Merit-based financial aid is one of the main financial aid
packages awarded based on their merit or merit plus of students.
Merit-based financial aids usually come from state or federal
sources or private sources. These types of financial aid
packages are intended to assists students to help their college
expenses. Merit-based financial aid need not have to be repaid.
The rules and regulations of financial aid packages are based on
the federal financial aid rules.
Merit-based financial aids can be obtained based on your
performance or talents in a variety of areas such as academic
achievement, extracurricular involvement, athletic, leadership,
volunteer work, or artistic talent (art, music, or theater). You
can also obtain merit-based financial aid if you have any other
personal qualities which distinguish you in the applicant pool.
Merit-based financial aid will not consider you or your family's
financial situation. Though most scholarships are a combination
of financial need and merit, but still there are several
scholarships which are purely based on merit. Recipients of
these scholarships are selected without regard to income
information. The amount of scholarship varies according to the
state you reside and also in which scheme you are awarded by a
scholarship.
Now let us check how to search for a merit-based financial aid.
First of all you have to contact your State Department of Higher
Education. Almost every state will have a scholarship program
for its residents. But remember that these scholarship programs
will mostly be limited to its students who join the college.
That is, for example the scholarship program offered by the
State of Alabama will be provided for qualified students of
Alabama who decide to attend in Alabama state colleges and
universities. Also, the student applying for a merit-based
financial aid package need to be enrolled, or accepted for
enrollment, or must be attending at least half-time in an
approved postsecondary educational institution.
Also don't forget to research institutional scholarships. Check
the various types of scholarship programs offered by the
colleges. You can check the college websites, catalogs, and
financial aid offices to know the details of institutional
scholarships offered by them. Institutional awards are usually
offered within a particular college or on a university-wide
basis. Hence check what types of institutional scholarships are
offered by your college or the college you are going to join.
After checking a list of scholarships that interest you, apply
for the one with relevant documents which support your
achievements. To receive merit-based financial aids you need to
fill up the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), no
matter how many colleges you are considering. The FAFSA features
a section for students to record the colleges to which you need
your information to be sent. Remember to check with each college
to verify if there are any additional forms required.
About the author:
Jakob Jelling is the founder of
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