Upper Iowa University awards more than $100,000 each year in merit-based scholarships to its current students.

High school counselors and teachers nominate about 1,900 students annually, mostly from Maryland, for merit-based scholarships.

Syracuse University, whose tuition, fees, room and board comes to about $31,000 for next fall, offers some $21 million in merit-based institutional scholarships.

Give merit-based scholarships (building the next generation of leaders with targeted support)

Twenty percent received merit-based scholarships from local civic groups, employers and others, according to institute officials.

The graduating class of 2011 was given over $8 million in merit-based scholarships.

Graduating classes tend to be awarded over 18 million dollars in merit-based scholarships.

"This is likely to give rise to an arms race of 'merit-based' scholarships - if one university offers them others will be obliged to do so."

Generally speaking, few merit-based scholarships consider students with anything below an A average.

The money will go toward endowed merit-based undergraduate scholarships in the School of Music.