Has anyone seen an update yet?
The corporate ones were to be mailed March 11, and portal was updated at noon that day.
Receiving either corporate or the $2500 does not affect getting the benaquisto. To get benaquisto, you have to be a scholar as either corporate sponsor, NMSC 2500, or school sponsored. The FL schools make you a scholar with a school sponsored scholarship if you don’t get corporate or NMSC 2500 so that you get benaquisto. If you get corporate or NMSC, they just don’t have to do that, as you already qualify. The benefit of corporate or NMSC is that they qualify you at any of the schools, not just the listed first choice school.
the only official thing that i can find is that snail mail went out today to $2500 award winners. someone posted recently that last year portals were updated around 3/20 if you won $2500 award. in late may, mail will also go out to finalists who do NOT advance to scholar (can’t wait to read that letter: “dear finalist, it’s over. thanks, nmsc”).
@border1218 —I’m surprised they go out that early since students have until 5/31 to list first choice schools and be named college sponsored scholars.
@furmom
" students have until 5/31 to list first choice schools and be named college sponsored scholars."
the deadline is mid-May, not 5/31.
Do people think that kids who did not receive an email on the 26th are out of luck in terms of the NMSC direct $2500 scholarships?
I was able to confirm that this occurs at USC. For those who got the 1/2 tuition presidential scholarship, if you did not receive $2500 from NMSC, USC will give you an additional $4000 scholarship to move your designation from NMF to NMS. You need to list USC as #1 by May 1.
yes, i think that. i’m not an expert, but that seems to be what the nat merit paperwork says. corporate scholarships have also gone out.
but, you could still get moved to “scholar” through your chosen school, if your school is a nm sponsor. each school seems to have a different system for designating scholar, and that seems to equate to a different “extra” amount of money depending on the school.
D didn’t bother to tell me, but she was awarded the $2500 NMF. Good news is much appreciated these days
@menloparkmom —that is not true. Look at the publication of “Requirements and Instructions for Semifinalists in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program”. Bottom of page 4 out of 5 it gives a timeline. It clearly states May 31 is the deadline for NMSC to receive final designation of first choice school. Multiple individuals at NMSC, as well as multiple universities, have verbally confirmed this. A university has the right to change their own requirement if they choose. For instance, FSU has chose May 1 to align with national matriculation date. I think BU is way earlier, and so on, but NMSC’s date IS May 31.
Has anyone gotten notifications or mail yet? If there is nothing on our portal should we go ahead and assume we did not get it?
I am in Ohio, have heard nothing. Anyone from Ohio received any information?
Me too! 
Also wondering.
I’m in Ohio and nothing here, but D20 didn’t get an email or anything in her portal so I assume she didn’t get anything.
No nmf mail in ny.
Now with all college decisions released, is it still possible to change the college choice for the National Merit to designate the college DS is planning on attending?
We have selected a first choice on the NMSC website but really we are still deliberating. Should we switch back to undecided?
@aghaby —page 4 of 5 of NMSC instructions for semifinalists states that the deadline for final selection of college choice is 5/31
@EPallazzo —I would. If they award a school sponsored scholarship/scholar designation based on current first choice and then you go in and change school choice, you lose the scholarship and are not considered for one at the next first choice. If undecided, they won’t award one at this time, but still could after the definitive choice is listed by 5/31 deadline. Colleges have told us that they get the final list June 1 and award the final school sponsored awards to those remaining students who put them as first choice at that point.
MAY 1, 2020
NMSC will begin mailing college-sponsored Merit Scholarship offers.
IMPORTANT: If NMSC receives notification of a change in college choice from a Finalist after mailing a college-sponsored Merit Scholarship offer to that student, the change in college choice will not be processed and the Finalist cannot be offered another college-sponsored Merit Scholarship award. This applies even if the new choice of college is one that also sponsors Merit Scholarship awards. Therefore, a Finalist who has pre- viously reported a sponsor college as first choice but is uncertain about it may change their college choice to “undecided” to prevent being made an offer from a school the Finalist is uncertain about attending; such notification must be submitted online at osa.nationalmerit.org before May 1. The Finalist can subsequently report a firm college choice that NMSC receives by May 31.
If you are NOT sure, make sure you change your designation to Undecided BEFORE May 1. Lists are going out to schools every 3-4 weeks. If a school receives notification on a list before May 1, starting May 1 they can mail your award, which is not able to be changed at that point. I would wait until you are sure to list a college as first choice as you have until May 31 or whatever date as determined by your particular college’s requirements.