Merit Scholarships

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What is a Merit Scholarship?

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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Check whether the merit scholarship is renewable. If so, abiding by the terms may help pay your entire four years at college.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. When applying to a college or university, look at their financial aid section and scan for merit scholarships to see if you qualify.

List of Merit Scholarships

Check out our list of merit scholarships below.

Clark Law Group Scholarship

We work with divorcing or unmarried parents to resolve disputes related to the custody of their children. We can also help address other family-related issues, such as creating prenuptial agreements, establishing legal paternity, or applying for protective orders in situations involving domestic violence. Applicants who would like to apply for our scholarship must submit proof of enrollment for the Fall 2023 semester, proof of required GPA, proof of military service by a student’s parent, professional headshot, and contact information. We also ask all applicants to submit an essay (500-1000 words) that answers the following prompt: How do you intend to serve the public with your higher education and future career?
Award Amount

Total: $1000

Awards: 1

Deadline

Deadline: July 02, 2024

The Crowder Law Firm Scholarship

Our Plano criminal defense practice, The Crowder Law Firm, protects the rights of individuals throughout North Texas who are facing very serious criminal charges. This takes incredibly hard work, skill, and knowledge. We appreciate the time, effort, and resources it takes to get results, and we hope to share that appreciation with students across the United States through our Crowder Law Firm Scholarship. The Crowder Law Firm offers two $1000 scholarships twice a year to students pursuing higher education who strive to achieve excellent academic performance. All questions can be answered by our scholarship team at [email protected]. Please note that no questions will be answered via our client contact form, chat box, or by phone.
Award Amount

Total: $2000

Awards: 2

Deadline

Deadline: July 08, 2024

Fighting Bullying with Technology

1902 Software is a Danish-managed software development company based in the Philippines. For over 20 years, we have been working with companies, big and small, for their design, development, and support needs with ecommerce, websites, mobile apps, and custom software. Write an essay (minimum of 1,500 and maximum of 3,000 words) that details your personal experience with bullying and how you have overcome it, or the initiatives that you have done to help stop and campaign against it in your school or community. Furthermore, describe how technology can help prevent or stop bullying. Download and fill out the application form at https://1902software.com/scholarship-fighting-bullying-with-technology/. This form is to be submitted along with your essay to [email protected].
Award Amount

Total: $2000

Awards: 2

Deadline

Deadline: July 15, 2024

BestColleges Black Women in STEM Scholarship

On average, Black women in STEM earn salaries that are 45% lower than their highest-paid peers. BestColleges is committed to breaking down barriers for students in underrepresented communities, who desire careers in the most competitive fields. This year, we’ll be giving away five $6,000 scholarships to Black women who are currently pursuing careers in STEM.
Award Amount

Total: $30000

Awards: 5

Deadline

Deadline: July 15, 2024

$2,000 Minecraft Scholarship

All of us here at Apex Hosting believe that education is a fundamental part of living a full and joyful life. In the past, we have partnered with educational institutions and libraries as part of our commitment to education in the classroom and the power of Minecraft through our minecraft server hosting service. This typically has been in the form of sponsored get togethers, class projects, and similar programs and colleges, high schools, middle schools and libraries.
Award Amount

Total: $2000

Awards: 1

Deadline

Deadline: July 31, 2024

Strong Work Ethic Scholarship

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.
Award Amount

Total: $1000

Awards: 1

Deadline

Deadline: July 31, 2024

Road to Recovery Scholarship

The Road to Recovery Scholarship is available for undergraduate and graduate students in the U.S. who submit an original essay of at least 750 words in length. Applicants must have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
Award Amount

Total: $1000

Awards: 1

Deadline

Deadline: August 31

GyanDhan Scholarship

India’s first education financing marketplace, GyanDhan aims to equalize and expand access to education. Providing end-to-end education loan assistance, GyanDhan is a digital-first company that seeks to revolutionize education financing in India. Started with an aim to make abroad higher education more accessible to students, GyanDhan has helped tens of thousands of students in selecting the right financing option. In continuation of our efforts towards our aim, we are launching the GyanDhan Scholarship. This scholarship of INR 1 Lakh will be awarded to 1 student.
Award Amount

Total: $1204

Awards: 1

Deadline

Deadline: August 31, 2024

Sigma Phi Epsilon – New York Delta Chapter Balanced Man Scholarship

U.S. and international high school seniors who plan to attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York in the upcoming fall semester are eligible to apply for this award. Applicants must exhibit academic excellence, demonstrate leadership skills, and commit to health and well-being.
Award Amount

Total: $400

Awards: 5

Deadline

Deadline: September 14

DirectTextbook.com Haiku Contest Scholarship

This Haiku contest is open to U.S. undergraduate students who have a grade point average of 2.0 or higher.
Award Amount

Total: $500

Awards: 6

Deadline

Deadline: September 18