Academic College Scholarships

Each year colleges and universities allocate $11 billion to award to deserving students for full tuition scholarships; however, finding financial aid sources is often a challenge in itself for graduating students. Academic and merit scholarships assist many students each year with full tuition and fees while attending accredited colleges and universities.

The requirements vary between scholarships but high school students and college freshmen must excel in academics with a cumulative grade point average between 3.0 and 4.0, graduating at least in the top ten percent of their graduating class. Academic scholarships are based for the most part on grade point averages as well as scores on the ACT and SAT.

Other requirements, especially for merit scholarships, include excelling in sports or liberal arts, possessing an honorary title, or recognized by a prestigious organization or society such as the National Merit Scholarships. The qualifications for National Merit Scholarships typically also include community service involvement, displayed leadership skills or political involvement. Whether seeking financial aid based on academics or leadership, the scholarship search is quiet competitive. Many students discover more opportunities from private sources.

The application process to apply for an academic scholarship is a rigorous process. Students must provide official transcripts, and be prepared to write essays, display diversity in course load, or demonstrate participation in extracurricular activities such as volunteering, clubs or sports.

Rutgers University

Rutgers University, a New Jersey educational institute, provides incoming qualifying students with first-year merit scholarships. Recipients maintaining at least a 3.0 grade point average are eligible to receive the financial aid through the student’s undergraduate studies. The Presidential Scholarship award grants an eligible student $24,000 to cover tuition and housing costs for the 2011-2012 year. The University’s Scarlet Scholarship is available for qualifying freshmen, offering financial aid up to $7,500 annually based on academic merit as well as financial need.

University of California

The Regent’s Scholarship is awarded to students based on personal achievements, academic merit and financial need offered from the University of California. Scholarship amounts vary from $1,000 to cover four years of tuition. Alumni Scholarships are also available for eligible students based on leadership accomplishments and academic success ranging from $300 to $15,000 for the 2011-2012 academic year.

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan offers academic departmental scholarships to cover tuition and fees for students pursuing diverse majors. Qualifying engineering and science majors are considered for the Don W. Briggs Scholarship Fund. Students excelling in academics and leadership displaying a financial need may be eligible for the Albert C. Dames Memorial Scholarship. Students from a single-parent household or the first in his or her family to pursue higher education may be eligible for the Michigan Tradition Scholarship.

Bridgewater College

Bridgewater College allocates substantial resources to qualifying students through its President’s Merit Award. Each year high school seniors and transfer students apply for grants and scholarships from $11,000 to full-tuition. The scholarships and merit awards are based on high school academic performance, class rank, and ACT or SAT scores. As a renewable scholarship for upcoming freshmen, students may retain the award each academic year assuming they maintain an appropriate grade point average.

Academic Scholarships for Minorities

There are also academic college scholarships and merit scholarships for minority students. Although scholarships are also based on academics and other prestigious factors, minority scholarships are awarded solely to minority students to cover tuition and fees. The following are a couple of such scholarship opportunities for minorities.

Microsoft Scholarship Program

The Microsoft Scholarship Program is among the leading academic college scholarship for minorities. The program offers three scholarship programs for women, minorities, and students with disabilities displaying an interest in a software related field. Minority scholarships are awarded each year to students of African American, Native American or Hispanic descent. Scholarships are awarded based on factors such as academic merit, financial need and future career goals to cover partial or full tuition.

The Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship Program

The Jackie Robinson Foundation is a renowned scholarship program for minority high school seniors in the amount of $7,500. Recipients are chosen on academic accomplishments, community service, financial need, and leadership skills. Applicants must submit letters of recommendations, copies of SAT/ACT scores and official school transcripts along with scholarship application.

Where to find academic and merit scholarships?

High school seniors and incoming freshmen often become overwhelmed in the scholarship search; however, there are a couple of places to begin the quest.

• State’s Department of Education or College Fund’s website
• Public libraries
• List of private and public organizations
• Parents’ Workplaces
• College and university’s financial aid offices
• Academic Scholarships and Merit Scholarships websites such as MeritAid.com

Whether graduating high school seniors or incoming freshmen excelling in academics and proven leadership skills, academic and merit scholarships are available to assist with the costs of tuition and fees.

You can also read about Catholic College Scholarships here.

The information displayed on this website is our own opinion only. For more information on Scholarships we absolutely recommend looking at the official US Government website http://state.gov