In order to get the scholarship, do they check your attendance?
@gamergirl123
I don’t believe NMF team gets to look at your attendance specifically but they do require a lot of info from school’s guidance counselors and disciplinary record is one of them. So if a guidance counselor calls it out such as poor academic participation then they will look at it for sure.
I looked at the old threads last night and it looks like the letters telling people they didn’t get finalist were mailed last year on Jan 11. And by the 22nd, everyone who hadn’t received a letter felt like they were in the clear for finalist.
So hopefully we are in the last few weeks of this long journey.
I have two kids back to back, so 2 1/2 years of worrying about different stages of this process. But we are incredibly grateful that they have both had this opportunity.
@brentwoodmom I have two back to back, also (2020, and likely 2021). It feels like we have not have time to come up for air although at least we are more familiar with the process for dd21 (not to mention their GC, as well, who had never handled NMSFs before dd20).
I had forgotten the NM corp sent rejection letters, omg. Best of luck to everyone. It’s nice to know we are close to putting the NMF hurdle behind us.
So everything from NMSC is snail mail and not email, right?
@lkg4answers I looked at the 2019 Calendar and it looks like January 11 was a Friday last year. This year January 10th is a this Friday so I’m thinking they might go out then.
Just FYI NMSC posted letters on Friday 1/10 for rejections.
@matt2024 Thank you for the update! Where were you able to find that information? Also where are the notifications mailed from?
So they mail rejections first?
I just saw the letter in my USPS queue this AM. So must have been mailed Friday. Unfortunately I am experiencing this first hand as had couple of Cs in the grade. Letter is mailed from Evanston, IL 60201-4897
Yes they mail rejections in Jan and if you don’t get the letter in Jan, then it means you are in the Final.
@matt2024 Oh I’m sorry 
Thank you for the update. You are very kind to do this.
@janiemiranda Thanks. Knew to expect it and hence not that upset but will read the letter later on to see if there is anything besides the cryptic letter from the past years on any reasoning.
@matt2024 Thanks again and wishing you the best of luck with all of your college admissions!
@matt2024 yes, thank you and wishing you the best of luck!
@matt2024 so sorry to hear that. Best of luck!
Here’s the schedule:
1/19 - Selection committees begin choosing Merit Scholarship award winners
1/31 - Last day for NMSC to receive SAT or ACT scores and other documentation required for Finalist consideration
2/3 - NMSC mails notification to high school principals about the status of their Semifinalists; a Certificate of Merit is provided for each Semifinalist who qualifies as a Finalist
2/10 - NMSC notifies Finalists of their status at their home addresses
3/1 - Finalists who have reported a sponsor college as first choice before this date will be included in the first group referred to the institution for scholarship consideration
3/11 - NMSC begins mailing offers of corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards
3/26 - NMSC mails offers of National Merit $2500 Scholarships
5/1 - NMSC begins mailing offers of college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards
Mid-May - Finalists who have not yet been selected to receive a Merit Scholarship award will be notified at their home addresses
5/31 - Deadline for NMSC to receive reports of college choice for identifying the final group of candidates for college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards
My son’s classmate got the dreaded letter yesterday. Hope this means my son won’t receive one, since we are in the same community and high school…!!!
@Mommasita50 - that does sound hopeful for your son. I’m sorry for his classmate. Do you know if the classmate was expecting not to advance?
@mavian Thank you! Very helpful to have the timeline!
@drxxpresso :His friend is a very nice young man who struggles in school but works very hard and has excellent character. Letter said grades were the reason for not advancing. Grades mostly B-C range so he didn’t really expect to advance.