When it comes to researching grants for college students, you will most likely come across merit based grants. These specific grants are ideal because they assist you in paying for college without building a mountain of debt. Merit based grants are something of an honor because they reward the academic or extracurricular achievements of a high school student. However, you do not have to be genius, or an impressive athlete, to qualify for this sort of grant. As long as you have performed reasonably well in school, you can qualify for at least a certain amount of money. Later on in life, it looks impressive on a resume if you mention that you successfully applied for a college grant. Here we’ll explore these grants a little further to see if you can do just that.
A merit based grant, like most other grants for college students, has its own set of criteria that you must meet. Unlike need based grants, you do not have to fall into a certain income bracket to qualify for this form of financial aid. A merit based grant is more concerned with your academic achievements; though for certain merit based grants, your financial status may be taken into account. An example of a common merit based grant is the state grant. With a state grant, there is usually a maximum set on the amount of money that your parents can earn. However, because you meet the financial aspect of the grant, it does not mean you will qualify for it. You must meet the academic requirements as well.
Your grades are the primary consideration when it comes to the necessary criteria for merit based grants. For freshman college students, your grades in high school will be the prime factor. For transfer students from a community college to a university, your college grades will be the factor of most importance. There are merit based grants for college students that are not dependent upon grades, but rather upon your extracurricular activates.
The qualifications for most merit based grants for college students do not require you to be a genius. In order to qualify, students are typically required to possess a grade-point-average between 2.5 and 3.0. If you are a student whose grades do not meet these criteria at the moment, you can think of receiving a merit based grant as an incentive to improve your academic performance.
