^^ correct. That is the confusing part- the colleges choose to give them to NMF’s… But they are not “official” scholarships because the $$ does not flow through NMSF. It comes directly from the colleges.
Thanks so much for the responses @menloparkmom and @STEMFamily ! I’m very glad I’m not the only one confused by this utter labyrinth of a puzzle.
Putting aside the ‘big’ money for now, I hear you two saying:
@STEMFamily: If you get the one time $2500 around Mar 24, you can NOT get the ‘small’ $500-$2K/yr 'college-sponsored NM scholarships.
@menloparkmom : If you get the one time $2500 Mar 24, you can choose to decline it in May and receive the ‘small’ $500-$2K/yr. Are you sure of this? Because it seems a chicken-and-egg situation…I read that you would have to decline first to even be considered for the “small” c-s NM S. (see my quoted NM rule in posting #14). Of course, ‘eligible’ doesn’t guarantee you get the offer… so it appears you must take a big gamble before May 1 in declining $2500 one time and take your chances for $0 or $500 per year or (hopefully) something closer to $2K per year. Are they serious??? Or have I misread something?
@“aunt bea” Please clarify your above post. What $2500 per year are you talking about? If your son enrolled at a non-NM school, then that could not have been either a NM scholarship, nor a college-sponsored scholarship connected to NMF status, correct?
"If your son enrolled at a non-NM school, then that could not have been either a NM scholarship, nor a college-sponsored scholarship connected to NMF status, correct? "
NOT correct.
NMSF awards approx 2500 one time $2500 scholarship each year. This is the third type of NM scholarship.
The $2500 award is given to exceptional students whose PSAT scores, usually 235-240, SAT scores [2400] etc, grades, and accomplishments put them in the “creme de la creme category” of all NMF;s , according to NMSF.
Most of those students end up at NON NMSF sponsoring colleges- HYPS, etc.
“National Merit® $2500 Scholarships
The National Merit $2500 Scholarships are an integral
part of the National Merit Scholarship Program
because all Finalists compete for these awards and
winners are named in every state and selection unit.
A Selection Committee, made up of college admission
officers and high school counselors, convenes to
select winners of these one-time awards. In the 2014
program, most of the 2,500 National Merit $2500
Scholarships were financed by nmsc with its own
funds.”
@menloparkmom : If you get the one time $2500 Mar 24, you can choose to decline it in May and receive the ‘small’ $500-$2K/yr. Are you sure of this?
YES.
@menloparkmom : as for @“aunt bea” response: they said son received $2500 PER YEAR. That would be at odds with the ONE TIME $2500 you reference (correctly) in your response. I’m trying to get at the root of this discrepency.
As for the issue of declining the one time $2500 award – I really hope you’re right. But please tell us your source for saying that a student can receive the one time $2500 in March, would STILL RECEIVE a C-S NMS in May, and can decline the first $2500 award also in May,presumably afterwards.
BTW, Menlo Park NJ or CA? 
I have been following the NM threads for several years and this is the first time I have seen what @menloparkmom is saying. I would also like to know the source of that assertion since it is contrary to the rules stated in the NM published rules (although I will admit also that they are confusing).
@pickpocket Regardless, I would suggest calling NM if your son does get awarded the $2500 and just ask before accepting.
And then let us know what they say.
@Pickpocket, Son receives a yearly corporate award of $2500. He is at a top 10 school and chose not to attend OOS NM schools, for example Oklahoma (full ride was offered), nor some of the other NM schools. A number of his peers at his school are NM recipients.
It is National Merit; son sends a thank you card each year to National Merit and the corporate sponsor. We have all of the paperwork (congratulatory letters, yearly reminder cards, etc.) Why would I say he receives National Merit if he didn’t receive it? It’s only $1250 per semester. Every kid at his school is a top scoring kid, there is no merit aid there. We tried to talk him out of it since his school is need based only and we don’t qualify for need based aid. So, every little grant helps, even if it just pays for books.
I have been on CC for 12[!!] years[ son was an NMF in 2006 and received a full tuition scholarship at USC and the college sponsored NM $1000/ yr award] I have read numerous posts over the years of winners of the NMSF $2500 ONE time awards that I spoke of , having successfully asked NMSF if they could reject the one time $2500 award so that they could receive more $$ because they decided to enroll at a U , like USC, that awards them more than$ 2500 cumulatively over 4 years .
