Merit Based Scholarships: A Summary of All The Things You Will Need to Know

As a doctor and college advisor, I often look back at the full tuition scholarship I was fortunate enough to receive from the University of Southern California. Since then, I have guided students to obtain their own merit scholarships, some up to $100,000. Merit scholarships are an incredible opportunity for your student to accomplish something that can stay with them for the rest of the life in their minds. It's something that of course can financially help but also it will build their confidence and it also stays on their resume for life! It's a huge feat and accomplishment that they can work towards as long as they stay purposeful, committed, and determined.

I can make more posts geared towards students in different grades in high school, but for now wanted to make a general overview of scholarships.

National Merit Scholarship Program:

I myself received the National Merit Scholarship due to my PSAT score for national merit scholarship meeting the qualifying score. Many families ask, "How do you qualify for the scholarship?" and how much is the actual value of the national merit scholarship.

I will make another blog post about this specific scholarship with details and discussion points, but the general points: You take the PSAT, which is almost like a shortened SAT test, in eleventh grade. Senior year, you find out if your PSAT score made you eligible for the national merit scholarship, making you a semifinalist, and a certain number of the semifinalists go on to become finalists. I received the award which gave me a few thousand dollars each year I was at the University of Southern California, but the award varies with the college. For example, the University of South Florida might have different merit award amounts if you are a finalist for the program.

FAFSA:

Financial based aid! Apply as soon as the application opens (this year it was October 1, 2025). You will need your parents' income and tax information in order to complete it, so ask your parents to help with this. You may be offered some aid, you may not, but there is no harm in completing it. Some merit scholarships that aren't completely need-based may still require or request that you fill out FAFSA, so it's a good idea to complete it just in case for that as well.

Merit scholarships:

The most common question I receive from parents regarding scholarships: how to find them? Many universities -among them the University of Southern California, University of Miami, University of South Tampa, University of South Florida and more-will offer generous merit scholarships that are offered regardless of household income and financial need. This means that if your student can write a compelling common application essay, supplementals, and overall present themselves competitively, they may be offered an interview invitation. This may require applying by specific deadlines-for example, the University of Southern California requests that your common application is submitted by an earlier deadline than the regular deadline in order to be considered for many of the major merit based scholarships.

In terms of other merit scholarships, you can find some locally as well! San Diego for example has many local scholarships, and not all of them are need-based. As a college advisor, I've helped students surf through San Diego scholarships that may be based on the major they are entering, their ethnic background, or the career they aspire toward. Some are even based on the district they live in.

If you have more questions or would like more details on merit scholarships, comment below or Live Chat me! Happy to create more posts on merit scholarships, applications, essays, and even merit scholarship interviews!

Sincerely ,

Dr. Medeeha Khan