What is the difference between National Merit Scholar and National Merit finalist?

The highest performers in the National Merit Scholarship Program are named National Merit Scholars. Finalists and Semifinalists are also recognized for their academic and extracurricular achievements.

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.

What happens if you are a National Merit finalist?

Scholarship Opportunities: National Merit Finalists are eligible for prestigious scholarships, including the National Merit Scholarship Program, corporate-sponsored scholarships, and college-sponsored scholarships. These scholarships can provide substantial financial support for higher education. College Admiss.

How rare is a National Merit Scholar?

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.

Who becomes a National Merit finalist?

In order to become a Finalist, you must then: complete the National Merit Scholarship Application, which includes writing an essay. have a record of very high academic performance in all of grades 9 through 12 and in any college course work taken.

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

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 hard is it to become a National Merit finalist?

Of course, the most important thing is to ace the PSAT/NMSQT as a junior. In order to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship, most students need a PSAT score within the top 1% of their state. That means the score cutoff will change depending on where you reside, and how well others in your state did on the PSAT.

What is the average IQ of a National Merit Scholar?

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. However, the PSAT is correlated to the SAT at only about a 0.87 level, and probably does a worse job discriminating between high IQ individuals since it is easier.

Is it good to be a National Merit Scholar?

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 benefit of being a National Merit Scholar?

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.

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.

What percent of people get National Merit finalist?

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 people are National Merit Scholarship finalists?

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

What is the difference between National Merit Scholar and Scholar 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.

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.

What does being a National Merit Scholar mean?

National Merit Scholars are students who complete all the steps in the rigorous application process—after the PSAT, they become Commended Students, Semifinalists, Finalists, and THEN Scholars (more on these steps in a bit).

What percentile do I need for National Merit Scholar?

But to become a National Merit Scholar, you'll need to outscore over 99% of PSAT test-takers. What PSAT score will you need for a National Merit Scholarship?

Which schools have the most National Merit finalists?

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. He chose a pre-law major but took mathematics (including Math 55) and graduate level computer science courses.

Is National Merit impressive?

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.

How do I know if I'm a national scholar?

You will be notified of scholarship status sometime between March and June of your senior year. In order to receive a college-sponsored scholarship, you must note the college as your first choice on the National Merit application.

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.

How to know if you are a National Merit Scholar Semifinalist?

In general, students who score in the top 3-4% are named Commended Scholars, while students who score in the top 1% are deemed Semifinalists. Students are compared on a state-by-state basis. The NMSC's Selection Index ranges from 48 to 228 and is based on PSAT section scores.

How rare is National Merit Semifinalist?

Semifinalists. 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.

What are the levels of National Merit Scholar?

The National Merit Scholarship Program features three levels of recognition: commended students, semifinalists, and finalists.