How many students are National Merit finalists?

Of the 15,000 Finalists, about 8,000 receive Merit Scholarship awards.

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.

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 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.

National Merit Scholarship Program: What Is It and How It Works?

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.

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.

How impressive is National Merit?

This is considered a great honor that is documented in a Certificate of Merit. Around 15,000 semifinalists advance to this standing. Merit Scholars: About 7,500 seniors are notified in March that they received the designation of “Merit Scholar” and are awarded the $2,500 National Merit Scholarship.

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 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.

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?

Does National Merit finalist look good for college?

At this stage you might be named either a Commended Student or a Semifinalist. Both are impressive markers that are worth putting in your college application. Less than 5% of test takers receive any commendation from the National Merit program.

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.

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 1300 a good PSAT score for National Merit?

Juniors who score between 1200–1360 fall within the top 10% of all test-takers. If you are trying to get a National Merit Scholarship you do have to get into the top 1% of test-takers. And remember that the PSAT is scored slightly different than the SAT. While the SAT score range is 400–1600, the PSAT is 320–1520.

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.

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.

Does Harvard care about National Merit?

In fact, very few of the most competitive colleges and universities sponsor National Merit Scholarships®. That doesn't mean these schools don't have National Merit Scholars®. In 2020, Stanford enrolled 172, Harvard 183, and MIT 159. None of these students received National Merit Scholarships® to attend these schools.

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.

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.

How many National Merit Scholars are there each year?

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 is the least competitive ivy?