Academic scholarships, also known as merit scholarships, are awarded by colleges to attract high-achieving students. These scholarships can cover a portion—or even all—of your tuition. Some may even help pay for housing, meals, and sometimes textbooks or supplies, offering significant financial relief.
Unlike other scholarships, academic awards are usually granted automatically by the admissions office. They’re based on your high school GPA and SAT/ACT scores, so you typically don’t need to fill out a separate application form. However, they’re highly competitive and often reserved for top-performing students, such as valedictorians, salutatorians, or those ranked high in their graduating class.
A major advantage of academic scholarships is that many are renewable. This means you can rely on the funds throughout your college years—as long as you meet the required academic standards. Stay focused on your studies to retain the award and continue easing the cost of your education.
- Academic scholarships are awards based on academic performance, which can be used to cover tuition and other college expenses.
- Eligibility requirements vary by scholarship, but may include grade point average (GPA), test scores, major or field of study, leadership experience, and involvement in extracurricular activities.
- The majority of academic scholarships are offered by colleges and universities, although organizations such as foundations and corporations may also provide them.
- Many types of academic scholarships exist, including merit-based awards, honors scholarships, leadership awards, corporate-sponsored scholarships and more.
Major Sources of Academic Scholarships
The most well-known source of academic scholarships are the National Merit Scholarships awarded through the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Students enter this scholarship competition by taking the PSAT/NMSQT in October of the junior year in high school. More than 4,000 college-sponsored merit scholarships and more than 1,000 corporate-sponsored merit scholarships are awarded each year through this program.
The Stamps Family Charitable Foundation also funds full-tuition academic scholarships at several dozen U.S. colleges and universities.
How to Find Academic Scholarships
Academic scholarships are restricted to students who enroll at the college or university that sponsors the award. The easiest way to find these awards is to look on the web sites of the colleges of interest to the student. Googling the name of the college and “academic scholarships” or “merit scholarships” can also help locate information about academic scholarships offered by the college.
Some scholarship matching services list academic scholarships in addition to private scholarships, but only for the colleges that the student lists in his or her background profile.
The web site MeritAid.com allows students to search for colleges that offer academic scholarships that match the student’s academic credentials. U.S. News publishes a list of colleges with the Most Students Receiving Merit Aid. But both of these sources include non-need-based aid, not just academic scholarships. They include many colleges that indiscriminately award small grants to almost every admitted student as part of a strategy that involves front-loading of grants.
Full-Tuition Academic Scholarships
This list includes only the colleges and universities that offer full-tuition academic scholarships. A full-tuition academic scholarship provides a big incentive for academically talented students to consider enrolling at a less-selective institution.
- Albright College (PA)
- American University (DC)
- Andrews University (MI)
- Arcadia University (PA)
- Arizona State University (AZ)
- Ball State University (IN)
- Baylor University (TX)
- Bellarmine University (KY)
- Belmont University (TN)
- Bentley University (MA)
- Bluffton University (OH)
- Boston College (MA)
- Boston University (MA)
- Bowling Green State University (OH)
- Brandeis University (MA)
- Bridgewater College (VA)
- Bryan College (TN)
- Carroll University (WI)
- Carthage College (WI)
- Catholic University of America (DC)
- Cedar Crest College (PA)
- Clemson University (SC)
- Coe College (IA)
- College of William & Mary (VA)
- Colorado State University (CO)
- Creighton University (NE)
- Davidson College (NC)
- Denison University (OH)
- DePaul University (IL)
- Drake University (IA)
- Drexel University (PA)
- Duke University (NC)
- Eastern Michigan University (MI)
- Emory University (GA)
- Fairfield University (CT)
- Faulkner University (AL)
- Florida A&M University (FL)
- Florida College (FL)
- Florida Institute of Technology (FL)
- Florida International University (FL)
- Fordham University (NY)
- Fort Hayes State University (KS)
- Furman University (SC)
- George Washington University (DC)
- Georgia Institute of Technology (GA)
- Georgia State University (GA)
- Harding University (AR)
- Hiram College (OH)
- Hofstra University (NY)
- Howard University (DC)
- Husson University (ME)
- Illinois Institute of Technology (IL)
- Indiana University Bloomington (IN)
- Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IN)
