I'm a high school junior researching ahead, curious about what kinds of merit scholarships are available to college students in general. What are popular ones that high schoolers can plan towards?
Many colleges offer merit scholarships to incoming students based on their academic or other achievements, so it's a great idea to look into these when researching colleges. However, some nationwide scholarships are quite popular too:
1. The National Merit Scholarship Program: This scholarship begins with the PSAT/NMSQT test in your junior year of high school. High performers then move on to semifinalist status, with further progression leading to the possibility of a National Merit Finalist scholarship worth $2,500.
2. Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation Scholarships: This is a $20,000 scholarship for 150 high school seniors who have a significant impact on their communities through leadership in service and action.
3. Burger King Scholars Program: Grants range from $1,000 to $60,000, and the program has awarded $40 million in scholarships to more than 36,000 high school students since its inception in 2000.
4. Ronald McDonald House Charities Scholarships: These scholarships are awarded to students in financial need who have demonstrated strong academic performance and leadership skills.
5. Dell Scholars Program: This scholarship program awards 300 scholarships annually, each worth $20,000, a laptop, and textbook credits.
These national scholarships are popular and highly competitive. Many also require a strong outline of community service or leadership, so it's beneficial to start working towards these early in your high school journey. Remember that most colleges have their internal merit scholarships that don't require a separate application and are often quite generous, so make sure to also research those as you're considering different colleges. When you're trying to estimate your net cost of attendance for a particular school, you can use tools like Appily – formerly known as Cappex – or the school's net price calculator to get a sense of your likely financial aid package, including merit scholarships.
Make sure to pay attention to scholarship deadlines too, as they can be quite early. Good luck!
CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.