<p>Just wondering. I scored above the usual Commended cutoff and below historical Qualifying scores for my state. However, my actual SAT score is over 300 points higher than my PSAT. Do colleges even care about NMF if your actual SAT score is good?</p>
<p>Very little. Don’t worry about it, put together the best application you can with what have.</p>
<p>Some schools give automatic scholarships to NMFs who designate the school as their first choice.</p>
<p>True. But this student was asking about ‘top’ schools. </p>
<p>But the answer depends on your definition of “top” - if you mean Ivies, then no. But if you’re looking at the next tier (let’s say top 50), then yes, some do give NMF scholarships.</p>
<p>^ this</p>
<p>I know USC gives a half-tuition scholarship (I think, $20k or something) for NMF and it’s in a lot of people’s subset of top colleges</p>
<p>@foolish
Do you know if that half-tuition scholarship would just reduce the amount of need-based aid one would receive at USC? I have a 232 PSAT score (NY) and
Planning on applying to USC.</p>
<p>I think all schools do it like this: they find your demonstrated need as a total, then subtract any scholarship money they or anyone else has given you (for merit), then fill the gap with a mixture of loans/grants/work-study.</p>
<p>So, yes.</p>
<p>Every school does not do it that way, but most do. If you can’t tell from the website of the college, contact their financial aid office and ask.</p>
<p>No</p>