How many students become National Merit Scholars?

How many participants are honored annually in the National Merit Scholarship Program? A total of about 50,000 participants receive recognition in the National Merit^® Scholarship Program.

How many people get National Merit 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.

What are the odds of becoming a National Merit Scholar?

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.

Is it a big deal to be a National Merit Scholar?

National Merit Semifinalists

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.

How impressive is National Merit?

As mentioned above, becoming a National Merit Semifinalist is an impressive achievement in itself, since just the top 1% of scorers in a given state receive that recognition.

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Is it a big deal to be a National Merit semifinalist?

In essence, the commendation is an honor bestowed as those students exit the competition. An additional 16,491 test-takers qualified as semifinalists in pursuit of prestigious National Merit Scholarships. The threshold varies from state to state, but most semifinalists scored well above the commendation level.

Is 224 enough for National Merit?

National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Scores by State

That means the qualifying score to become a semifinalist depends on your state. For the 2022 scholarship cycle, the state qualifying scores ranged from 207-224.

Was Bill Gates a National Merit Scholar?

He was a National Merit Scholar when he graduated from Lakeside School in 1973. He scored 1590 out of 1600 on the Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT) and enrolled at Harvard College in the autumn of 1973.

What percent of people are National Merit Scholars?

At the end of the competition, a select group of Finalists are chosen to receive $2500 National Merit Scholarships. Scholarship winners represent less than 1% of the initial pool of student entrants.

How prestigious is National Merit finalist?

The National Merit Scholarship is one of the most prestigious and highly sought-after awards for high school students in the United States. Each year, thousands of students compete for this recognition, which not only brings honor and prestige but also provides substantial financial support for their college education.

Is National Merit Finalist hard?

Becoming a National Merit Finalist is competitive and requires a top score on the PSAT. Although it varies from state to state, most students must score above 1400 (out of 1520) to qualify as a Semifinalist, which means they can compete to move on to Finalist standing.

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.

How are National Merit Scholars chosen?

National Merit winners are selected from the pool of National Merit finalists based on a combination of factors, including their PSAT scores, academic achievements, extracurricular involvement, recommendation letters, and a personal essay.

How much money do National Merit finalists get?

Finalists compete with all other Finalists in their state or selection unit for one of the 2,500 National Merit $2500 Scholarships. Winners are selected by a committee of college admission officers and high school counselors. National Merit^® $2500 Scholarships provide a single payment of $2,500.

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

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.

What is the cut off for the National Merit Scholarship?

Compass has now confirmed all of the National Merit Semifinalist cutoffs for the class of 2024. Eligible students who have a Selection Index at or above the cutoffs will be named Semifinalists. Students who miss the Semifinalist cutoff will be named Commended Students if they have Selection Indexes at or above 207.

Why did Bill Gates dropout of Harvard?

Bill Gates attends the 2022 Time 100 Gala at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center on June 08, 2022, in New York City. Bill Gates never finished his undergraduate degree — the billionaire dropped out of Harvard University after three semesters to start Microsoft.

What is the difference between National Merit Scholar and finalist?

Finalists are named Scholars (what the contest calls the scholarship winners) based on the strength of their applications. National Merit Scholars typically have outstanding applications that demonstrate their academic commitment, extracurricular and community involvement, passion, and drive.

Does 1470 qualify 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.

What is the average National Merit score?

PSAT NMSQT Qualifying Scores for 2022

Selection Index cutoffs compare the scores of test takers in each state. You'll probably get national percentiles on your PSAT score report, but state percentiles are the ones NMSC uses to award students. The average of all the PSAT NMSQT qualifying scores is 215.

Is National Merit top 1 percent?

The top 1%, usually about 16,000 students, are named National Merit Semifinalists. Semifinalists may go on to apply for Finalist status and potentially win scholarship money. As I mentioned above, NMSC uses its own Selection Index along with state percentiles. Let's take a look at how your scores convert to this index.

Do Ivy Leagues care about National Merit?

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.

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.

How do I know if I am a National Merit finalist?

HOW WILL SEMIFINALISTS KNOW IF THEY BECOME FINALISTS? On February 5, 2024, NMSC will mail a Certificate of Merit for each Finalist to the Finalist's high school principal. On February 12, 2024, NMSC will mail a letter to each Finalist at their home address.