The Michigan Merit Award scholarship program is a worthwhile venture, but it might not be benefiting those who really need it.

With the program, students who pass the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) test or score in the top 25 percent on the SAT or the ACT are awarded $2,500 toward college expenses.

But the scholarships are doled out without any consideration for financial need. The 2-year-old award program is funded by Michigan’s $8.1 billion share of the tobacco settlement.

Michigan’s merit-based scholarship program was just one of several state-funded scholarship programs analyzed in a recent study published by Harvard University’s Civil Rights Project.

Researchers found that the students who could benefit the most from the scholarships are not necessarily getting the money.

According to the study, minorities might not be getting their fair share of Merit Award scholarship dollars.

The study found that while African Americans made up 14 percent of Michigan’s high-school student population, they received only 3.5 percent of the awarded money in 1999.

The project’s research highlighted a major problem with the programs like Michigan’s: Those who need the awards are not receiving them, while those who are could be financially secure without the extra cash.

Since the award money is based on standardized test scores alone, the award winners tend to be students from wealthier, upper-class school districts with better resources - and, on average, better test scores.

Consequently, the students from lower-income families, who would benefit most from the award money, are less likely to receive the award.

Although the merit-based scholarships were created with the intention of awarding students who excel academically, it creates a wider gap between those who are given opportunities to pursue higher education and those who are not.

It can make the difference between an intelligent, highly-qualified students attending a community college for lack of financial resources, or being able to attend a university of their choice where they would have more opportunities to further their education.

While students should be awarded for superior academic achievement, it should not be the only factor when considering financial aid. As it stands now, the Michigan Merit Award program puts all its focus in one place.

Instead of having one award based solely on standardized test scores, perhaps lawmakers could better serve the state’s college hopefuls by creating two bounties - one based on test scores only and one that considers financial need.