How many people become National Merit finalists?

Of the 15,000 Finalists, about 8,000 receive Merit Scholarship awards. All Finalists are considered for one of the 2,500 National Merit $2,500 Scholarships.

What percentage of students become National Merit Finalists?

About 95 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and about half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title. The release is made available here to provide information about the National Merit Scholarship Program.

How many National Merit finalists are there 2023?

The 2,500 Merit Scholar designees were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding Finalists in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program.

How selective is National Merit finalist?

Ultimately, a National Merit finalist has about a 50% chance of being selected as a National Merit scholar. 7,250 finalists will become National Merit Scholars, receiving a National Merit Scholarship amount of $2,500 to help cover the cost of college.

How hard is it to become a National Merit finalist?

Regardless of the exact cutoff for your state, all of the students who qualify earn high scores—less than the top 1% of high school students advance to become Semifinalists. The College Board includes this on your PSAT score report if you're eligible.

What qualifies you to be a National Merit Scholar?

Is National Merit finalist a big deal?

Recognition: Being a National Merit Finalist is a significant achievement and can be included on college applications, resumes, and other professional documents. Increased college admissions chances: Many colleges and universities give preferential treatment to National Merit Finalists in the admissions process.

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.

Do Ivy Leagues 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.

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.

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

If the schools you are interested in do not give students money, semi-finalist to finalist is of no difference to you. Some colleges will give scholarship money to semi-finalists. It really depends on the schools you are interested in. Not being named a finalist will not impact your chances of admission at any 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 are National Merit finalists notified?

Finalists are notified in early February by mail at their home addresses. A student may also access their Finalist letter through their Online Scholarship Application account. See Information about the National Merit Scholarship Competition for additional details.

What schools have the most National Merit finalists?

Is National Merit finalist good for college?

At the very least, doing well in the National Merit Scholarship Program can boost your odds in the college application process. Award amounts are the focus of many frequently asked questions about the scholarship program and its benefits, but dollars aren't the only measure of how Merit Scholars benefit.

What is the difference between a National Merit semifinalist and finalist?

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.

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.

Is 1100 a good PSAT Nmsqt score?

According to this chart, a good PSAT score for a junior is a composite score higher than 1140, an OK score is one higher than 1000, and an excellent score is anything higher than 1290.

Is 1300 a good PSAT score?

A good PSAT score is between 1210 and 1520, which would put you in the top 10% of test takers. The average score earned on the PSAT is about 920, and a “perfect” score on the PSAT would be the maximum score of 1520.

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 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.

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 is the least competitive ivy?

What score is good enough for National Merit?

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.

What are the benefits of being a National Merit finalist?

The National Merit Scholarship awards $2,500 to each National Merit Scholar. Every year, around 7,500 high school juniors receive a National Merit Scholarship. In addition to a National Merit Scholarship, students with qualifying PSAT scores can receive merit scholarships offered by businesses and colleges.

What GPA do you need to be a National Merit finalist?

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.