How hard is it to be a National Merit Semifinalist?

More than 16,000 of the high scorers, representing less than 1% of the nation's high school graduating seniors, will qualify as Semifinalists. Only Semifinalists will have an opportunity to advance in the competition for Merit Scholarship^® awards.

Do colleges care if you're a National Merit Semifinalist?

Gaining recognition as a National Merit Semifinalist is a prestigious achievement to include on college applications, and many colleges and corporate sponsors offer special scholarships to these students, even if they don't become finalists.

Is it hard to be a National Merit finalist?

A finalist chances of winning

Of the 1.5 million applicants who submitted a PSAT score, there are only 7,250 National Merit Scholarship winners. This means you have a 0.5% chance of becoming a National Merit Scholar, making this one of the most competitive merit-based scholarships.

How are National Merit Semifinalists chosen?

Each state has a preset number of Semifinalists, and once scores come in for students that determines the cutoff score for that year in that state. For example, if you live in California, you would need to have a Selection Index score of 220 in order to qualify as a Semifinalist.

What score do you need on the PSAT for National Merit Semifinalist?

National Merit cutoff scores

You can see that a Selection Index score of 221 would qualify a student for National Merit Semifinalist status in most states, but some states required higher scores, including Massachusetts, with a cutoff of 222, and New Jersey, with a cutoff of 223.

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Is National Merit Semifinalist impressive?

Semifinalists: These are approximately one-third of the recognized students. The semifinalists are the highest PSAT scorers from each state. If you are selected as one, you will receive a new application to proceed in the National Merit Scholar competition.

Does a 1400 PSAT qualify for National Merit?

Does a 1400 PSAT Qualify for National Merit? Based on the scores of real grade 11 students who took the PSAT, a score of 1400 puts you in the 97th percentile. You may not qualify for the National Merit Scholarship with this score: it also depends on the cut-off scores of your state.

How rare is National Merit finalist?

Out of the roughly 1.5 million students taking the exam in 2023, only 50,000 will qualify for National Merit Program recognition. Right off the bat, 34,000 of this high-scoring group will be handed Letters of Commendation, but they will not continue on in the competition for a monetary scholarship.

Is National Merit worth it?

In addition, being named a National Merit Scholar comes with financial benefits. Many colleges and universities offer substantial scholarships specifically for National Merit Scholars. These scholarships can cover full tuition, room and board, or other expenses, depending on the school.

How much money do National Merit semifinalists get?

National Merit $2500 Scholarships

These awards are unique because every Finalist is considered for one and winners are named in every state and other selection unit. The number awarded in each state is determined by the same representational procedure used to designate Semifinalists.

Do Ivies care about National Merit?

Some colleges that do NOT sponsor scholarships for National Merit students include Harvard and other Ivy League schools, Middlebury College, MIT, Stanford, and Williams College.

What happens after you become a National Merit semifinalist?

To compete for National Merit Scholarships, Semifinalists must advance to the Finalist level of the competition by fulfilling several additional requirements. A Semifinalist can become a Finalist and compete for a Merit Scholarship award in only one program year.

Does SAT count for National Merit?

NMSC will use your SAT or ACT scores to calculate a Selection Index score. This places your SAT or ACT performance on the same scale as the NMSC Selection Index score from the PSAT/NMSQT, which qualified you for recognition as a Semifinalist.

Does Harvard accept National Merit Scholarship?

Outside Awards

Like many of our students, you may receive scholarship funds from sources outside Harvard, such as secondary schools, civic organizations, your parental employers, corporations, the National Merit Scholarship Programs, and the ROTC.

What GPA is National Merit Semifinalist?

The National Merit Corporation is first and foremost looking to award academic achievement. There is no strict cutoff, but a competitive GPA (3.5 and above) and high SAT scores (approximately 1400 and above) are recommended. Your academic record should also show that you challenged yourself with honors and AP classes.

Are National Merit Scholars smart?

Assuming the lower bound is 131, the median National Merit Scholar (a student at the 50th percentile of the group) will have an IQ of 135.

What percent of Ivy League students are National Merit Scholars?

Ivy League schools don't award any merit scholarships, which includes National Merit Scholarships. These schools have the highest achieving students applying to their institutions and would rather award need-based financial aid to assist the most students in a fair and equitable manner.

What GPA do you need for National Merit?

National Merit Semi-Finalist and Finalist students take their academics seriously. You must maintain a 3.5 or higher GPA to qualify for the application process and maintain that GPA throughout your four years of high school.

Do all National Merit finalists get money?

Although all students who become Finalists are outstanding, not all Finalists receive a Merit Scholarship award. Of the 15,000 Finalists in the 2024 program, about half will win an award, and no student will receive more than one scholarship offer from NMSC.

How many people get National Merit every year?

Winning a National Merit Scholarship is no easy task. Each year, approximately 50,000 students (out of 1.4 million juniors) qualify for recognition based on their high PSAT score . Around 34,000 of these students receive Letters of Commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

How many National Merit finalists get money?

How many Finalists win a scholarship? Approximately 7,140 National Merit Scholarships will be awarded. No student can receive more than one monetary award from NMSC. See Types of Scholarships for further details.

Is a 1400 PSAT bad?

Any PSAT score in the range of 1450-1500 is also a tremendous achievement, and an early indication that a student is academically prepared to pursue applications to top-ranked universities and colleges in the US. If you score between a 1400 and a 1450 you should also be proud.

Is 1470 PSAT enough for National Merit?

To be competitive for National Merit Semifinalist status, students need to score about 1400 on the PSAT in less competitive states like Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota . . . or about 1470 on the PSAT in more competitive states like Connecticut or New Jersey.

Is 1420 PSAT good enough for National Merit?

To begin with, the PSAT score range is from 320 to 1520.

The average PSAT score is around 920 (460 in Math and 460 in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing), while an outstanding PSAT score (one that will qualify you as a National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist) is between 1420 and 1480.