<p>Nobody here, to my knowledge, is an employee at Fordham or works in the admissions office (except possible lurkers). So nobody here knows the real decision process or timing. </p>
<p>Fordham had a huge increase in EA applicants this year. They expect another huge increase in RD applicants which closes in a few weeks. </p>
<p>They choose Presidential Scholars from both pools, but I dont know how many from each and when they are selected. </p>
<p>To say someone needs a 2200 SAT score is an understatement. My kid had several people in her dorm freshmen year with perfect 1600/1600 SAT scores. </p>
<p>Its a real shock to people, particularly the students, who have worked very hard for their grades and to attain a high SAT score to learn there are many others out there who have also done very well, or perhaps even better. </p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>I think there is a little confusion in this thread between the Presidential and the National Merit scholarships. </p>
<p>The NM Scholarship (which includes National Hispanic and American Scholars) has as a threshold National Merit Semi Finalist, etc., standing. While “almost all” (quoting Fordham reps) NM awardees receive Fordham’s full tuition NM Scholarship, Fordham reserves the right to apply additional standards; specifically, Admissions Reps have told me on two different occaissions, they want to see excellent grades, with no "C"s. I had the impression it is not a specific number – whether even one C would knock a student out of contention – but a review in the context of the entire transcript. It is not a competitive scholarship; each potential awardee’s application is reviewed independently. As stated previously, generally, Fordham wants NM awardees to be in the top 10% of their class, though there is some wiggle room.</p>
<p>In contrast, the Presidential Scholarship is competitive. Students are compared against the pool of applicants. The Presidential is a separate scholarship and the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test plays no role. The Presidential is tuition, room and board. It is awarded on the basis of class standing and SAT/ACT scores, only.</p>
<p>Yes, some students who are awarded the Presidential Scholarship also happen to be National Merit awardees: many NM awardees also have high SAT scores and grades. Statistically, the PSAT is an excellent predictor of SAT scores, so those who score in the top 1% the the PSAT often score in the top 1% of the SAT, as well. </p>
<p>As a related matter, in other threads there has been speculation about whether there is a benefit to withholding commitment to Fordham; that is, whether waiting to commit would cause a higher level of financial merit to be awarded. This speculation has arisen because Fordham does sometimes make additional awards, as it gets closer to May 1. I have been assured, in writing, that the timing of commitment has no bearing on the award. If the funds are available and a student meets the criteria for an additional award, it will be forthcoming, even if the student has already commited.</p>
<p>Correction to above – current info states the Presidential is for tuition and room, only – no board. Extracirriculars and leadership are taken into account, as well as grades, test scores, and class standing: [Fordham</a> University: FAQs](<a href=“http://www.fordham.edu/faq/]Fordham”>FAQ).</p>