I could not apply for a scholarship that I cleared the cutoff for. Can I mention that I was eligible in my graduate applications?
It doesn't much matter whether you've been eligible for a scholarship. You didn't get it, so by definition you didn't earn it. There are some cases where you may be declared an official &quot;runner-up&quot; and for a sufficiently prestigious award it may be worth reporting, but this does not describe your situation. I know some people might report a scholarship they ultimately turned down - that is, it was offered to them but they chose not to take it for some reason - but even this seems to me like a bit of a reach outside extraordinary circumstances and again does not apply to your situation.
If I'm understanding correctly, your potential eligibility is solely based on some percentile rank you've achieved. You can certainly report your percentile rank and advertise that, but I wouldn't advertise that despite this rank you were unable to obtain an endorsement for this scholarship. &quot;It's not my fault and the teacher was too hard on me&quot; isn't an argument that is likely to play well. Stick to positive things about yourself, not negative treatment by others.