A merit scholarship is financial support for university students awarded based on academic achievement, test scores, or other accomplishments — not financial need.
Merit scholarships reward high-performing students regardless of their family's financial situation. They are awarded based on FSc or A-level marks, SAT scores, CGPA, or other measures of academic excellence. Some merit scholarships also consider extracurricular achievements, leadership, or community contributions.
Many institutions combine need and merit in their scholarship criteria — requiring a minimum academic threshold AND demonstrated financial need. These are sometimes called "need-and-merit" or "merit-within-need" scholarships.
At Pakistani universities, COMSATS automatically assigns merit scholarships (25–100% tuition waiver) to top-performing admitted students — no separate application is needed. NUST, UET, and other public universities also offer merit-based fee concessions. For students from underserved districts who have strong academic records, merit scholarships can be combined with need-based awards to cover near-full costs.
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