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 for U.S. and international college juniors and graduate students who are pursuing a degree in occupational safety and health or a closely related field. Priority will be given to Columbia-Willamette chapter members, students attending school in Oregon or Washington state or to residents of Oregon or Washington state attending school elsewhere. The applicant must enroll full time and have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
This award is available to North Carolina students who are members (or have parents who are members) of a church affiliated with the North Carolina Baptist State Convention. Students must be committed to preparing for full-time Christian ministry.
This award is for international and U.S. college juniors and graduate students who are pursuing a degree in occupational safety and health or a closely related field. The applicant must enroll full time and have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Priority will be given to students attending school or residing in New England.
This award is for U.S. college juniors who are pursuing a degree in occupational safety and health or a closely related field. The applicant must enroll full time and have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
This award is for U.S. students 16 years of age or older in his/her senior year of high school or recently graduated from high school enrolled in or planning to enroll in a eligible educational institution.
This award is for U.S. students 18 years of age or older who have graduated from high school and are enrolled in an eligible educational institution. Students must be enrolled in a course of instruction leading to a career related to the generation, distribution or application of electrical energy.
This Fund was set up to support educational opportunities for American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students. Scholarships of up to $2,000 per year are paid directly to a recipient’s college/university. Grantees must maintain a grade point average of at least 2.0 and submit grades to AIEF each semester.
This award is for U.S. students who are pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree. The student must be of Native American, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian descent.
This award is for U.S. college juniors and seniors and graduate/professional students who are of Native American or Alaskan Native descent and pursuing a degree in fields relating to banking, resort management, gaming operations, management and administration (including accounting, finance, information technology and human resources). Students must have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher and demostrated financial need.
This award is available to Virginia resident undergraduate students who are planning to attend a four-year public or four-year private, non-profit institution in Virginia. The student must demonstrate financial need and must have already completed an Associate’s degree.
