Scholarship is about doing your best in school and finding ways to learn better. You will look at your study habits, use learning resources, and think about how education opens doors. Improving counts just as much as being at the top.
Why it's worth it
Scholarship isn't about being the smartest kid in class. It's about learning how you learn best, building study habits that work, and seeing where school can take you. This badge rewards improvement as much as top grades, so it's a great goal if you're working to bring your grades up. You'll explore the resources around you, get involved beyond the classroom, and think about how education connects to the life and work you want later.
Start this week
- Gather your last two report cards and look at what went up, what went down, and why.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Scholarship counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
- Ask your principal, politely and in person or by email with a parent copied, for the note about your conduct in requirement 3.
- Set up one study habit this week, like a regular homework time and spot, and try it every school day.
Plan ahead: Requirement 1 depends on report cards, which only come at the end of a grading period, and the principal's note in requirement 3 can take a while. Ask for the note early, and start working toward your grades now.
Requirements · 5
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).
- Requirement 1
School grades. Choose 1 of 2
Tips for this section: Gather your recent report cards. If your grades have gone up, that progress is something to be proud of and share.
Example for this section: If your average is already a B, bring your report card. If not, pick one or two classes, set a goal like raising a C to a B, and bring both report cards to show the improvement and what you did differently.
- Requirement 1a
Show a B average or better (80% or higher) over one school term or semester
- Requirement 1b
Show that your grades for one term or semester went up compared with the term before
- Requirement 2
Learning beyond the classroom. Choose 2 of 4
Tips for this section: Visit your public library, a museum, or a nature center and see what you can teach yourself there, or try a daily planner for a few weeks to track homework and activities.
Example for this section: Two you could pick: visit your public library or a nature center and use it to teach yourself something new, and interview two adults with established careers, like an electrician and a nurse (not teachers or staff at your school), about the training they needed and how they keep learning.
- Requirement 2a
List places near home, other than schools, where you can learn. Visit one and report how you used it to teach yourself
- Requirement 2b
With your counselor's and a parent's or guardian's OK, interview two people with established careers (not teachers or staff at your school) about their education, training, how it prepared them, and how they keep learning. Discuss it with your counselor
- Requirement 2c
Show your counselor how you use a daily planner to track assignments and activities, and talk about how you manage your time
- Requirement 2d
Discuss the pros and cons of the research options you have for school work, such as libraries, books and magazines, and online sources
- Requirement 3
Get a note from your principal, or a school official the principal names, saying your behavior, leadership, and service were satisfactory over the past year. Home-schooled Scouts or those without a principal may get it from a parent or guardian
Tip: Ask your principal, or the school official they name, politely for the note, and give them plenty of time to write it. Home-schooled Scouts can ask a parent or guardian.
- Requirement 4
Teamwork at school. Choose 1 of 2
Tips for this section: List the clubs, teams, or groups you're part of, or talk about a school project you worked hard on.
Example for this section: Talk about a club, team, or group you're part of, like band, robotics, or student council: what you do, what you've learned, and how it's helped you in school. Or walk your counselor through a school project you're proud of.
- Requirement 4a
Show that you joined an after-school or extracurricular activity, and talk with your counselor about how it helped you and what it taught you about teamwork
- Requirement 4b
Talk about a team project you worked on at school during the past semester and the good things you added that helped the team and its work
- Requirement 5
Write about education. Choose 1 of 2
Tips for this section: Talk with a few adults about how school helped them, then write about it or compare two careers you like.
Example for this section: For 5b, pick two careers you're curious about, like electrician and nurse, look up the classes and training each needs, and write how your current classes and study habits will help you get there. Keep it between 250 and 300 words.
- Requirement 5a
Write a 250–300 word report on how your schooling will help you later in life and how you'll keep learning on your own
- Requirement 5b
Write a 250–300 word report on two careers you're interested in and how certain classes and good study habits overall will help you reach those goals
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
Your school or public library
A librarian can show you research databases, homework help, and quiet study spaces that are free to use.
How: Go with a parent or buddy and ask a librarian for a short tour of the research tools.
A college or trade school campus
Walking around a campus and seeing classrooms and labs makes future education feel real.
How: A parent can sign you up for a public campus tour or open house, which many schools offer for free.
Where it can lead
- TeacherHelps students learn and discover what they're good at.
- School counselorHelps students plan classes, handle challenges, and prepare for college or a trade.
- TutorWorks one-on-one or with small groups; many high school and college students start tutoring part time.
- LibrarianTeaches people how to find and judge information.
Ask yourself
- Which subject comes most easily to you, and which one takes the most effort?
- What study habit made the biggest difference for you?
- Who helps you most when you're stuck on schoolwork?
- What do you enjoy learning outside of class?
- How does what you're learning now connect to what you want to do someday?
Good questions to ask a teacher or school counselor
- What study habits do you see in students who improve the most?
- What resources does our school have that students don't use enough?
- How can I prepare now for the classes I'll take in high school?
- How do you decide which activities are worth joining?
- What do you wish you'd known about learning when you were my age?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Encourage scouts who are working to improve grades; this badge rewards effort and growth.
- Remind scouts to start early on the principal's note so it doesn't hold them up.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- School counselor or librarian — Can help with study skills and learning resources.
- Public library — Free books, homework help, and quiet study space.
- Khan Academy (opens in a new tab) — Free lessons and practice in math, science, reading, and more.
- BigFuture (opens in a new tab) — Explore careers and the education paths that lead to them.
- Federal Student Aid (opens in a new tab) — How families pay for college and trade school, from the U.S. Department of Education.
Pairs well with
Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.