Scholarships have played a vital role in the education system worldwide. Scholarships can act as a form of financial help for students and, at the same time, an appreciation of student's academic, sports, extracurricular, or social service excellence. Scholarships are available worldwide, but this article will discuss scholarships in the USA. A large number of students apply for universities in the USA, but not all of them can pay the college tuition and the all-in-all living expense of the time they spend in the country for their undergraduate program.

The average cost of living is around $50000 for four years in a private non-profit university,. Around 80% students opt for financial aid via the university or through student loans in the USA. More than a million students apply for education in the USA, which makes the chances of selection very slim., It becomes even more difficult if one is relying on scholarships and financial aid for their education. To be a likely scholarship recipient, students need to have a high GPA, LOR's, overall ECC and sports, and addition of essays..

Although the demand and supply for admissions, especially with scholarships, is very difficult in the USA, the cause of it hasn't been discussed yet. The USA is a global capital and the quality of life it offers is better than most other countries. It offers excellent academic opportunities, the education system is flexible as per the student's needs, cultural diversity is observed, and the campus life is one of the best in the world. The USA has been a magnet for employees and students. and Students who opt for education in the US mostly end up working and settling there. A scholarship may ease your path to a successful career in the US but the path to getting a scholarship itself is very difficult. You are competing with millions of students coming from varied backgrounds. Only 100 students from the million applicants are selected.

There are multiple scholarships that a student can apply. These scholarships differ from the student's needs to the aid it is providing. There are two kinds of scholarships provided – FULL TUITION & FULL RIDE. Full tuition is where a part or full tuition is waived but the student has to manage their living expenses, resources, food, etc. A Full ride tuition, on the other hand, is where a student's whole college experience is paid, which includes the stay, basic wants and food.

The average scholarship in the USA is usually a financial eradication of 5-10k$ from the tuition fees. These scholarships are merit-based those students apply through their exceptional talents and not via their requirement for financial aid.'. Need-based scholarship is when students fill out a form 'that involves their and their family's income, which is then evaluated by the university or the organization that provides them with financial aid.

COVID has immensely affected scholarships. A student's high school experiences involving sports, ECC and social service have become limited, thinning out their options to apply for a scholarship. Secondly, it has affected the student’s resume overall. Because of COVID, job and internship opportunities dwindled, making it even more difficult for students. Generalized tests like the SAT's have been either cancelled or given less importance during the pandemic years. This made the students look for other options and rely less on their SAT's for academic excellence.

About 400 scholarships available in the USA are merit based. There is no fixed number to how many can apply for it, so it is very unpredictable difficult to get one.

These scholarships are different and  students should thoughtfully apply for it. Prioritize your requirements before narrowing down the field of education to apply for the appropriate scholarship.