One of the most respected scholarship programs is the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship. It is administered on a state level and funded by the federal government. It is available in numerous state educational agencies that reward high school seniors based on merit to help pay for their school expenses. Applicants for this scholarship must be high school seniors or those who are already accepted in a college or university. Students must have high academic achievements and they must promise to excel in their post secondary education. Another requirement of this scholarship program is a copy of the letter of acceptance from the students' chosen college or university. Interested applicants for the Robert C. Byrd scholarship must apply in their own state education agency. Remember that each agency has its own deadline of submission. The interested student must request an application package from the education agency. He or she must fill out the application form with accompanying requirements. In some states, it is the high school's guidance counselor's office that can provide the application packets.

The Byrd scholarship program has educational standards that must be met by its applicants. Applicants must be in the top 5% of their graduating classes. They must belong in classes that has a population of 60 students or below. They must be ranked in the first top 3 students of their respective class. They must have a 3.50 GPA based on the scale system that uses 4.00 as the highest. Also, they must have a combined ACT score of 25 and above and an SAT score of 1150 or higher. The award money from the Byrd scholarship program differs on a case to case basis. Ordinarily, the average award money is $1,500 for every scholarship recipient. Some students will receive less, while others will receive more than the average grant money. The number of recipients per year are between 6,300 and 6,500. The good thing about this scholarship is that it can be renewed for an additional 3 years as long as the student is enrolled full time and maintains a high grade point average. This scholarship program was founded in 1985. It was non-renewable at that time. It was only extended in 1993 to give way to successful applicants in renewing their scholarships on a four-year program. Applicants must be residents of the state where they are applying and must be attending school in the United States. They must not have any past drug offenses. Also, they must not have existing debts to the federal government.