cut-off scores/semi-finalist announcements

Paying for College National Merit Aid
421

<p>

</p>

<p>Cutoffs are not established by taking the top 1% of scorers in each state/region. Instead, they are allocated to each state/region based on 16,000 spots apportioned according to the percentage of high school graduates in each compared to the total number of all high school graduates. (A few cut-offs, such as for boarding schools and internationals, are then set equal to some of these calculated cutoffs.)</p>

<p>For example, if a state has 66,000 HS graduates in a year, that represents 2% of the 3.3 million graduates in the nation for the year. That state then gets 2% (320) of the 16,000 NM semi-finalists, which are then awarded to the top 320 (plus ties) scorers.</p>

<p>16,000 NMSF represent about 1% of the annual nation-wide count of junior-year test takers (and about 0.5% of all HS graduates), but they do not necessarily represent the top 1% of any state/region’s test takers.</p>

<p>Updating WI, NY</p>

<p>**AL=210<a href=“post%20222,%20per%20GC%20210%20is%20cutoff”>/B</a>
AK<=214 (post 62)
AZ<=229 (post 357)
**CA=219<a href=“post%20323,%20per%20GC%20218%20is%20cutoff,%20but%20by%20380,%20218%20did%20not%20qualify”>/B</a>
CO<=218 (post 372)
CT<=229 (post 267)
**FL=210<a href=“post%20376,%20by%20firsthand%20view%20of%20NMS%20report”>/B</a>
**GA=215<a href=“post%20130,%20per%20Headmaster%20cutoff%20is%20215”>/B</a>
**HI=215<a href=“post%20320,%20per%20GC%20cutoff%20is%20215”>/B</a>
ID<=208 (post 401)
IL<=214 (post 333)
IN<=212 (post 336)
IA<=209 (post 50)
**KS=211<a href=“post%20229,%20per%20NMSF%20packet%20cutoff%20is%20211”>/B</a>
KY<=210 (post 92)
**LA=210<a href=“post%20268,%20per%20GC%20cutoff%20is%20210”>/B</a>
**MD=220<a href=“%5Burl%5Dhttp://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/national-merit-scholarships/national-merit-scholarships/national-merit-scholarships/…28-post14.html%5B/url%5D”>/B</a>
MA<=224 (post 204)
MI<=212 (post 202)
MN<=216 (post 135)
MS<=205 (post 176)
MO<=210 (post 99)
**MT=208<a href=“post%2073,%20per%20GC%20cutoff%20is%20208”>/B</a>
NE>206, <=215 (post 400, checked with qualifying and non-qualifying students)
NV<=211 (post 340)
**NJ=221<a href=“post%20269,%20heard%20cutoff%20was%20221”>/B</a>
**NY=217<a href=“post%20418,%20per%20GC%20cutoff%20is%20217”>/B</a>
NC<=214 (post 314)
**OH=212<a href=“post%2054,%20per%20GC%20cutoff%20is%20212”>/B</a>
OK<=208 (post 409)
OR<=215 (post 285)
PA<=217 (post 387)
**RI=211<a href=“post%20399,%20inferred%20from%20personal%20score%20compared%20with%20friend’s”>/B</a>
SC<=222 (post 365)
TN<=212 (post 220)
TX=215 (post 138, per GC cutoff is 215)
UT<=205 (post 338)
VT<=217 (post 297)
VA<=218 (<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/national-merit-scholarships/national-merit-scholarships/national-merit-scholarships/...362-post6.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/national-merit-scholarships/national-merit-scholarships/national-merit-scholarships/...362-post6.html&lt;/a&gt;)
**WA=218<a href=“post%20343”>/B</a>
WI>207, <=209 (post 384, 419)</p>

<p>**Internationals=223 <a href=“post%20398”>/B</a>
This is usually set to be equal to the highest cutoff score among the individual states.</p>

<p>Commended (national cutoff) = 201
Any person with a score equal to or higher than this cutoff who is not an NMSF receives commended status.</p>

<p>No scores reported yet from:
AR
DE
DC
ME
NH
NM
ND
SD
WV
WY
10 (?) boarding school regions
These are usually set to be equal to the highest cutoff score among the individual states in the region.</p>

422

<p>Greetings again from the Letter Carrier mom in Oregon.
I spoke to the principal of the school where I delivered a packet yesterday. He said they had no semifinalists, and he saw the cut-off, but didn’t remember what it was (eeeee…)
My son has been checking daily in our small school, and they still don’t have a packet. I can’t believe they sent these by non-profit mail! (see my post #395.) I wonder if they always have used non-profit mail, or if this was somebody’s brilliant money-saver this year.
The good news is that packets go to schools with no finalists, so if your school hasn’t received one yet, don’t give up hope.</p>

