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.
National Horticulture Foundation Scholarship Program was established to encourage undergraduate and graduate students of Horticulture/Marketing to follow a career path in the growing and marketing of foliage. National Horticulture Foundation Board of Directors shall be responsible for selecting the individuals to receive scholarship awards.
The mission of the National Association of Wastewater Technicians (NAWT) is to unify the voice of the sanitary liquid waste management industry, while increasing its professionalism and public image through education of industry members and the public, and the development and national representation of individual, state, and regional chapters, allowing our industry to exchange ideas and concerns for the betterment of our members, the environment, and the general public. Throughout their generosity, NAWT offers scholarships.
The PATCH Scholarship program allows you to increase your knowledge in current developmentally appropriate practices and increases the number of people entering the early care and education profession.
Funded by the Department of Human Services, PATCH scholarships provide reimbursement for early childhood specific college courses*, PACE workshops (converted to college credits) or assessment fees for obtaining or renewing a CDA credential.
Every person accused of committing a crime in Minnesota has the right to legal counsel, but the specific attorney you enlist can make a major difference in the outcome of a criminal case. Public defenders work hard to fulfill their legal obligations, but they are also often burdened with multiple cases at once, meaning they may not be able to give your case the individualized attention it deserves.
The Strong Work Ethic scholarship is open to any current high school senior, college student, or graduate student who is a legal resident of the United States residing in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia and enrolled in a two to five-year post-secondary institution.
APCF was founded in 1990 by API community leaders in response to the need for alternative funding for Los Angeles-based nonprofit organizations serving API communities. Since 2011, APCF has partnered with donors such as local companies and family foundations to offer scholarship programs to financially assist students in their pursuit of higher education.
All of the scholarships have an online application and recommender form that can only be found on our site. The online applications can be found at https://www.apcf.org/scholarships
Application requires student to list out community service activities, disclose some family financial information, and answer 2-500 word essay prompts. The applicant must share the recommender form link with their preferred advisor for submission.
APCF was founded in 1990 by API community leaders in response to the need for alternative funding for Los Angeles-based nonprofit organizations serving API communities.Since 2011, APCF has partnered with donors such as local companies and family foundations to offer scholarship programs to financially assist students in their pursuit of higher education.
All of the scholarships have an online application and recommender form that can only be found on our site. The online applications can be found at https://www.apcf.org/scholarships
Application requires student to list out community service activities, disclose some family financial information, and answer 2-500 word essay prompts.
The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum (PHAM) Educational Endowment was Established in 2021 to fund PHAM educational efforts and to award scholarships for individuals committed to a career in aviation. The Endowment was funded with $1,000,000 by the Rick & Teresa Price Family as a condition in the sale of a division of their Hawaii based company to Oil Changers, Inc. in January 2020.
Distribution from the endowment will fund the For Love of Country Scholarship up to $10,000 for individuals whose commitment to an aviation career is evident, including prior related education, work experience, pursuit of post graduate studies, required continuing education, certification/recertification programs, etc.
The For Love of Country Scholarships are managed and awarded without regard to race, creed, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, or national origin. Scholarships are non-transferable; however, recipients may apply for one subsequent scholarship after successful completion of the course of study funded by the initial scholarship. Applicant must be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident.
Prior to awarding the scholarship, the applicant must provide an acceptance letter and course content
from the selected vocational school, college, or university. Funds will be mailed/wired directly to the
institution.
More than just a scholarship, the Powell Scholars program is a ticket to life-altering experiences. We seek high achieving students from across all majors who demonstrate leadership potential, pursue creative endeavors and innovative research, and become game-changers in their communities both locally and globally. Powell Scholars are one-of-a-kind students, and it is a privilege to share in their personal and intellectual growth.
For over 20 years the Tempe Diablos have been involved in promoting excellence among Tempe’s top high school students.
This thrust began when three very prominent Diablos had a vision to establish a scholarship program for Tempe students with the belief that, given the right students, many of them would stay in Tempe and become its future leaders.
The Tempe Diablos provide scholarships to qualified, well-rounded students who demonstrate excellence in the classroom, and who show extracurricular involvement in their school and/or community.
Tempe Diablos scholars will be asked to attend the Excellence in Education award reception in the Spring of 2022. The reception will be held in person and further event details will be provided to selected students.
The YouthCon Scholarship is hosted by AASuccess, a Falls Church-based nonprofit dedicated to empowering the youth to gain confidence while fostering leadership skills by living our motto of “perfecting the act of giving back”. Our scholarship allows innovative high school and middle school students living in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area with ideas to be actively involved with philanthropic work to make a difference in neighborhoods, with the support of AASuccess. We award innovative and driven students with the mindsets of giving back, and those seeking to strengthen their skills such as writing, presentation, and leadership.
