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<p>Skyhook, what I take away from the calendar of NMS announcements and the printed material is Corporate first, then National, then College-sponsored. Here’s what the NMSC Annual Report says about Corporate awards:</p>
<p>“These scholarships are either four-year renewable awards that provide stipends ranging from $500 to $10,000 per year or single-payment awards of $2,500 to $5,000.”</p>
<p>That $10,000 per year is not chump change, so it makes sense that NMS would give a Finalist, first off, a chance to receive one of the corporate awards, although some of the corporate awards are $500 per year.</p>
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<p>No shopping. The time to search for the best deal is prior to mailing in the college applications. If there is a chance that the student might become an NMS Finalist, the place to start looking is at the different colleges that offer incentives to NM Scholars. Do they have the academic programs you want? Do they offer a good campus environment for your needs? All the basic questions. Then look at their merit scholarship programs. At some of the schools that court NMS Finalists, most of the Finalists who matriculate are going to see very similar financial benefits, whether the award comes from Corporate, National, or College-Sponsored funds.</p>
<p>The University of Oklahoma is a good example.
[FAQ:</a> National Merit: OU Prospective Students](<a href=“http://www.ou.edu/go2/home/nationalmerit/faq.html]FAQ:”>http://www.ou.edu/go2/home/nationalmerit/faq.html)</p>
<p>No matter which of the 3 types of NMS award the student receives, the out-of-pocket expenses at OU for a Scholar will be more or less the same. Costs may vary a little depending on how many hours a students registers for, which would affect tuition.</p>
<p>Colleges could very well seek students who bring with them corporate or national awards, because then the base amount is covered by someone else, not the college. Let me see, which kid do we choose first, the one who gets $2000 per year out of our coffers or the one who brings us $10,000 per year from a corporation? Let us place ourselves in their shoes and ponder.</p>