How to get merit scholarships for college: 21 Tips

Are you wondering how you can get merit scholarships for college? Wouldn’t you love get free money for college that you don’t have to pay back?

This post gives you essential information on how to get merit-based scholarships for college.

As the cost of higher education continues to rise, many students and their families are looking for ways to reduce the financial burden of attending college. Merit scholarships are one of the best ways to reduce the cost of college. 

Merit scholarships are financial awards given to students based on their academic achievement or other accomplishments, such as community service or leadership. 

They are a form of gift aid, which means that they do not need to be repaid, making them a valuable resource for students seeking to fund their education.

In this blog post, we will explore some practical tips and strategies for getting merit scholarships for college, including academic preparation, extracurricular activities, and, most importantly, applying to the right schools. 

By following these tips, students can increase their chances of receiving merit-based aid and reduce the financial burden of attending college.

This post explains what merit scholarships are and tells you how to find colleges that offer merit aid. 

What is Merit aid?

Merit aid or merit scholarships are free money that colleges and universities give to students.

Merit scholarships are basically tuition discounts given to encourage prospective students to attend that university. 

Generally, merit awards go to high school students with outstanding test scores, grade point averages (GPAs), or extracurricular experiences, when they apply to college. 

Transfer students can also get merit scholarships. Depending on the college, they may or may not be as generous as scholarships for first-year applicants.

Some colleges offer merit scholarships only to students from the United States, and others offer merit aid to international students as well.

Colleges offer different types of merit scholarships to attract students with outstanding academic records, extracurricular achievement, artistic talent, or other experiences and skills. 

Merit based scholarships do not have to be paid back (unlike student loans).

Unlike need-based scholarships, merit aid isn’t awarded based on your financial need.

If your family makes too much money to qualify for need-based financial aid, but not enough to pay full price, you need to apply to schools that give generous merit-based awards.

21 tips to get merit scholarships for college

1. Own the Process of finding merit scholarships

Don’t expect your parents or a guidance counselor to do the research for you. 

Finding and applying for merit scholarships is a lot of work, but it’s much less work than paying off student loans!

The process of how to apply for merit scholarships will vary by college. High school seniors will have to carefully read each school’s website and keep up with deadlines. 

Find out if you will need to complete a separate application. If so, when will it be due?

2. Understand your family’s financials

Ask your parents exactly how much they can contribute to your college education from savings or cash flow.

This might be a difficult conversation, but it’s really important to know how much money you need to be responsible for contributing by getting merit scholarships. 

Colleges offer merit aid as part of college admissions to entice their best applicants to enroll at their school. Merit based aid can mean a full tuition scholarship or a tuition discount of several thousand dollars.

Unlike need based scholarships, merit scholarships have nothing to do with your family’s income or assets.

Financial need based aid is completely separate from merit aid. However, your final financial package may show financial aid and merit scholarships.

If your family demonstrates financial need on the FAFSA, you could federal student aid in the form of loans or Pell Grants. This is different from merit aid, but would be part of your financial assistance package.

It’s a good idea to run the Net Price Calculator (NPC) for each college you’re thinking about applying to. This will give you an idea of what the college estimates you and your family will be able to pay for college.

3. Understand merit scholarships at Different Schools

Lots of schools advertise that they give merit scholarships, and the dollar amounts look very generous.

However, you need to consider the actual out-of-pocket costs. A $20,000 merit scholarship means a lot more at a school where tuition costs $25,000 than it does at a school where tuition costs $50,000. 

Some schools offer full-tuition scholarships, which would leave you responsible for fees, room, and board. A few schools give full-ride scholarships which cover tuition, room and board, and sometimes fees.

You will find information about the type and award amount of each college’s scholarships on the “Scholarships and Financial Aid” section of each college’s website. Scholarship programs have specific requirements, guidelines, and deadlines.

Please note that Ivy League and other extremely competitive universities do not offer merit scholarships. Why? They don’t have to.

Ivy League universities already attract a very impressive applicant pool, and they know they will have plenty of incredible students enroll. They don’t have to offer anyone a discount to entice them to attend. (Many highly selective schools offer generous need-based aid.)

4. Research the Common Data Set

The Common Data Set is a uniform document submitted by most colleges and universities (so all questions and categories are the same for all schools).

The Common Data Set includes information about a university’s average financial aid award, the percentage of financial need met, and the amount of merit aid given to students who don’t qualify for need-based aid.

It also tells how many students receive merit money, the academic profile of the freshman class, and the cost of attending the institution.

Search “Common Data Set” and the name of the school you’re researching. Compare the data to find schools who give generous amounts of merit at to a large percentage of students.

5. Ignore the top-tier schools

Most only offer need-based aid, not merit aid. If you qualify for need-based aid and want to apply, then go for it.

But you are more likely to get merit aid from schools that want to attract more high-performing students. Top-tier schools have more high-stats applicants than they can admit.

Look at schools that rank a little lower; they’ll give you more merit money and be happy to have you on campus. 

6. Skip the reach schools

If a school is a reach for you, then even if you are admitted, you are unlikely to receive any merit aid. Save your application money.

