How Colleges Determine Merit Scholarships

Reader Comments
Back to blog

Find College Scholarships using Database Searches.Visit Local College Aid Offices.Look Locally to Find College Scholarships

College Scholarships 5:33AM April 19, 2013

George - Merit and need are two different things. Merit scholarships are based on the student's achievements among other things, hence the term "merit." Need based scholarships are based on the student's ability to pay for college, hence the term "need." Only merit aid is analyzed in this article.

Kate of NY 1:03PM September 19, 2011

George-while the merit process is blind to need, the need process is unfortunately not blind to merit. As a Rochester student who qualifies for need-based aid, my merit-based scholarship is meaningless because it simply becomes a part of an overall financial aid package. In simplistic terms, I receive the same amount of money regardless of whether I qualify for a merit scholarship. In contrast, a student with the ability to pay receives extra money as a reward for their merit. Are students who demonstrate need and merit somehow less deserving of this "extra money"?

Erica of NY 2:25AM September 19, 2011

Mrs. Broughton, I don't know about other colleges, but the merit-aid process at UR is blind to need.

George of TN 10:49PM September 18, 2011

Merit aid provides financial advantage to students who are undertaking a specified course of study. Thanks Lynn for analyzing the merit scholarship.

Jamie of AZ 11:52PM September 06, 2011

There's no mention of considering the factor "family ability to pay". I've heard that there's a financial aid strategy that colleges use, a strategic tool, that awards some merit money to students whose family has the ability to pay the balance as a way to attract students who don't need much aid.
Is this a myth? Or, is it just not used by this particular college?

Valerie Broughton of MN 12:10PM September 02, 2011

As a current college applicant looking into merit scholarships, I found this article helpful and interesting. It helped breakdown aspects of the merit scholarship. The word "merit" seems to encompass many categories and this article help to narrow down some of the characteristics needed to win one.

Niki of MI 9:10PM August 28, 2011