My daughter did not get a scholarship in her portal, and I do not think any schools on her short list (University of Oregon, Willamette, University of San Francisco, and Fordham) offer any benefit for listing them as her first-choice school. Is there a reason for her to do that at this point?
1 Like
Itās not very well advertised at all. My daughters friend also got it and they had no idea of all it covered.
1 Like
I hope our kids enjoy their experiences at UCF. I think we met if you all made it to the reception. I have 3 heading there.
1 Like
Doesnāt Fordham require you to list them as first choice in order to get the full-tuition scholarship they give for National Merit?
1 Like
Itās odd, but they do not.
Mine is 90% BAMA but still thinking of visiting FSU one more time since they gave substantial funds OOS given his NMF status. I think BAMA will win out in the end because he loved campus and he is excited about the STEM to MBA program.
2 Likes
Hi @Mombbg23, yes, we met after the UCF NMF reception. My son just withdrew all his other apps yesterday, so thereās no going back now!
1 Like
I thought so! My boys enjoyed talking with your son on the way to the cars 
1 Like
No, you do not have list Fordham as a first choice. My kid did not and received the full-tuition scholarship.
1 Like
LOL, we stressed for nothing then!
Hi there - you seem to be knowledgeable on USC NMF merit scholar. Quick question - my son just changed his first choice NMF selection to USC and is now decided he will attend there. Is there any risk at all in receiving the Presidential Half-tuition award or is it safe for us to now pay the deposit despite the financial aid not being fully updated (we could not afford at full price). Thanks for your thoughts in advance.
I know youāre not asking me, but I would wait for them to update the offer.
Personally, I would wait. They say it will take four weeks to update FAST, but it is usually closer to two weeks. I would give it a week and phone Financial Aid to follow up. They are really good about talking to parents. The only problem with calling is that there can be a long wait this time of year. I would suggest calling as soon as they open. Even then, have something else to do while you are on hold.
Congratulations on making a decision. What major?
Fantastic. Thank you. Great advice. He was accepted to Dornsife as a Biology major. Heās excited, nervous, and uncertain all rolled up into one. Just as it should be when you think about leaving home the first time.
I guess I would say it made a difference. My son toured Mizzou as an 8th grader on a field trip. He loved it! We looked at a few other in-state colleges the summer before his junior year, and he was interested in a few, but Mizzou was still his favorite. We had a scheduled tour to OU (thatās where I went), but we had to cancel because my mom ended up in the hospital and we never rescheduled. At one point he thought about going to college somewhere in NYC until he did some research and figured out how expensive that would be. He now has a serious girlfriend who also wants to go to Mizzou, so that was the ONLY place he applied. This was super frustrating to me, but, hey, itās his life. We are middle income, so he wouldnāt qualify for financial aid, but we also couldnāt afford to pay for all of his college. Mizzou offers a great National Merit scholarship for in-state students and the state of Missouri also offers an additional automatic scholarship for students with high ACT/SAT scores. So, he will actually end up with a surplus his freshman year. This definitely helped seal the deal with Mizzou. He also plans to go to law school and Mizzou has a law school. He would be able to start his first year of law school during his fourth year of undergrad, so that means he would only have to pay for two years of law school instead of three. In the end, I think he made a wise decision. I would have liked him to explore Tulsa. It is actually closer to us even though itās out of state. Their package is hard to beat, but the girlfriend going to Mizzou cemented his decision.
So if Iām reading this right, he will be considered a NMS because Mizzou is offering their NM scholarship, right? Is anyone going to list this on graduation announcements? Iāve never done this before, so Iām not sure what kinds of things get included, but something I read online said to list honors. I thought about saying something like (Name) plans to attend the University of Missouri as a National Merit Scholar. Is that pretentious? It wonāt hurt my feelings if you say yes. Iām genuinely curious. Thanks!
1 Like
IMHO On May 1st, your son will be a National Merit Scholar. He will also be a graduate planning to study at U of M. You have every right to list all of the above on your graduation announcements. He earned it as a student, and you earned it as a parent. 
1 Like
So is that the same for mine? I am so confused but this all.
Some places it says that if you get a school scholarship then you wonāt be named a NM scholar.
If you have not been named a scholar in the first 2500 and you commit to attend a participating University by May 1st, they in turn award you a National Merit Scholarship of usually $2500 thus making you a NM Scholar. Or if you are awarded a Corporate sponsored NM Scholarship you become a NM Scholar. If you are not one of the first 2500 and then do not attend a NM participating university, then you are a NM finalist.
2 Likes
Types of Merit Scholarship Awards
Beginning in March and continuing to mid-June, NMSC notifies approximately 7,250 Finalists that they have been selected to receive a Merit ScholarshipĀ® award. Merit Scholarship awards are of three types:
-
National MeritĀ® $2500 Scholarships
Every Finalist competes for these single-payment scholarships, which are awarded on a state-representational basis. Winners are selected by a committee of college admission officers and high school counselors without consideration of family financial circumstances, college choice, or major and career plans. -
Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards
Corporate sponsors designate their awards for children of their employees or members, for residents of a community where a company has operations, or for Finalists with career plans the sponsor wishes to encourage. These scholarships may either be renewable for four years of undergraduate study or one-time awards. -
College-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards
Officials of each sponsor college select winners of their awards from Finalists who have been accepted for admission and have informed NMSC by the published deadlines that the sponsor college or university is their first choice. These awards are renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study. The published deadlines for reporting a sponsor college as first choice can be viewed on page 4 of the Requirements and Instructions for Semifinalists in the 2023 National MeritĀ® Scholarship Program. (Adobe Acrobat Reader is required.)
Merit Scholarship awards are supported by some 400 independent sponsors and by NMSCās own funds. Sponsor organizations include corporations and businesses, company foundations, professional associations, and colleges and universities.
1 Like
(March: Scholarship Winners Announced
Finally, 7,250 of the finalists learn that they are National Merit Scholarship winners. Each winner receives a $2,500-a-year National Merit Scholarship, a corporate-sponsored scholarship, and/or a college-sponsored scholarship.)
1 Like