Scholarship

Scholarship, grant-in-aid awarded to a student. In the United States scholarships are awarded by schools, states, the federal government, and private organizations on the basis of financial need, for scholastic excellence or ability or athletic prowess, to aid special groups such as those with particular disabilities, or to encourage students to enter particular fields of study. Under the Servicemen's Readjustment Act (GI Bill of Rights), World War II veterans were given federal tuition grants and stipends to attend college or vocational school; similar acts were passed for veterans of the Korean and Vietnam wars. Rhodes and Fulbright scholarships are among the important awards for U.S. students to study abroad.