And save yourself the heartache of being accepted at a “dream school” but unable to afford to go. 

7. Look for the hidden gems

Look at schools that aren’t well-known, that you’ve never heard of, or that are off the beaten path.

Remember that your goal is to graduate with a degree in your chosen major with as little debt as possible so you can set yourself up for an awesome future—not go to a school that everyone knows about.

Lesser known schools often offer generous merit scholarships.

8. Seek out honors programs or mentored research opportunities

Schools that aren’t top-tier offer special programs to attract top students. These extra opportunities often come with more merit scholarships.

And, you’ll get mentoring and experience that will enhance your education. 

You can get a great education, special opportunities, and merit aid at a school where your grades, test scores, and achievements make you a “big fish in a little pond.”

9. Consider private colleges

Even if you think a public school might give you the best scholarship, look into private colleges.

Some private schools offer amazing merit aid packages. They might match or exceed what you receive from your state flagship.

Often, many students are surprised by how much merit scholarship money they get from private colleges.

10. Compare public universities

Some state schools offer excellent merit to out of state students. Others offer next to nothing. Some public universities don’t even offer much merit aid to in-state students!

Research to find out what merit scholarships exist at your state university. Be sure you are applying to schools that have a generous scholarship program. 

11. Consider regional state universities

These schools offer high-quality education that is often much cheaper than state flagships.

These schools might struggle to attract top-notch students because they’re just not as well-known or they’re in small towns.

Because regional state universities aren’t as popular as flagship universities, they are motivated to attract students who demonstrate academic excellence.

Don’t rule them out! Regional universities can offer amazing merit aid packages. 

12. Be in the top 25% (or top 10%) of admitted students

To improve your odds of receiving a merit scholarship, your ACT/SAT scores, GPA, and class rank should be in line with the top 25% of admitted students.

To get the most merit aid, it’s even better if you fall in the top 10% of students.

Look up any college’s name and “average ACT/SAT score.” The results will list the scores in the middle 25%-75% of students. You want to have a test score that is in the top 25% (or top 10%) of students.

Now, many colleges are choosing to be test optional, but if you have a great test score, you should consider submitting it.

Note that some schools require test scores for merit scholarships, even if they no longer requires scores for admission.

Also look up any college’s name and “average GPA admitted students” to see how your GPA lines up. Again, to earn substantial merit aid, you want to be at least in the top 25%–and preferably in the top 10%–of applicants. 

If you are an average student, you can still get merit scholarships. But it is essential to apply to the right schools, where you’ll be a top applicant.

13. Stay organized

Use a spreadsheet to keep track of all the college details and information about each scholarship application.

You need to track how many letters of recommendation are required and if they have been sent, if you have additional essays to write, and if there are other supplemental materials.

You’ll probably also want to note when you can expect to hear if you won a merit scholarship. 

14. Know the deadlines

You don’t want to miss your chance to win a college scholarship because you missed an application deadline. You just don’t. 

Many merit scholarships have application deadlines in November or December, so plan ahead.

15. Apply early

The competition for merit scholarships is tough, so give yourself plenty of time to submit the best application you can. Take plenty of time to write and edit all the necessary essays.

And be courteous to the people writing your recommendation letters. If possible, ask them for recommendations a month in advance so they have plenty of time to craft a thoughtful, personal letter for you.

Submit requests for transcripts and test scores far in advance.

If any part of your application arrives past the deadline, you probably won’t be considered for the scholarship.

16. Apply for all the extra scholarships

Different colleges and universities may have living-learning communities, honors college perks, departmental scholarships, referral scholarships, or leadership scholarships.

Each opportunity may offer additional merit aid or perks like paid travel or research opportunities.

Sometimes these are easy to find on a university’s website, and sometimes you have to dig deep to find them.

Don’t hesitate to email your admissions counselor to explain how excited you are about their school and ask if there are any additional scholarship opportunities that you don’t know about. 

Keep in mind that many colleges have scholarships that college students can apply to in their second, third, or final year of college. Be sure to look for scholarships again, later in your college career.

17. Apply to schools with automatic merit

Schools that offer automatic merit to students with high test scores or GPAs list their merit awards on their websites.

These merit awards, or academic scholarships, are guaranteed for students who meet certain qualifications.

If you’re looking for merit scholarships, you should plan to apply for schools that automatically give merit money to many applicants.

18. Apply to schools with competitive merit

These awards might be by invitation only or you may have to simply check a box that you’d like to be considered.

Competitive merit awards might require an additional application, more essays, another letter of recommendation, group interviews, and individual interviews.

Unlike automatic merit awards, there’s no guarantee you’ll be selected for a competitive merit award, so apply to several. 

Many colleges have students compete for a full-tuition scholarship or a full-ride scholarship. (A full ride scholarship covers the cost of tuition, room and board, and may even cover fees and travel.)

19. Consider peer schools

If you really want to attend a certain school, apply to its peer schools. If you get a better financial offer from a peer school than from your first-choice school, mention that offer to your first-choice school and ask if they will consider giving you more aid.

There’s never a guarantee that you can negotiate more merit, but if you have a better offer from a peer school, you might prompt your first-choice school to reconsider its offer.

