College Programs with Full Ride Merit Scholarships

College is expensive. Increasingly, college is very, very expensive. We’ve written about financial aid, college specific scholarships, and merit aid before. In this article, however, we’re going to discuss a specific type of college programs and scholarships: full ride merit scholarships provided in conjunction with honors colleges.

We’ve talked about honors colleges before, and noted that they often have expanded opportunities for scholarships. In this article, we’ll go through programs that offer full scholarship (or more), and what they require for admission. We’ll also briefly discuss who these programs are best suited for, and what you have to do to maintain these scholarships throughout your college career. Let’s get started!

Why Colleges Provide Full Ride Scholarships

Merit scholarships, and honors colleges generally have several purposes, but cynically, the schools which are offering the most money through these programs are the ones who are trying to improve their reputation and ranking.

While many components of rankings are subjective, having great students who graduate on time and come in with great credentials have a big impact. Thus, the more eager a school is to improve their standings, the more money they will be throwing at honors colleges and related scholarships to attract these high performing students.

Schools which are already top performers contribute less money to these scholarships. UT Austin is a great school. They know they’re a great school, and every student in Texas knows it too. They do not have to use honors scholarship funding to attract great students; all of the best students in the state apply as a matter of course, and many will attend based on what other schools admit them.

These scholarships are meant to entice students who would otherwise attend schools with a more famous name, but which provide far less financial support, and that brings us to who these programs are best for. 

Scholarships for the Middle Class

Many thinkpieces bemoan how difficult college attendance has become for the middle class. Unlike the very wealthiest, they cannot pay out of pocket. Unlike the poorest, they do not receive any need-based aid (not that there is enough need-based aid for all those who need it either, but that’s a different article). 

High performing middle class students have the grades and extracurricular achievements needed to get into and succeed at the nation’s top colleges, but don’t always have the financial resources necessary to take advantage of these opportunities. These merit scholarships are aimed squarely at these students, trying to lure them from more famous names with the promise of a fully-funded debt free college experience. 

Of course, these scholarships can and do benefit all high-performing students, but it is this band of the middle class who we believe will find the most value in them. 

Full Ride Scholarship Programs

Here is a table with full ride scholarship programs, including a link to each program’s website. We will also tell you what funding the program provides, and what the academic requirements are for admission (When listed). Note that not all programs have strict admissions requirements, but most do. We have ordered the program alphabetically by university.

Benefits listed are just financial. These programs also generally have other academic benefits, including mentorship opportunities, access to the honors college, additional research opportunities, and sometimes priority registration for classes.

Requirements marked with an * are suggested, not mandatory for admittance. Requirements are suggested or mandatory minimums to apply; some schools do not have hard requirements, these programs generally accept the very best students who apply in an admissions cycle.

Applying to Full-Ride Programs

Each of these programs has their own requirements for application, but each is looking for similar things in candidates. These are: 

• Evidence of intellectual vitality; namely that you demonstrated a consistent love for learning and exploring for its own sake.
• Leadership, that you have demonstrated both the ability and willingness to step up and assume responsibility when necessary.
• Academic performance, that you have taken the hardest classes available to you, and that you have excelled in them.
• Extracurricular achievements, that you have clearly defined passions, and have pursued them to the best of your ability.
• Sense of community, that you have given back to the community you are a part of, and worked to make the world a better place.

You may notice that this is exactly what Ivy League and Ivy+ schools are looking for in applicants. This is intentional. These programs are designed to appeal to and recruit students who would otherwise apply to and attend the nation’s top colleges, and they have similar standards for what they want to see from applicants.

Application Logistics

The mechanics of each application differ, but they usually follow similar steps:

• First, you must apply to, and be accepted by, the broader school. Usually, this must be done by or before the early or priority deadline. This generally falls on November 1, but differs by school.
• Once this is done, you must apply to the school’s honors college, or to the program directly. This generally requires additional essays, letters of recommendation, or submission of a resume. Some of these programs require interviews or other supplemental materials. This application must also come earlier than other deadlines at some programs.
• Your applications are then evaluated based on the points above, with an eye towards admitting students who will benefit most from the program. 

The timelines for these applications are often accelerated compared to regular applications; we recommend getting started in the summer before your senior year to ensure that you have all of the necessary materials completed in time. 

Keeping Full Ride Scholarships

Unlike need-based scholarships, merit scholarships require you to meet specific academic benchmarks to be renewed each year. As with applications, the actual benchmarks vary by school, but they generally consist of: 

• Keeping your GPA above a benchmark (generally at least 3.0).
• Maintaining full-time status.
• Taking at least one honors course per semester.
• Participation in program-specific initiatives and activities. 

There are two reasons for these requirements. First, colleges are trying to build something with these programs. Just as Harvard wants to recruit future presidents and business leaders, so too do these programs. They want to make sure you are well positioned to succeed when you graduate, and that you are making full use of the resources they are giving you.

Second, colleges see these scholarships as an investment. The presence of bright, high achieving students and alumni makes a campus community better. They want to ensure their investment is paying dividends, so they tie continued funding to continued performance. 

We want you to be aware of this before you apply to these scholarships. It is terrible to be blindsided by a loss of much-needed funding partway through a college career. We encourage all our students to make sure they know exactly what is required of them when they apply to a program, and to be sure they are alright with the expectations that will be placed upon them. 

Final Thoughts

There are many great colleges and programs in the country, and our list is not exhaustive (though it is as thorough as we could make it). We do hope that it has given you some new ideas to explore when building your college list, and shown you new possibilities to consider when facing the ever present challenge of paying for college.

Of course, the first challenge is still getting into college. As with other top programs, your essays and activities are a key part of your applications. If you want advice on how best to approach these, or want help in telling your story, schedule a free consultation to learn how we can help you. We have a long experience helping students get into the country’s top programs, and are always happy to hear from you.