Degradation of National Scholarships


Approved Scholarships and Grants, and Educational Courses

In his research document, Professor Heller concluded that “Over the last decade, there has been a fundamental shift in the awarding of scholarships to undergraduate students in the United States.” In his Scholarships and Grants research paper, Prof. Heller further states that”…More and more, these [scholarships]/grants are being made not based on the financial need of the student and her family – which has been the predominant criterion since the passage of the Higher Education Act of 1965 over 40 years ago – but instead, are being awarded using measures of academic merit without consideration of financial need.”

A common source used to obtain data regarding the trends in National Scholarships and Grants, including the racial, demographic, and economic data of those students receiving scholarships and grants, is data and statistics from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS), which is a department of the U.S. Department of Education.

National Scholarships

National Scholarships


Using this data, we, can analyze changes in institutional national scholarships, and grant awards. The research paper on Scholarships and Grants by Heller in 2008 is important because it is necessary to address the dominant topics and themes of his report while we fast-forward to the ever-changing Scholarships and Grant landscape of 2013.

In 2008, if one were to search the statistics and data regarding the distribution of Scholarships, and Grants, one would most likely find data that mirrors the survey conducted by Heller which covered approximately 6,000 Title-IV eligible colleges and universities in the U.S.A. in the year the study was conducted.

A substantial amount of information regarding scholarships and grants was collected from students and parents through telephone or web-based interviews, as well as from institutional records and federal financial aid databases.

In 1995, for example, national scholarships and grant to undergraduate students for colleges and universities across the country totaled approximately $6.9 billion. Much of these scholarship and grant funds were the result of savings from undergraduate students from their own resources. By 2003, the amount of scholarships and grants had more than doubled to $14.1 billion, according to Heller. In every scholarship and grant sector, institutional financial-aid spending/granting grew faster than tuition increases over this period, which averaged 44 percent at community colleges, 65 percent at public 4-year institutions, and 55 percent at private 4-year institutions , according to the a College Board report published in 2005 regarding a similar study about scholarships and grants.

The growth in the popularity of state merit grants and national scholarships is often attributed to the implementation of the HOPE National Scholarship program in Georgia. Since the development of this national scholarship program in 1993,fourteen states have created similar, broad-based national scholarship programs (Heller & Marin, 2002,2004). Unlike need-based grants, which are universally funded from state general revenues and are subject to the dictates of the politically-driven appropriation process in each state, states use a variety of funding mechanisms – including general funds, lottery revenues, and funds from tobacco litigation settlements to fund national scholarships.

During this time period, a substantial number of national scholarships, and grants were funded from proceeds of litigation against major cigarette manufacturers. However, as the time period moved forward into the new century, this sort of funding dried up.

National Scholarships

National Scholarships (NAAS.ORG)

Please click this link for information about Honorable National Scholarships for high school students, moms, mothers, and women, seeking scholarships, grants, and financial-aid

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