Merit Based Scholarships & Grants | William Peace University (2023)

FAQs

How rare are merit scholarships? ›

Merit-based financial awards can occasionally cover a substantial portion of four or more years of college, but full-ride scholarships are exceedingly rare.

Share this Article. Merit-based aid offers financial support based on a student's academic achievements. Need-based aid provides funds for students based on their level of financial need. Students may receive both types of aid to fund their postsecondary studies.

Minimum requirements range from around 2.0 on the lower end to 3.75 or higher for competitive academic scholarships. Generally speaking, a 3.0 GPA or higher will give you a decent shot at qualifying for a variety of scholarships.

Still, even if a highly selective school offers merit scholarships, these awards are difficult to win — you'll be competing against a huge pool of similarly talented students for a limited number of scholarships. So if you're applying to top colleges, don't count on getting tons of merit aid from them.

Gaining recognition as a National Merit Semifinalist is a prestigious achievement to include on college applications, and many colleges and corporate sponsors offer special scholarships to these students, even if they don't become finalists.

Over 1.7 million scholarships are awarded annually. However, only 7% of college students will receive a scholarship. The U.S. Department of Education awards an estimated $46 billion in scholarship money annually.

Highlight your personality traits that are relevant to the scholarship. If you know what they're looking for, then mention those skills! This is great for students who might not have extracurricular activities related to the scholarship but instead have qualities that would make them an asset to the organization.

The short answer is yes, you can get scholarships without the FAFSA. But, not filing the FAFSA may limit your scholarship opportunities.

How are merit scholars chosen? ›

Winner Selection

All winners of Merit Scholarship awards (Merit Scholar^® designees) are chosen from the Finalist group based on their abilities, skills, and accomplishments—without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.

Merit aid helps lower college costs.

Merit aid is a form of college financial aid that does not consider a student's financial need, but rather is awarded based on academic, athletic, artistic or special-interest merit.

A merit-based scholarship awards money for college to applicants who demonstrate high achievement and accolades. Merit awards may be available for students who rank highly in grade point average (GPA), standardized test scores, extracurricular recognition, athletic performance, leadership involvement or community work.

The odds of a student winning a scholarship vary according to student characteristics, such as grades, test scores, field of study and race. Grades: Students with a 3.5 to 4.0 unweighted GPA are twice as likely to win a private scholarship as students with less than a 3.0 GPA.

A 3.5 GPA will make it easier to find scholarships, but it won't guarantee you a scholarship. You'll also need to have good test scores and extracurriculars in order for your application to be considered. Nevertheless, there are numerous benefits to applying for a 3.5 GPA scholarship.

Most scholarship providers will expect you to meet specific criteria to receive funding, such as maintaining your grades or enrolling in a certain number of credit hours each semester; if you fail to meet these guidelines, the scholarship may be revoked resulting to a lost scholarship.

To be academically eligible for a DI scholarship your student-athlete needs to have at least a 2.3 GPA on a 4.0 scale. However, it's not quite as simple as looking at their transcript and checking the overall GPA.

The boundary zone for the merit level is between 58% and 59.9%. the distinction level is 70% or above.

Honor Roll - A grade point average of 3.5 or higher for the 9 week grading period. Merit Roll - A grade point average of 3.0 or higher for the 9 week grading period. No student will be placed on the Honor / Merit Roll if they receive a D or F in the same grading period, regardless of GPA.

The short answer is that you should aim for an SAT score between 1200 and 1600 if you want to secure some scholarships based on merit–and the higher within that range you score the more money you're looking at.

What is the easiest type of scholarship to get? ›

Some colleges, especially private schools, automatically consider each applicant for a merit-based scholarship, which is awarded during the acceptance process. These types of scholarships are often the easiest to obtain, since they do not require a separate application.

Common types of scholarships for college are merit-based scholarships, need-based scholarships, and athletic scholarships.

The scholarships offered by the Coca-Cola Scholars Program are awarded to high school seniors based on their achievements. Therefore, awardees are recognized for their leadership capabilities, commitment to and impact on their schools and communities.

A merit scholarship is a scholarship awarded to students who have a record of achievement in academics (including grades and test scores), extracurricular activities, and leadership in their community. These scholarships can be awarded by specific colleges and universities, as well as private organizations.

Need-based scholarships are awarded based on financial need. They are eligible for each year of college enrollment. By contrast, scholarships based on merit are granted to students who illustrate academic or athletic achievement, along with a range of other talents and criteria.

