenges of being first-generation students, having to assist at home with financial burdens early on in life, learn a new language, or suffer a lack of educational resources.
The members of Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Inc. know this burden firsthand, with many of our Hermanas facing these and more challenges to make their educational goals come true. If not for scholarships and grants, many of our Hermanas may never have been able to achieve the success they enjoy today. SIA believes that education is an investment, and the best way to help our community is to help the ones who need it the most: our youth. That is why Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Inc. in conjunction with the Solidaridad, Inspiracion, y Amistad Community Foundation, Inc. is proud to award the Excelen-S?? scholarship to help with the educational cost of college.
For the past 20 years, First Responders Children’s Foundation has awarded college scholarships to children of first responders.
If you’re the child of a first responder, please submit an application to be considered for one of the First Responders Children’s Foundation scholarships.
The First Responders Children’s Foundation – Victoria Ovis Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to a child of a law enforcement officer who was killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty.