- Johns Hopkins University (MD)
- Knox College (IL)
- Lamar University (TX)
- Lesley University (MA)
- Lewis & Clark College (OR)
- Lipscomb University (TN)
- Louisiana State University at Shreveport (LA)
- Louisiana Tech University (LA)
- Loyola Marymount University (CA)
- Loyola University Maryland (MD)
- Loyola University New Orleans (LA)
- Lubbock Christian University (TX)
- Lynn University (FL)
- Marshall University (WV)
- Maryville University (MO)
- Miami University (OH)
- Michigan State University (MI)
- Michigan Technical University (MI)
- Millsaps College (MS)
- Mississippi State University (MS)
- Montana State University (MT)
- Morehead State University (KY)
- Mount St. Mary’s University (MD)
- New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJ)
- New Mexico State University (NM)
- North Carolina A&T State University (NC)
- North Carolina Central University (NC)
- North Carolina State University (NC)
- North Dakota State University (ND)
- Northeastern University (MA)
- Nova Southeastern University (FL)
- Occidental College (CA)
- Oglethorpe University (GA)
- Ohio State University (OH)
- Oklahoma Baptist University (OK)
- Oklahoma Christian University (OK)
- Oklahoma City University (OK)
- Oklahoma State University (OK)
- Oklahoma Wesleyan University (OK)
- Olivet Nazarene University (IL)
- Pacific Northwest College of Art (OR)
- Point Loma Nazarene University (CA)
- Providence College (RI)
- Purdue University (IN)
- Ramapo College (NJ)
- Rhodes College (TN)
- Rice University (TX)
- Rivier University (NH)
- Roberts Wesleyan College (NY)
- Rockhurst University (MO)
- Rollins College (FL)
- Rutgers University (NJ)
- Saint Joseph’s University (PA)
- Saint Louis University (MO)
- Salem College (NC)
- Seattle Pacific University (WA)
- Snow College (UT)
- South Carolina State University (SC)
- Southeastern Missouri State University (MO)
- Southern Illinois University (IL)
- Southern Methodist University (TX)
- Southern Utah University (UT)
- Southwestern Michigan College (MI)
- Southwestern Oklahoma State University (OK)
- Southwestern University (TX)
- Spring Hill College (AL)
- St. Catherine University (MN)
- St. John’s University (NY)
- St. Lawrence University (NY)
- Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ)
- Stevenson University (MD)
- Syracuse University (NY)
- Tennessee State University (TN)
- Texas A&M University — Kingsville (TX)
- Texas Christian University (TX)
- Texas Christian University (TX)
- Texas Woman’s University (TX)
- Transylvania University (KY)
- Troy University (AL)
- Tulane University (LA)
- University of Alabama (AL)
- University of Alabama in Huntsville (AL)
- University of Alaska – Anchorage (AK)
- University of Arizona (AZ)
- University of Arkansas – Monticello (AR)
- University of Arkansas at Little Rock (AR)
- University of Buffalo (NY)
- University of California Irvine (CA)
- University of California Riverside (CA)
- University of Central Florida (FL)
- University of Chicago (IL)
- University of Connecticut (CT)
- University of Delaware (DE)
- University of Detroit Mercy (MI)
- University of Evansville (IN)
- University of Georgia (GA)
- University of Hawaii (HI)
- University of Houston (TX)
- University of Idaho (ID)
- University of Illinois (IL)
- University of Kansas (KS)
- University of Kentucky (KY)
- University of Louisiana at Monroe (LA)
- University of Louisville (KY)
- University of Maryland – College Park (MD)
- University of Massachusetts Lowell (MA)
- University of Miami (FL)
- University of Michigan (MI)
- University of Minnesota Morris (MN)
- University of Mississippi (MS)
- University of Missouri — Kansas City (MO)
- University of Missouri (MO)
- University of Nebraska (NE)
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas (NV)
- University of North Alabama (AL)
- University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill (NC)
- University of North Carolina – Charlotte (NC)
- University of North Dakota (ND)
- University of North Texas (TX)
- University of Oklahoma (OK)
- University of Oregon (OR)
- University of Richmond (VA)
- University of San Francisco (CA)
- University of South Carolina (SC)
- University of South Florida (FL)
- University of Southern California (CA)
- University of Southern Mississippi (MS)
- University of Texas at Arlington (TX)
- University of Texas at Austin (TX)
- University of Texas at Dallas (TX)
- University of Texas at Tyler (TX)
- University of Toledo (OH)
- University of Tulsa (OK)
- University of Virginia (VA)
- University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee (WI)
- University of Wyoming (WY)
- Utah State University (UT)
- Vanderbilt University (TN)
- Villanova University (PA)
- Virginia Commonwealth University (VA)
- Wake Forest University (NC)
- Washington Adventist University (MD)
- Washington and Lee University (VA)
- Washington State University (WA)
- Washington University in St. Louis (MO)
- Wayne State University (MI)
- Westminster College (PA)
- Wichita State University (KS)
- Widener University (PA)
- Wofford College (SC)
- Xavier University (OH)
- Yeshiva University (NY)
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