Merit aid can make a significant difference in the cost of college, but families often misunderstand how it works.
Unlike need-based financial aid, merit scholarships are generally awarded based on factors such as academic achievement, leadership, talent, or other accomplishments. And one of the most important things to understand is that merit aid varies tremendously from one college to another.
Some colleges offer large automatic scholarships based on GPA and test scores. Others use a holistic review process. Some highly selective colleges offer little or no merit aid at all.
That means securing merit aid isn’t just about having a strong application. It’s also about building the right college list and understanding each school’s scholarship policies.
Here are 10 factors that can improve a student’s chances of receiving merit aid.
1. Strong Academic Performance
For many colleges, GPA is one of the most important factors in awarding merit scholarships.
Students should take challenging courses while maintaining strong grades. AP, IB, honors, dual enrollment, and other advanced courses can strengthen a student’s academic profile when they are appropriate for the student.
The goal isn’t to take every difficult class available. Students should pursue the most rigorous curriculum they can reasonably manage while still learning the material and performing well.
Some colleges even publish merit scholarship grids based largely or entirely on GPA, making academic performance especially important.
2. Applying to the Right Colleges
This may be the most important factor on the entire list.
A student can have excellent grades, test scores, activities, and essays and still receive little or no merit aid if they apply primarily to colleges that don’t award much merit money.
Families seeking merit aid should deliberately include colleges where:
- The college offers substantial institutional merit scholarships.
- The student’s academic profile compares favorably with that of admitted students.
- The school uses merit aid strategically to attract strong applicants.
- The available scholarships could meaningfully reduce the family’s cost of attendance.
Merit strategy should be part of building the college list from the beginning, not something families investigate after admission decisions arrive.
3. Meeting Scholarship and Priority Deadlines
One of the easiest ways to miss out on merit money is simply applying too late.
Scholarship deadlines can be earlier than regular admission deadlines, and at some colleges students must apply by an Early Action or priority deadline to receive full scholarship consideration.
For example, Purdue currently requires students to complete their application by November 1 for university-wide merit scholarship consideration.
Students should research scholarship requirements for every college on their list well before senior year application deadlines arrive.
Create a spreadsheet that tracks:
- Admission deadline
- Merit scholarship deadline
- Separate scholarship application, if required
- Honors college deadline
- Required essays
- Testing requirements
- FAFSA or other financial aid requirements
Do not assume that submitting an admission application automatically puts a student in consideration for every scholarship.
4. Standardized Test Scores
The role of SAT and ACT scores in merit aid has become much more complicated.
Some colleges allow students to apply test-optional and still receive merit scholarships. Others require scores for certain scholarships. And some schools continue to use published GPA and test-score combinations to award automatic merit aid.
For example, the University of Alabama continues to offer automatic scholarships tied to GPA and ACT/SAT scores, while Miami University considers test-optional applicants for most general merit scholarships but requires a test score for its highly competitive Presidential Fellows Scholarship.
This is why students should consider testing even when the colleges on their list don’t require scores for admission.
A strong SAT or ACT score can sometimes be worth thousands of dollars per year.
The question shouldn’t simply be, “Do I need a test score to get in?”
It should also be, “Could this score help me get money?”
5. Where the Student Falls in the Applicant Pool
Merit aid is often used as a recruiting tool.
A college may offer a strong applicant a scholarship because it wants that student to enroll. This means the same student can receive very different merit offers from colleges with similar sticker prices.
Look beyond whether a college is simply a “reach,” “target,” or “likely.” Compare the student’s academic profile with the college’s recent admitted-student data and investigate how that institution awards merit aid.
Being a particularly attractive applicant to a college can create more merit opportunities than simply applying to the most selective schools possible.
6. Leadership, Activities, Work, and Community Involvement
Merit scholarships aren’t always based entirely on academics.
Competitive scholarships may consider leadership, community involvement, employment, entrepreneurship, research, extracurricular activities, or other accomplishments.
Depth usually matters more than simply accumulating activities.
Students should focus on meaningful involvement and be able to explain:
- What they did
- Why it mattered to them
- How they contributed
- What changed because of their involvement
- What they learned
Authentic, sustained involvement is much more compelling than joining activities simply because they might “look good” on a college application.
7. Special Talents and Achievements
Students with significant accomplishments in areas such as music, art, theater, research, writing, debate, entrepreneurship, or other fields may qualify for additional scholarship opportunities.
Some scholarships require a separate application, portfolio, audition, interview, or additional materials.
Students with a strong talent should investigate both university-wide scholarships and opportunities offered through individual academic departments or programs.
8. Athletic Achievement
Athletics can play a role in college affordability, but families should understand the distinction between athletic scholarships and academic merit aid.
NCAA Division I and Division II colleges can offer athletic scholarships, although many awards are partial rather than full scholarships.
Division III colleges do not award athletic scholarships. However, Division III student-athletes may receive academic merit scholarships and need-based financial aid just like other students.
For recruited athletes, it’s important to understand exactly what type of aid is being offered and whether it is connected to athletic participation, academic achievement, financial need, or a combination of factors.
9. Strong Essays and Scholarship Applications
For competitive merit scholarships, essays can matter significantly.
These scholarships may attract many applicants with excellent grades and impressive activities. The essay is often where students have an opportunity to provide context, demonstrate intellectual curiosity, explain their motivations, and show what they might contribute to the college community.
Students should give scholarship essays the same attention they give their personal statement and supplemental essays.
And don’t wait until the last minute. Some of the largest scholarships require additional essays, interviews, or separate applications.
10. Understanding the Entire Financial Aid Picture
Don’t evaluate a merit scholarship by the dollar amount alone.
A $25,000 annual scholarship sounds impressive, but what matters is the remaining cost after the scholarship is applied.
Families should compare:
Cost of attendance − grants and scholarships = estimated net cost
They should also investigate whether a merit scholarship:
- Is renewable for four years
- Requires a minimum college GPA
- Requires full-time enrollment
- Can be combined with other scholarships
- Changes if the student receives need-based aid
- Applies to tuition only or other costs as well
And even families expecting merit aid should consider completing the FAFSA. Some colleges and states use FAFSA information when determining eligibility for certain grants, scholarships, and other financial aid.
The Bottom Line
The best merit-aid strategy starts before a student submits college applications.
Strong academics certainly matter, but families should also pay close attention to where the student is applying, how each college awards scholarships, whether test scores could increase scholarship opportunities, and which deadlines must be met.
Most importantly, don’t assume that a college with a lower sticker price will ultimately cost less or that an expensive private college will necessarily cost more.
The goal is to build a college list that works academically, socially, and financially.
If merit aid and college affordability are important considerations for your family, I can help you build a college list with those factors in mind. Reach out to me for a free consultation.