Do you really think than NM would say NO to that request???
YES, you do have to ask.
BUT , They will not say NO and deprive your child of more $$ that is provided by the college through NM .
How could saying NO possible benefit them?? Or the students or colleges that sponsor them??
sheesh…
Hmm. Maybe we are skeptical because it contradicts this wording sent in the letter to Finalists:
No reason to get annoyed just because we are hesitant to believe an anonymous poster rather than something we have in writing.
I agree that is in the interest of NMCorp to save the $2500 for another day and instead use all the money possible that the colleges donate for their college-sponsored awards. And of course it’s good for the student.
The National Merit website has always been full of confusing , head scratching language. Which is why parents come here every year with questions that we try to answer.
What the NM website SHOULD say is that no student CAN receive more than one scholarship paid with NM funds. period.
If a parents company sponsor NM- then the corporate sponsored award is the one they can receive.
If they are accepted at a college that sponsors NM ,[and the student send in the card that designates that college as their first choice], then that is the award they can recieve.
If they are one of the tippy-top NMF’s in the country and are chosen to receive one of the $2500 one time awards, and they enroll at at non sponsoring college, then that is the award they can receive. If they decide to go to NM sponsoring college, then they can refuse the $2500 award if they choose to, in order to receive the higher paying college sponsored amount.
None of the $$ is sent out by NM until Aug or Sept.
Which is WHY we have suggest the BEST STRATEGY is NOT send the card in to NM until the students final college choice has been made.
Just to get better understanding: if NMF attends school like USC, why do they have to turn down 2,500 from NM? Grant for half tuition is paid by USC, not by NM Corporations?
they DONT, UNLESS they want to receive more $$ through NM.
$2500 given one time< $4000 over 4 years, yes?
The 1/2 TUITION scholarship technically has nothing to do with National Merit - as far as where the money comes from or is given out. It is $$ that comes directly from USC.
USC awards it to NMF’s who tell NM that USC is their first choice, after being accepted there.
I guess I missed this part about $1,000x4. How one can get this option? My DD was accepted to USC and it is currently on the top of her list.
She only has to designate USC as her first choice to NM by early May.
USC will get their list from NM of first choice finalists later in the month, match it with the students who have committed to USC, and the $$ is then deposited into her bursur acct twice a year before the beginning of the semester.
@menloparkmom wrote
This is true (actually an online option now in their account) unless the student is going for a scholarship at a few schools that specifically state a requirement for knowing First Choice by an earlier deadline. Then the student must make an early designation but can always just log in to change it back to undecided or to a different school any number of times before May 1.
follow up…I called NM today to clarify two points we have been discussing:
- If student wins one of the one-time $2500 awards (Mar 24 notification) then they ARE locked out of receiving any “college-sponsored Merit Scholarship administered by National Merit,” i.e. the ‘small money’ $500-$2K per year. I pointed out that could potentially preclude them from an $8000 (over 4 yrs.) award and I asked if a candidate could decline it? He said “it would not be to the student’s advantage to decline it. The one-time award is transferable, etc.”
The above answer has no bearing on the ‘big money’ awards some colleges give to Finalists.
- I asked about the early ‘First Choice’ date at some schools (such as Mar. 1 for BU) for the ‘big money’ college merit scholarships NOT administered by NM. He said that even if BU, eg, notified NM of such an award as early as late March, NM would do nothing with the information at that time. Student is still able to change First Choice at will up until May 1 and is still eligible for all NM one-time and ‘small money’ scholarships from different institutions. Phew! But once NM starts mailing NM-administered college-sponsored awards, (which cannot happen before May1), then your options can be limited. Once a college-sponsored ‘small money’ award leaves NM (cannot happen before May 1), then you are locked out from receiving any other.
^ but what about the schools that have imposed an early deadline (as early as February 20) to declare the school as First Choice?
@txstella IFAIK, the info in my 2) paragraph pertains to you. Set that school as first choice by Feb 20. Change first choice to your child’s final choice school before May 1, and you should be fine.
Now if you have multiple schools with similar early First Choice dates, then you may have to change multiple times hitting each deadline carefully. That could be tricky.
Thanks!