Merit-based Scholarships are awarded based on individual achievements, such as academic, athletic or artistic accompishments.

These are Scholarships for which applicants must initially qualify based upon gender, race, religion, family and medical history, or many other student specific factors.

Need based Scholarships are awarded to admitted students who qualify based on financial need.

Thease are Scholarships for a college or university awards to students who plan to pursue a specific field of study.

College specific Scholarships are offered by individual colleges and universities to highly qualified applicants.

Many Scholarships for students from developing countries will have additional criteria, such as specific country of origin or destination, a particular subject of study, or ties to a particular university.

These Scholarships are sponsored by a brand that is trying to gain attention to their brand, or a cause. Sometimes these Scholarships are refered to as branded Scholarships.