And if the first-choice school doesn’t match the aid package, you could still have a comparable experience at the more generous school. 

20. Be sure each school you apply to is a good fit

When you’re conducting your college search and applying to colleges to get merit aid, be sure that each school on your list is the right fit for you and would be somewhere you’d be happy to attend.

Each school should have your anticipated major, a culture that feels comfortable to you, the support services you need, and a campus that you like.

It’s hard to get scholarships as a transfer student, so, ideally, you want to stay at your chosen college and keep the merit scholarships you win.

Be ready to go to any of the schools on your list, depending on which college gives you the best merit aid. 

Find out how to choose the college that’s the right fit for you.

21. Ask for more

If you did not receive the highest level of merit scholarship offered, even though you seemed to have all the qualifications, don’t be afraid to politely and humbly ask for more merit aid if the school’s offer isn’t enough to make the school affordable to you.

Express gratitude for a school’s generous offer, then explain that the total cost means that the school still out of reach for you.

Offer to provide specific financial information to explain why you need more help paying for college.

Ask if there is any other information you could provide so that the school might consider increasing your merit aid. This may or may not work, but it might be worth asking.

If you are not eligible to receive more merit aid and you can demonstrate financial need, enquire about your financial aid package. You will need to submit the FAFSA and maybe the CSS Profile to demonstrate your need for additional financial support.

Are Merit Scholarships Renewable?

Typically, merit scholarships awarded as part of the admissions process are renewable scholarships.

Whether or not merit scholarships are renewable depends on the college or university making the award. Be sure to read each specific award letter to see if you were awarded a renewable scholarship!

Also, carefully read the terms of scholarship eligibility requirements. Here are some common eligibility criteria:

• GPA: Some merit scholarships require a 2.0 grade point average, while others require a 3.5 GPA. Some colleges calculate GPA at the end of each semester, and others at the end of each academic year.
• Attendance: Most merit scholarships require students to be full-time undergraduates to maintain their scholarships. How many hours do you have to take? What would happen if you had to drop a class?
• Progress: Colleges want to see satisfactory academic progress from students receiving merit scholarships. This means that you aren’t failing classes and are on track in your major.

Consider whether you’ll be able to meet the terms of scholarship renewal. If you lose your scholarship, will you be able to afford to continue attending that university?

How much Money is a Merit Scholarship?

The amount of merit aid you receive will depend on your qualifications and each school’s merit awards.

Merit scholarships can range from as low as $1,000 up to the full cost of attendance. (Actually, they can even be lower than $1,000, but that’s rare.)

Each college awards their merit aid to qualified students in different amounts, depending on their scholarship endowments and their institutional priorities.

Universities might refer to their merit awards as Presidential Scholarships, Vice Presidential Scholarships, Deans Scholarships, Provost’s Scholarships, or University Scholarships.

The amounts associated with these names are not consistent between universities. For example, Presidential Scholars at one university might receive $10,000 and at another receive $25,000.

For each college you apply to, look at their list of scholarships. Then if you receive a merit award, read your letter carefully to determine the exact amount of your award.

Other sources for merit scholarships

Most academic merit scholarships are awarded by colleges.

The biggest merit aid awards are given to high-achieving students at the time of admission.

Your best chance of getting a merit scholarship is to look for merit-based opportunities when you make your college list, then apply to the right colleges. 

However, there are many other types of scholarships that are awarded due to academic performance, volunteer work, test scores, and other merit-based qualifications. 

Many private scholarships are merit based. Local and national scholarships from private organizations can help make college affordable.

If you want to look for private scholarships to apply for, check out The Ultimate Scholarship Book.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation is well known for its national merit scholarship program. National merit finalists qualify for the award based on earning exceptionally high scores on the PSAT, then submitting ACT or SAT scores, an essay, and other application materials.

National Merit Scholar awards are very competitive. Most students will have a better chance of getting merit aid by targeting the right colleges and applying for private scholarships.

Final thoughts on how to get merit scholarships

Getting significant merit aid is a fantastic way to ease the financial burden of college. There is so much merit money available, and most of it is awarded directly by colleges.

Applying for merit scholarships is a smart strategy for students looking to fund their college education.

However, you have to know what schools offer great scholarships and how to target schools where you would be a top student. You also need to be organized and submit your applications on time.

Transfer applicants, international students, and out-of-state students should check merit scholarship requirements carefully. Read the fine print before you apply!

Be strategic and smart with your applications, and be rewarded for all your hard work in high school with a great merit aid award!

Receiving a merit scholarship can be a great source of motivation and recognition for students who have worked hard to achieve academic and other accomplishments.

Focusing on merit scholarships during the college application process can help students achieve their long-term career goals by reducing the amount of debt they incur during college.

This can provide greater financial flexibility and freedom after graduation, enabling students to pursue their desired career paths without the burden of excessive student loan debt.

Applying for merit scholarships is a smart investment in a college education. By doing so, students can reduce the financial burden of attending college, achieve recognition for their accomplishments, and increase their long-term career prospects.

Let us know your tips for finding merit scholarships!