Merit-based是美国大学奖学金的一种，是以申请人本身的学术、思想品质、发展潜力等实力因素来决定最后奖学金的多少。不管你经济上是否需要帮助，只要是学校认可你的学术背景，一样还是会给予奖学金的。下表是2011美国大学Merit-based奖学金发放情况：
| 大学 | 学生获得merit-based奖学金的比例 | 学校所在地 |
| Louisiana College | 88% | Pineville, LA |
| Cooper union | 68% | New York, NY |
| Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering | 66% | Needham, MA |
| Free Will Baptist Bible College | 61% | Nashville, TN |
| University of Central Oklahoma | 54% | Edmond, OK |
| Hawaii Pacific University | 52% | Honolulu, HI |
| Cumberland University | 50% | Lebanon, TN |
| New College of Florida | 49% | Sarasota, FL |
| Denison University | 47% | Granville, OH |
| Mayville State University | 46% | Mayville, ND |
| DePauw University | 45% | Greencastle, IN |
| Valley City State University | 45% | Valley City, ND |
| Hampden-Sydney College | 44% | Hampden-Sydney, VA |
| Benedictine University | 44% | Lisle, IL |
| University of Michigan–Dearborn | 44% | Dearborn, MI |
| Trinity University | 44% | San Antonio, TX |
| American Jewish University | 42% | Los Angeles, CA |
| Birmingham-Southern College | 42% | Birmingham, AL |
| Westminster College | 41% | Fulton, MO |
| University of Wyoming | 40% | Laramie, WY |
| University of Dayton | 40% | Dayton, OH |
| St. Joseph’s University | 40% | Philadelphia, PA |
| Golden Gate University | 40% | San Francisco, CA |
| Sweet Briar College | 40% | Sweet Briar, VA |
| Tulane University | 39% | New Orleans, LA |
| Ouachita Baptist University | 39% | Arkadelphia, AR |
| Millsaps College | 39% | Jackson, MS |
| Ohio Wesleyan University | 39% | Delaware, OH |
| University of Nevada–Reno | 38% | Reno, NV |
| Hendrix College | 38% | Conway, AR |
| St. Francis University | 38% | Loretto, PA |
| University of South Carolina | 38% | Columbia, SC |
| New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | 38% | Socorro, NM |
| Gonzaga University | 37% | Spokane, WA |
| San Francisco Conservatory of Music | 37% | San Francisco, CA |
| University of Denver | 37% | Denver, CO |
| Hillsdale College | 37% | Hillsdale, MI |
| University of Tulsa | 37% | Tulsa, OK |
| Drew University | 37% | Madison, NJ |
| New England Conservatory of Music | 36% | Boston, MA |
| Centre College | 36% | Danville, KY |
| Rhodes College | 36% | Memphis, TN |
| Illinois Institute of Technology | 36% | Chicago, IL |
| Drake University | 36% | Des Moines, IA |
| California Lutheran University | 35% | Thousand Oaks, CA |
| College of Wooster | 35% | Wooster, OH |
| Mississippi College | 35% | Clinton, MS |
| Murray State University | 35% | Murray, KY |
| College of Idaho | 35% | Caldwell, ID |
| Southern Methodist University | 35% | Dallas, TX |
以上就是2011美国大学Merit-based奖学金发放情况，大多数的Merit-based美国大学奖学金并没有局限于美国本土的学生申请，而是针对大部分申请者，所以你要是觉得自己有着过人的背景，不妨尝试申请