Scholarship Eligibility Checker in C

Summary: This C program determines a student's eligibility for scholarships and financial aid based on their academic performance, family income, extracurricular participation, and community service hours.

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int academic_score, family_income, community_service_hours;
    char extracurricular_participation;

    // Taking input from the user
    printf("Enter your academic score: ");
    scanf("%d", &academic_score);

    printf("Enter your family income: ");
    scanf("%d", &family_income);

    printf("Have you participated in extracurricular activities? (Y/N): ");
    scanf(" %c", &extracurricular_participation);

    printf("Enter your total community service hours: ");
    scanf("%d", &community_service_hours);

    // Checking eligibility for scholarships and financial aid
    if (academic_score > 95 && family_income < 40000 && extracurricular_participation == 'Y' && community_service_hours >= 50) {
        printf("You qualify for a Full Scholarship with Stipend.\n");
    } else if (academic_score > 90 && family_income < 50000 && extracurricular_participation == 'Y') {
        printf("You qualify for a Full Scholarship.\n");
    } else if (academic_score > 80 && academic_score < 90 && family_income < 80000 && community_service_hours >= 20) {
        printf("You qualify for a Partial Scholarship.\n");
    } else if (academic_score > 85 && extracurricular_participation == 'Y' && community_service_hours >= 10) {
        printf("You qualify for Merit-Based Financial Aid.\n");
    } else {
        printf("You are not eligible for any financial aid.\n");
    }
    
    return 0;
}

Explanation:

Understanding Variables:
The program uses various data types to store input:

• int academic_score: Stores the student's academic performance as an integer.
• int family_income: Stores the student's family income as an integer.
• char extracurricular_participation: Stores 'Y' or 'N' to indicate if the student participated in extracurricular activities.
• int community_service_hours: Stores the total hours of community service completed by the student.

Variables allow dynamic storage and comparison of user input.

Taking User Input:
The program uses scanf() to read user input and store it in the respective variables. A space before %c in the last scanf() prevents issues with reading the character input.

Conditional Statements:
The program uses a series of if-else statements to evaluate the eligibility criteria. Logical operators used include:

• && (AND): Ensures multiple conditions are true.
• || (OR): Allows checking for multiple acceptable conditions.

The conditions ensure that students meeting specific criteria are classified into different scholarship categories.

Comparison Operators:
The program uses:

• > (greater than)
• < (less than)
• >= (greater than or equal to)

These operators evaluate numeric inputs to determine eligibility.

Why Use Else If Statements?
The else if structure ensures that once a condition is met, the program stops checking further conditions, improving efficiency.

Program Output:
Based on the input, the program displays different messages using printf() to indicate the type of scholarship or aid the student qualifies for.