Many students organize their college essay writing by application deadline. However, many colleges require that you submit your application on the early application deadline, or another day prior to the regular admission deadline, in order to qualify for merit-based scholarships, even if you are not applying early action. These include UVA, UNC, U-Mich, UT Austin, Georgia Tech, BC, U-Miami, U-Richmond, USC, Vanderbilt, et. al.

These earlier deadlines are identified on the common application, so be sure to check each of the colleges you are applying to if you would like to be considered for a merit-based scholarship. Why would you not want to be? Unfortunately, neither Ivy League colleges, nor most other top colleges, offer merit-based scholarships. However, as you can see from the list above, many excellent colleges do offer these scholarships, which can be as lucrative as full four-year tuition!