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.
The Pizza Hut scholarship is offered through its parent company Yum! Brands, also known as Yum!. The Yum! Andy Pearson Scholarship Program is administered by Scholarship America and is available to U.S.-based employees of Yum! or its other brands such as Pizza Hut, KFC, and Taco Bell. Legal dependents of these employees are also eligible.
Bryant Gladney was a life-long learner and a passionate teacher. We continue his legacy by helping students get the paramedic education they need throughout the United States in order to succeed in the field of emergency medicine.
Our vision is to build future generations of exceptional paramedics through the gifting of scholarships, honoring the memory of the very gifted paramedic and EMS educator Bryant Gladney, who lost his life in the line-of-duty.
The William A. Crawford Minority Teacher Scholarship is available to minority students (defined as black and Hispanic individuals) who intend to pursue, or are currently pursuing, a course of study that would enable them to teach in an accredited school in Indiana. Students must agree in writing to apply for teaching positions in Indiana and, if hired, teach in Indiana for at least three years.
For future women trial lawyers, the power of settlement planning is backed by Milestone and placed in your hands.
Milestone has established the Trial LawHER Scholarship to help a rising 3L female law student achieve her goal of becoming a plaintiff trial lawyer. This scholarship intends to elevate a rising woman leader in the plaintiff trial lawyer space and educate future trial lawyers around the importance and impact of settlement planning.
The Kenneth E. Hasbrouck Memorial Scholarship, administered jointly with the Hasbrouck Family Association, is a $1,000 award that may be divided if necessary. Applicants must be undergraduate students studying historic preservation, architecture, the conservation of artifacts and manuscripts, and/or the education of the public about local history in accordance with HHS’ mission.
The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid offers scholarship opportunities to enrolled students at North Carolina State University. For the Chancellor’s Leadership Scholarship, applicants must be an incoming freshman with demonstrated leadership potential, academic achievement, personal talent, unique work/service experience and an understanding of and an appreciation for diversity, demonstrated financial need. Must have a 3.0 GPA. For more information or to apply, please visit the scholarship provider’s website.
In 2013, The Buch Family Academic Scholarship was established to honor the memories of Ilse, Fredric and Peter Buch. The scholarship, based on athletic and academic achievements and financial need, recognizes active amateur skaters who pursue excellence in both their academic and athletic pursuits.
Sigma Psi Zeta is excited to open applications for our annual Aurora Scholarship. The Aurora Scholarship aims to promote womxn empowerment and create leaders at Wichita State University and within the community. We are awarding two full-time Wichita State undergraduate students (current and incoming) who have demonstrated advocacy in our community with a scholarship in the amount of $500 each.
The Chickasaw Nation Governor’s, Lt. Governor’s and Legislator’s Scholarships are for graduating high school seniors who have been selected as class valedictorian or salutatorian. For more information or to apply, please visit the scholarship provider’s website.
Today, the Chickasaw Nation is economically strong, culturally vibrant and full of energetic people dedicated to the preservation of family, community and heritage. Since the 1980’s, tribal government has focused on building an economically diverse base to generate funds that will support programs and services to Indian people. Business has flourished, programs and services have grown, and the quality of life for all Chickasaws has been greatly enhanced.
