Editing Scholarship (section)

== History ==

=== Origins in medieval Europe ===
One of the earliest examples of organized financial support for students is at the [[List of oldest universities in continuous operation|oldest operating university]], the [[University of Bologna]], in the 12th century. There, students formed associations called ''nations'' based on their geographic origins and pooled resources in "loan chests" to help one another pay off debts and educational expenses.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Fuller |first=Matthew B |date=July 7, 2014 |title=A History of Financial Aid to Students |url=https://ir.library.louisville.edu/jsfa/vol44/iss1/4/ |journal=Journal of Student Financial Aid |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=42-68 |via=The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository}}</ref> The origins of modern scholarships trace back to medieval Europe in the 13th and 14th centuries, where they took the form of charitable patronage. Initially, financial support for students was provided as a gift between wealthy families, with later funding extended to low-income students as acts of piety, penance, or mercy. The ethos of supporting students was rooted in Christian teachings that emphasized care of the poor and the promotion of pious learning.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Wilkinson |first=Rupert |title=Aiding Students, Buying Students |date= |publisher=Vanderbilt University Press |year=2025 |isbn=0-8265-1502-9 |pages=66-77 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Colonial era and early philanthropy ===
European philanthropic traditions continued as institutions of higher education emerged in the [[Colonial history of the United States|colonies in North America]]. Wealthy colonists held philanthropic roles in the sponsorship and patronage of grade schools and higher learning institutions. In 1643, [[Anne (Radcliffe) Mowlson|Lady Anne Radcliffe Mowlson]] donated £100 to Harvard College to aid poor students in their pursuit of education, marking one of the first formal scholarship [[Financial endowment|endowments]] in the United States. This set the precedent for philanthropic scholarship at all levels of education.<ref name=":0" />

=== Institutional aid ===
In 1838, [[Harvard University]] created the Harvard Loan Program, one of the first institutional loan programs. It provided zero-interest loans to students unable to afford tuition. This model expanded across higher learning institutions to help students gain access to education through charitable lending.<ref name=":0" /> The 19th century also saw a broader emphasis on civic virtue and meritocratic ideals. [[Student financial aid|Financial aid]] became aligned with the belief that supporting students would foster an educated citizenry and national development.<ref name=":1" />

=== Federal expansion and modernization of aid ===
The introduction of standardized testing became a turning point for scholarship distribution. In the 1930s, Harvard developed the [[SAT|Scholastic Aptitude Test]] (SAT) to identify talented students for scholarship funding, promoting merit-based aid rather than need-based aid.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Lemann |first=Nicholas |title=The big test: the secret history of the American meritocracy |date=November 16, 2000 |publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux |isbn=978-0-374-52751-8 |edition= |location=New York |language=en}}</ref> Following [[World War II]], the U.S. passed the [[G.I. Bill|Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944]] (G.I. Bill), which dramatically expanded access to education through government scholarships and loans for veterans. This development marked a shift toward greater governmental responsibility in financing and coordinating higher education.<ref name=":0" />