Insight into the National Merit Scholarship Program

In September of this year, seniors who qualified as National Merit Commended Students or National Merit Semifinalists were notified of their achievement. But what does this mean, and how does the National Merit Scholarship Program work?

What is the National Merit Scholarship Program?

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition for high school juniors who take the PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) and achieve qualifying scores. Entry requirements are as follows:

Students must be enrolled (either in traditional high school or as a homeschool student) and progressing normally toward graduation with plans to enter college by the fall after their high school graduation
Students must attend high school in the US and/or meet citizenship requirements (see page 33 of this guide for more information)
Students must take the PSAT during their third year of high school

What are the steps in the competition?

What benefits do National Merit Scholars earn?

Students who earn Commended Scholar and Semifinalist status in the fall of their senior year will be able to report this academic achievement to colleges as an honor or award. Additionally, there are three types of National Merit Scholarships available for around half of the National Merit Finalists (~7,500 students).

National Merit $2,500 Scholarships are awarded to selected Finalists.
Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarships are awarded to chosen Finalists who meet a specific sponsor’s criteria.
College-sponsored Merit Scholarships are available to Finalists who select an NMSC sponsor college as their first choice and plan to attend that college. For example, UT Dallas covers the cost of tuition for National Merit Scholars for up to eight semesters. In addition, they provide a $4,000 semesterly stipend for books and other expenses, a $1,500 semesterly stipend for on-campus housing, a $6,000 stipend for study abroad opportunities, a $4,500 summer research stipend, and automatic admission into their Honors program.

Although Commended Scholars will not continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships, some may be candidates for Special Scholarships offered by corporate sponsors and they will receive a Letter of Commendation through their high schools.

For these reasons, it’s important that students take the PSAT seriously and prepare for their official test with as much focus as they do the SAT/ACT. This means taking practice exams and studying the test and relevant content well in advance of the test date. Additionally, students should be aware of the competitiveness of their score and selection index so they can prepare and submit their Finalist application in September-October of their senior year.

Choose B2A to help you prepare for the PSAT!

B2A offers semester-long or cram classes, intensive courses over school breaks, and 1:1 tutoring. Our classes teach students fundamental concepts tested on the PSAT and the SAT/ACT, including how to identify and approach different question types.

Contact us today to help your student prepare for the PSAT and other standardized tests!