General Information
Each college will outline all financial aid programs and application requirements on their financial aid office web page. Look for a link to the “Grants & Scholarships” or “Merit Scholarships on each school website for specific information about school-awarded merit scholarships and the specific application requirements.
Q & A
How do I apply for school-awarded merit scholarships?
At many schools the admissions application serves as the merit aid application and no additional forms are required. In some the cases the admissions application serves as the merit aid application for some of the merit scholarships while additional forms or essays are required for others.
What is the deadline to apply for school-awarded merit scholarships?
It varies widely from school to school. Usually the merit aid deadline is the same as the admissions application deadline, but at some schools it is earlier than the admissions application deadline and at some schools it is later.
In some cases you must submit the admissions application before the normal deadline in order to be considered for merit scholarships. For example, at the University of Southern California the deadline for applying for admission is January 15, but if you want to be considered for merit scholarships you must submit the application for admission by December 1. This “priority deadline” is not related to any early notification policy such as Early Decision or Early Action, but simply a deadline for consideration for merit based financial aid.
What are my chances of receiving school-awarded merit scholarships?
It depends on a lot of factors. Review the information in the Qualifying for Merit Aid section.
