A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education.
Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need, research experience or specific professional experience.
Scholarship criteria usually reflect the values and goals of the donor of the award.
While scholarship recipients are not required to repay scholarships, the awards may require that the recipient continue to meet certain requirements during their period of support, such as maintaining a minimum grade point average or engaging in a certain activity (e.g., playing on a school sports team for athletic scholarship holders).
[3] A federal Pell Grant can be awarded to someone planning to receive their undergraduate degree and is solely based on their financial needs.