What is a National Merit Scholarship?

Established in 1955, The National Merit Scholarship Program is a yearly academic competition designed for high school students across the United States, providing both recognition and college scholarships. This initiative is administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a non-profit organization located in Evanston, Illinois. It is one of the most popular scholarship aiming students who want admission in Best MBA Courses In USA.

To participate in the program, students are required to complete the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) and fulfil additional eligibility criteria. Each year, the PSAT/NMSQT acts as a preliminary assessment for more than 1.3 million students. Subsequently, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) evaluates eligibility through a series of factual questions presented at the start of the examination.

Every year, more than 7,000 students in USA are granted this worthy national merit scholarship worth $2500 each. Those who are clear with a good PSAT Score are chosen from the pool of test-takers by evaluating their SAT scores, academic achievements from grades 9 through 12, and endorsements from their high school principals. The selection committee aims to confirm that the scholarship recipients exhibit overall academic excellence rather than merely excelling in standardized testing.

National Merit Scholarship Requirements

To qualify for the program, students are required to take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) and fulfil additional eligibility criteria. Each year, the PSAT/NMSQT acts as a preliminary assessment for more than 1.3 million students. Following this, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) assesses eligibility through a series of factual questions presented at the start of the test. Students are required to be registered in a conventional or home-based high school within the United States, the District of Columbia, or U.S. territories and commonwealths.

Additionally, students should intend to enroll in college on a full-time basis starting in the fall following their high school graduation. Each year, around 1.5 million juniors participate in the PSAT/NMSQT, and approximately 50,000 of those with the highest Selection Index scores or total PSAT scores, who also meet the specified eligibility criteria, are recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program (NMSP). This means that about 3% of 11th graders who take the test will qualify for this recognition.

National Merit Scholarship PSAT 

The PSAT scores of National Merit Scholarship keeps on changing year by year depending upon the level of competition and cutoffs, but one thing that remains constant is that only the top 1% of students enter as semi-finalists for the national merit scholarship which is equivalent to almost 15000 students and out of which only 7000-8000 juniors get it. 

The PSAT/NMSQT is evaluated on a scale ranging from 320 to 1520. Alongside this overall score, your score report will provide individual scores for the two sections: Math and Reading and Writing, each of which ranges from 160 to 760. These section scores are crucial for determining eligibility for the National Merit Scholarship. To calculate the National Merit Selection Index Score, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation sums the scores from each section, multiplies the total by 2, and then divides by 10. This score will fall between 48 and 228, and it is used to assess your eligibility for National Merit recognition.

National Merit Scholarship Winners 2023

Elizabeth Richter, Galperin, and Kyra are among the top 3 rank holders and winners of the scholarship prize pool of $2500 each. Elizabeth Richter has chosen to pursue a bachelor’s in engineering and technology at the University of Notre Dame, Galperin is doing a bachelor’s in communications and psychology at the Ohio State University, Kyra possesses a strong enthusiasm for aerospace and takes great interest in NASA’s Artemis Project.

National Merit Scholarship Colleges

The University of Central Florida, Boston University, Texas A&M University, University of Alabama, Oklahoma State University, Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University, Arizona State University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, North Eastern University. These are some of the best National merit scholarship colleges preferred and chosen by most of the applicants.

The colleges under the National Merit Scholarship offers admission solely based on PSAT scores, which are kept on due to varying levels of competition and changing cutoffs. However, a consistent factor is that only the top 1% of students qualify as semi-finalists for the scholarship, which typically amounts to approximately 15,000 students. Of these, only about 7,000 to 8,000 juniors ultimately receive the award. From these insights, you can conclude the level of competition and the probability of getting into a good National Merit Scholarship college.

People Also Ask

Q. What qualifies for national merit scholar?

Ans. Students who fulfill the requirements criteria like GPA, Qualifying Test, etc are qualified for the national merit scholarship.

Q. What PSAT score do you need for National Merit?

Ans: Minimum 1400 out of 1500 PSAT scores you need for this scholarship.

Q. How hard is it to get a National Merit Scholarship?

Ans: The scholarship has a 50% acceptance rate which means you have half chances to get the National Merit Scholarship 2024.

National Merit Scholarship Contact Details

• Official Website: https://www.nationalmerit.org/
• National merit scholarship deadline 2024: October 9, 2024