The 205 Best Merit-Based Scholarships in May 2026

A 3.5 GPA means that a student has an average grade of A- in their courses. Such an impressive GPA can be extremely helpful for scholarship applicants.

The cost of college tuition seems to continue to rise every year, leaving many college students unable to afford higher education. While need-based financial aid can help many students fund their education, this form of support only helps a tiny fraction of students. The vast majority of students still need aid to cover their remaining tuition costs.

Though students do not have to put their career aspirations on hold. There are many scholarships available that are not awarded based on a student's financial need. Many scholarships are intended for students who excel academically, a scholarship might be awarded to the applicant with the highest test scores or grade point average.

A grade point average is determined by assigning a numeric value to a student's letter grade to determine how well a student scores in their courses on average. Generally, a GPA is calculated on a scale of 1-4, with grades of A equaling a 4 and grades of F equaling 0, but some schools might use a weighted 5.0 scale.

On a 5.0 scale, classes that are deemed more complex can be given a higher point value than other subjects. For students whose schools determine GPAs on a 5-point scale, it's important that they also know their unweighted GPA as well.

What Is a 3.5 GPA Scholarship?

Many merit based scholarships exist that allow students to secure college funding regardless of their financial need. Athletic scholarships and academic scholarships are two of the most common types of merit based scholarships.

Often academic scholarships will limit applicants based on class rank or other factors like GPA. Students with a 3.5 GPA can easily find a merit based scholarship that they qualify for. It's better to apply for scholarships that limit eligible applicants as a smaller applicant pool can increase one's chances of being awarded the scholarship.

By maintaining higher grades than most other students, high school and college students can make themselves great candidates for 3.5 GPA scholarships. GPA scholarships help qualified students pursue their degrees without having to stress about the cost of college tuition.

Many universities and colleges award scholarships as part of their school's financial aid package, but students can also find outside scholarships to apply for. Having a 3.5 GPA is a great first step toward earning scholarship money.

Can You Get a Scholarship with a 3.5 GPA?

The first step to getting any scholarship is to apply. Several scholarships have minimum GPA requirements, which applicants must meet to be eligible for scholarship awards. Thankfully, a 3.5 GPA opens the door to many of these scholarships. Some students might even be able to cover the full cost of their college tuition through these scholarships.

How to Apply for 3.5 GPA Scholarships

3.5 GPA scholarships can be found by creating a free profile on Bold.org. After filling out some biographical information, you will gain access to hundreds of scholarships. Students can begin searching through all scholarships by keyword, category, and education level.

Once a student finds a scholarship they want to apply for, they must be sure to read through the description to make sure the scholarship fits their interests and that it fits all eligibility requirements.

Usually, a scholarship will ask applicants to write a short biographical essay on a subject of interest to the donor, but there are many other "No-essay" scholarship applications that will not require any writing whatsoever.

Many scholarships will look at the information a student puts on their Bold profile. Having a more detailed Bold profile will stand out to donors and can increase your chances of winning a scholarship award.

"No-essay" scholarships are easy to apply for, but this easy application means they have larger application pools. It is best to apply to scholarships with more limited application pools as this gives students the best chance at earning a scholarship award.

Students can search through the scholarship search feature to find open scholarships they are eligible for. Even international students studying in the United States can find scholarships tailored to their academic programs.

If you're currently in college or have already completed your degree, there are also available scholarship opportunities for you, including grants to pay student loans.

Certain scholarships will only be open to students who meet specific criteria. Some might ask that students have a minimum number of community service hours or be involved in extracurricular activities like dance or theatre.

What Do I Have to Do to Apply?

The application requirements will differ from scholarship to scholarship. A scholarship might require you to submit multiple different materials to apply such as both an essay and a video on a particular subject, while another scholarship only requires you to enter your name and click "Apply."

Some programs award scholarships to students with the highest test scores without taking any other factors into consideration and others award the students who engage the most with their emails. The only way to figure out what you need to do to apply for a scholarship is by reading through the description.

You can also find scholarship for high school seniors with varying GPA requirements or none at all. Check them out today!

Are Scholarships Counted as Income?

Scholarships are usually not counted as income. When students receive a scholarship award through Bold.org the scholarship money is sent directly to the higher education institution a student attends or will attend to pay for necessary tuition expenses.

Since this money is sent straight to the college and not the student, it does not count as income and is not taxed. Occasionally, a student receives more scholarship awards than they need to pay for their college tuition and is sent a scholarship refund of the excess award amount. Institutions issuing scholarship refunds can lead to scholarship awards being counted as income.

Do you have a great GPA? Check out these academic scholarships and valedictorian scholarships to maximize your financial aid awards!