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 Charlotte Knights STEM Scholarship is available for high school seniors in the following North or South Carolina counties: Cabarrus, Catawba, Chester, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell, Lancaster, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Union or York County. Applicants must have an ACT score of 26 or higher, an SAT score of 1200 or higher, and a grade point average of 3.3 or higher. Participation in sports or other community service activities will also be a factor during scholarship selection.
This scholarship is open to high school seniors in the North Central Florida area (Columbia, Dixie, Marion, Alachua, Gilchrist, Bradford, Hamilton, Madison, Putnam, Suwanee, and Union counties). Students must have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher and be a major contributer in their sport.
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.
In 2020, Target formed our Racial Equity Action and Change (REACH) committee to accelerate our work on advancing racial equity and creating lasting, systemic change for our Black guests, team members and communities.
Today we’re announcing a new chapter in that strategy — a scholarship program that will support students at more than a dozen Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The Target Scholars Program will provide 1,000 first-year students at more than a dozen HBCUs $5,000 scholarships, plus mentoring, internship opportunities, networking and more throughout their college career.
“Target has worked closely with HBCUs for years, and we’re excited to deepen our partnership as these scholarships and support will provide more possibilities for Black students,” says Damu McCoy, Target’s vice president of talent acquisition. “It gives me immense pride to see Target continue to invest to create equity and opportunity and help students succeed both during and after college.”
Our longtime partners at UNCF (United Negro College Fund) will identify recipients, with a focus on those going into the fields of technology, design and leadership.
An increasingly globalized world needs young leaders who can bridge divides and help solve our biggest challenges. The Voyager Scholarship was created by the Obamas and Brian Chesky, Co-Founder and CEO of Airbnb to help shape such leaders. Even though they come from different backgrounds, President Obama and Brian both believe that exposure to new places and experiences generates understanding, empathy, and cooperation which equips the next generation to create meaningful change.
We are looking for young people from every corner of this country who share a curiosity about the world and the conviction to want to make positive change within it—just like the scholarship’s founders. Students should have a passion for helping others, experience serving in or building community, and an expansive view of what’s possible through public service.
At LinkedIn, one of our core values is to “Dream big, get things done, and know how to have fun.” The Possibilities in Tech Scholarship supports the big dreams of future talent from backgrounds who have been historically underrepresented in tech. Scholarship recipients will engage in four years of community building, college navigation support, and technical training focused on these four pillars of persistence.
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.