423

<p>Question: I’m from Michigan and here it says that a person from MI got a score of 212 and was a semifinalist. I got a 215 on my PSAT, yet when I asked my counselor about it, she said my name wasn’t on the list? I guess I don’t understand how this works because I thought that a cutoff was statewide. Help? ^^;</p>

424

<p>spazzy, are you a junior? Sophomore scores don’t count. If you think you should be on the list call the National Merit folks [National</a> Merit Scholarship Corporation](<a href=“http://www.nationalmerit.org/]National”>http://www.nationalmerit.org/). They are very helpful, although they might ask you to call back after Sept. 15th, if that’s the media embargo date.</p>

425

<p>IDScientist- our CT school won’t give out the packets or even talk about NMSFs until next week. Sounds like you may have to wait as long as next Wednesday.</p>

426

<p>

To be clear, to qualify for NMSF spazzy should now be a senior on track to graduate next May/June and have taken the October, 2009 PSAT as a junior.</p>

427

<p>According to lushvineyard’s son’s score, Oregon’s cutoff is above 213 but equal to or below 215.</p>

428

<p>No, I’m a senior. =/</p>

429

<p>Hi VelvetInOregon,
Sorry if I was unclear. My son has a 213, which has been Oregon’s cutoff for the past three years, and I’m waiting nervously for this year’s announcement.
I believe the packets were sent by slow, Non-Profit mail, and many, if not most Oregon schools are still waiting to receive them.
DS has been in the school office every day, and the GC, Principal, and especially the school secretaries are all on the lookout.
I hope we hear soon, though I’m comforted by knowing of a school that received a packet with no SF’s, so no news is not bad news, just a delay!</p>

430

<p>Oh I’m sorry! I didn’t notice you were writing about the school you delivered to. </p>

<p>I’m waiting too, though I know the principal has the packet. I have a 214 in Oregon. I’m not sure why he is waiting to tell us. We have some surething semifinalists at our school</p>

431

<p>Spazzy, did you recently transfer to your high school? The reason I ask is my son was a transferee and the first letter he got from NMSC last April was sent to his old school and the counselor there was good enough to forward it to our home address.</p>

432

<p>Lushvineyard: The Guidance Counselors or Principal, if they have the time, can call and get information from the National Merit Scholarship people. They will NOT give out names and info to parents (doesn’t seem right but those are their rules). So, if the mail that was addressed to the Principal (per the NMS people) has not been received (definitely all sent out on 8/24) then some one in an official capacity needs to call NMS and get the info and possibly request paperwork be sent again.
Our GC office didn’t look for the envelope until are their scheduling with all students was past the class change deadline (yesterday). I am guessing all public schools are in a similar fix- crazy ratios of students to counselors.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

433

<p>Hi Oregons,</p>

<p>My son is 215 so we have been anxiously waiting. He asked his principle and couselor. No one received any package. There is another student at his school should be a sure. The other shcool in our town didn’t have anything either.</p>

434

<p>Hi, from MD here. My junior year PSAT score was 220, right on the cut-off mark. Does that mean I missed it by a hair, or I just barely made it? :/</p>

435

<p>

</p>

<p>“Cutoff” means the lowest qualifying score, so you should be good if our information is correct. Naturally all of our postings our unofficial and could be in error. Please let us know if you find out otherwise.</p>

436

<p>gosh, people are getting notified already?? i’m from massachusetts with a score of 228, so i’m definitely a semifinalist, but i probably ask guidance for official notification…</p>

437

<p>Thanks, Descartesz. My school is notoriously slow at sending out this kind of information, and no one else in my school has heard anything either and it makes me antsy. I know some people who got a 226 and most definitely qualify that still haven’t gotten any word, so maybe there’s some hope for me yet. MD has historically waffled between 220 and 221-- the suspense is killing me!</p>

438

<p>Does anyone have a 218 in California? Different posts have said different things. Thanks!</p>

439

<p>No, I’ve been at my high school all four years. I really can’t think of any strange circumstances haha. I really appreciate all the thought processes, though. ^^;</p>

<p>Plus, last year’s cut off for MI was at 209, I believe. And for it to jump more than 6 points, since I got a 215 and apparently am not on the list? I don’t mean to sound whiny or anything. I guess I just want to understand.</p>

440

<p>CA cutoff confirmed at 219.</p>