Why Prep? Part 2: Scholarships
College is expensive, and most students rely on scholarships to cover some or all of tuition. If you don’t expect to receive need-based aid, merit scholarships are one of the few ways to earn tuition. Applying to private scholarships can be both time-consuming and difficult to sort through, and in the end you are still competing against thousands of other students in a similar position.
Many colleges will offer direct merit scholarships if you can demonstrate academic excellence. While you are likely familiar with common scholarships like the Dean’s Scholarship, given to incoming students who display a strong academic profile, you may not know what exactly determines your eligibility. However, there’s a common misconception that eligibility for merit scholarships can only be achieved through incoming GPA, course rigor, or participation in extracurricular activities. However, test scores alone can also earn you merit aid depending on your school.
Some schools advertise this directly, like Arizona State University. As an incoming freshman at ASU, you can earn $7,500 - $10,000 in merit scholarships in merit scholarships with an ACT score of 25 or an SAT score of 1200. These are given upon submission of the scores, and you’re automatically qualified if you meet those standards. Of course there are other ways to qualify for merit scholarships at ASU - higher GPA, higher class rank, more rigorous course load - but for seniors, those measures are nearly impossible to change in the few months before submitting college applications. If you are an accepted student looking for merit-based scholarships, the submission of SAT or ACT scores may be the most concrete way to earn that aid.
The Western Exchange schools are also a financially-viable option, as they offer in-state tuition at participating out-of-state colleges for California residents. The Western Exchange offers the Western Achievement Award, a $6,000 per year tuition waiver, if you score a 24 on the ACT or an 1180 on the SAT. These awards are granted without any additional application on your part. One important piece to note about the merit-based scholarships given by the Western Exchange is that they have hard cutoffs for test scores that qualify, so those scores play an integral role in determining if you will be receiving aid.
While these are options that most schools have, not all colleges are as direct about which scores qualify you for merit aid. One of the little-known facts about merit scholarships is that more often than not, schools will require test scores to qualify for merit scholarships even if the school is test-optional or test-blind for admissions purposes. When you’re looking into merit-based options, you should check your schools’ financial aid or scholarship resources to check if test scores are required.
While GPA, class rank, course rigor, and every other piece of your college application is important in determining eligibility for aid, they aren’t necessarily required to be eligible for scholarships. Sitting for an official ACT or SAT could help you get thousands in merit aid that you otherwise wouldn’t qualify for. If you’re looking to explore all possible aid options, taking an ACT or SAT is a good place to start.
