1200 Major Merit Scholarships

This post was first published in January 2016. As of June 2019, the current version of the Full Scholarship List is version 7.1 published 3-13-2019. It is still available through the links below and is a completely updated list of major merit scholarships.

For those of us who don’t expect to qualify for need-based aid from colleges and whose college-bound kids are near the top of the class, large merit scholarships are the “holy grail.”  However, it can be difficult to find all the opportunities that are out there.

I recently completed a MAJOR update to my Full Scholarship List, taking it from around 450 major merit scholarships to over 1200 merit-based full ride scholarships and full tuition scholarships.

For those of you who have already purchased the Full Scholarship List, please bear with me.  I am just excited to tell others about what the updated list offers.

What the New & Improved Full Scholarship List Provides:

• Talent Scholarships – I have added Talent scholarships to the list.  Talent scholarships are usually lower dollar amounts, but I found 29 talent scholarships that range up to Full Tuition.  These are for Art, Music and Theatre. As of version 7.1, there are 42 talent-based full tuition and full ride scholarships on the Full Scholarship List.
• Scholarships for National Merit and/or National Achievement Finalists/Semi-Finalists – There are 117 scholarships specifically given to semi-finalists and finalists in these competitions that indicate they will cover up to Full Tuition or even a Full Ride (including room & board). As of version 7.1, there are 116  full tuition scholarships and full ride scholarships offered to National Merit finalists and semi-finalists on the Full Scholarship List.
• Automatic Scholarships – There are 175 automatic scholarships that indicate they range to Full Tuition or Full Ride.  By automatic, I mean that your student doesn’t need to compete for these.  If he or she applies for admission at the college and meets the merit scholarship qualifications, the scholarship is automatically granted. As of version 7.1, there are 101 automatic full tuition scholarships and full ride scholarships on the Full Scholarship List.
• Competitive Scholarships – 899 scholarships on the list are competitive.  This doesn’t necessary mean your student has to go through a formal competition.  Many of these merit scholarships just involve a review of all eligible students and selection of specific students for the scholarship.  Of these 899 competitive scholarships, 756 are offered in an amount guaranteed to equal full tuition or more. As of version 7.1, there are  879 competitive full ride scholarships and full tuition scholarships on the Full Scholarship List.
• Scholarships for International Students – 53 scholarships are offered to international students, either exclusively, or in addition to U.S. citizens.  All of these are offered at a range up to full tuition or more. As of version 7.1, there are 63 full ride scholarships and full tuition  scholarships offered to international students on the Full Scholarship List.
• Scholarships for Valedictorians and Salutatorians – As of version 7.1, there are 22 full ride scholarships and full tuition scholarships offered exclusively to high school valedictorians and salutatorians on the Full Scholarship List.
• Compare the Scholarship Amount to the Tuition Cost – The Full Scholarship List includes the current listed tuition rate for each school so you can see just how big each scholarship is.
• Assess Your Student’s Chances for Competitive Merit Scholarships – I have included each school’s mid-50% ACT and SAT scores.  You can use these to compare against your student’s scores.  If your student’s ACT or SAT score is above the mid-50% range, his or her chances of winning a competitive merit scholarship are greater.
• How Competitive is the School?  There will be many schools that you aren’t very familiar with.  The Full Scholarship List includes the percentage of applicants who are offered admission so you can assess the competitiveness of the school.

Update: As of version 7.0, the Full Scholarship List also contains full ride and full tuition scholarships offered by states and private organizations/foundations. In addition, it includes a listing of colleges that do not offer merit scholarships.

If you are interested in finding full tuition scholarships and full ride scholarships for your student, the Full Scholarship List offers the most extensive and most up-to-date listing of these available.  You can sort and filter to find the scholarships that apply to your student.  Click here  to find out more details.