Merit scholarships are financial awards based on academic achievement, talent, leadership, or other accomplishments rather than financial need. They are offered by colleges and universities, private organizations, community groups, and national programs.
10 steps across 1 sections
1. Steps Process
- Start searching early (freshman-sophomore year). Build a tentative list of scholarships beginning in your first year of high school. Many top scholarships have deadlines in junior or early senior y...
- Identify scholarship sources.
- College-specific: Most colleges automatically consider admitted students for merit scholarships based on their application. Some require separate scholarship applications.
- National programs: National Merit Scholarship, Coca-Cola Scholars, Elks Most Valuable Student, Gates Scholarship, QuestBridge
- Local organizations: Community foundations, Rotary clubs, businesses, religious organizations, and civic groups
- Professional associations: Field-specific organizations (engineering, nursing, journalism, etc.)
- Scholarship search engines: Fastweb, Scholarships.com, College Board Scholarship Search, Bold.org
- Meet eligibility requirements. Common criteria include:
- Minimum GPA (typically 3.0 or higher)
- Standardized test scores (SAT/ACT)
Common Mistakes
- Only applying to large national scholarships
- Using generic essays
- Not asking for recommendation letters early enough
- Ignoring renewal requirements
- Assuming you are not qualified
Pro Tips
- Prioritize scholarships where you fit the profile
- Build relationships with recommenders
- Apply to colleges where you are above the median
- Stack scholarships
- Create a "scholarship resume."