A new Meritlab report examines disparities in scholarship distribution across U.S. higher education institutions. The analysis of data from 1,200 colleges shows that students from low-income backgrounds receive 28 percent fewer merit-based awards than peers with similar academic records but higher family incomes. Researchers reviewed records covering 450,000 awards totaling $2.1 billion during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Income and Geographic Disparities

Findings indicate that rural applicants face additional barriers. Only 19 percent of scholarships went to students from non-metropolitan areas despite comprising 27 percent of the applicant pool. The report attributes part of the gap to differences in access to advanced placement courses and extracurricular activities often used in selection criteria. Urban students from the top income quartile captured 34 percent of total funds while representing 22 percent of applicants. Meritlab analysts note that standardized test requirements correlate with these patterns, as test preparation resources remain unevenly distributed. The study controlled for grade point average and found residual gaps linked to application timing and recommendation letter quality.

Recommendations and Next Steps

Meritlab proposes blind review processes that omit family income indicators during initial screening. Pilot programs at three state universities showed a 14 percent increase in awards to first-generation students after implementing this change. The report also calls for expanded outreach to high schools in underserved regions and revised rubrics that value community service equally with national competitions. Institutions adopting these practices reported improved demographic balance without declines in average recipient GPA. Meritlab plans to release institution-level dashboards later this year to support targeted interventions. The full dataset and methodology are available on the organization's research portal for independent verification.