Unlike need-based scholarships, merit scholarships are not restricted by a student's financial situation; rather, a merit scholarship is a monetary gift doled out by a private organization to students who excel in a certain area.

7% of students are likely to receive a scholarship. Only 1.5% of students will receive a full scholarship. $8.8 billion was awarded in need-based scholarships. White students have a 14.2% chance of getting a scholarship, while minority students have 11.2%.

Here is how the award process often works. A student applies to a school, and the admission office decides whether to accept the applicant. If the school gives merit scholarships, the decision typically will be made during the acceptance process, usually based on the student's grades and test scores.

The average institutional scholarship award is $6,335. About four in 10 scholarship recipients received funds from their state, with an average award of over $2,362.

Talk about your Passion and Persistence

Letting your passion show through in your answer allows the committee to see your dedication. You deserve this scholarship based on your love of learning, your enjoyment of your field, or your passion for growth.

How do I ace my scholarship interview? ›

Merit-based financial aid (also called merit scholarships or merit awards) is financial aid offered in recognition of student achievements (e.g. academic, athletic, artistic, etc.). Unlike need-based financial aid, merit-based financial aid does not consider the financial need of the student or family.

Do not pay for information, to apply for the scholarship, or to receive the scholarship. You should never have to give money to apply for or receive a scholarship. Always use reputable sources for your search. Many phony websites are set up to trick you into providing personal or financial information.

Generally, you report any portion of a scholarship, a fellowship grant, or other grant that you must include in gross income as follows: If filing Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR, include the taxable portion in the total amount reported on Line 1a of your tax return.

Can Sophomores Qualify for a National Merit Scholarship? The National Merit Scholarship Program is only open to high school juniors.

Students whose scores qualify them for recognition in the National Merit Program will be notified through their high schools in September following the test administration.

To be competitive for National Merit Semifinalist status, students need to score about 1400 on the PSAT in less competitive states like Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota . . . or about 1470 on the PSAT in more competitive states like Connecticut or New Jersey.

Merit pay plans may create problems in employee relationships, problems in morale related to jealousy, fear, favoritism, undesirable competition, and job insecurity. Merit programs tend to develop divisive and competitive attitudes rather than cooperation among employees.

Please indicate “yes” to the question on the Common App regarding “need based aid” – there is no impact on your admissions- we refer to this as “need blind admissions”.

Which type of aid is the least desirable? ›

Although the least desirable form of financial aid, student loan programs allow you to borrow money at interest rates that are lower than loans not intended for education.

The list, compiled using offer information from Rivals, lists Stanford as the hardest scholarship offer to get, as David Shaw and his staff offered just 69 prospects. The top five is rounded out by Washington (80), Oklahoma State (91), Northwestern (102) and Miami (117).

How hard is it to get a full ride scholarship? Less than 1 percent of students get full ride scholarships, showing just how difficult it is to earn one. However, with the right background, proper planning and by knowing where to look, your chances of landing a full ride scholarship can increase.

Merit-based scholarships are one of the best ways for high school students to pay for college. These scholarships award academic excellence and can range from a few thousand dollars up to a full ride scholarship.

7% of students are likely to receive a scholarship. Only 1.5% of students will receive a full scholarship. $8.8 billion was awarded in need-based scholarships. White students have a 14.2% chance of getting a scholarship, while minority students have 11.2%.

The short answer is yes, you can get scholarships without the FAFSA. But, not filing the FAFSA may limit your scholarship opportunities.

Merit aid is a form of college financial aid that does not consider a student's financial need, but rather is awarded based on academic, athletic, artistic or special-interest merit.

Practically speaking, this means that anyone who qualifies as a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist (PSAT scores of 1400/1520 and up, depending on the state of residence) should be able to easily achieve a confirming score (SAT scores as low as 1320/1600, and ACT scores as low as 26/36), especially given multiple ...

Do merit scholarships use weighted GPA? ›

On college and scholarship applications, you will likely find questions about your GPA. Ideally, these questions will specify whether they want you to include your weighted GPA or your unweighted GPA. If the application does not specify which GPA, your default should be to list your weighted GPA as it is higher.

A merit-based scholarship awards money for college to applicants who demonstrate high achievement and accolades. Merit awards may be available for students who rank highly in grade point average (GPA), standardized test scores, extracurricular recognition, athletic performance, leadership involvement or community work.

While many scholarships award outstanding academic, musical or athletic talent, there are ample scholarship opportunities for average students from every walk of life are available.

What happens to leftover scholarship money. If you earned scholarships and grants that add up to more than your total cost of attendance, your school may send you a refund of the leftover scholarship money.