If I am a national merit finalist, am I pretty much guaranteed to get the full ride?

<p>On the UMass website, it says that there are a limited number of scholarships for NMFs. So do most NMFs get the scholarship? If I am a NMF, wha are the chances that I will get the scholarship? My stats are pretty good, but not absolutley ridiculously amazing. I am OOS.</p>

<p>D was a National Merit scholar (final step beyond finalist) and was offered an extra $1000. That’s it. Way to keep the best and brightest in state! (She’s at college out of state with about 25K in merit aid due to her NM status)</p>

<p>UMass is looking to increase the # of OOS students as a way to raise revenue.</p>

<p>Wow!! This is what it says on the UMass website:</p>

<p>UMass Amherst will award scholarships up to the full amount of tuition, fees, room, and board to a select number of National Merit and National Achievement finalists.</p>

<p>I am so surprised that your daughter, a NMScholar, did not get it. </p>

<p>Is the website outdated or something?</p>

<p>I guess that “a select number” is a pretty vague quantity. Could mean anything: one, ten, fifty, who knows??</p>

<p>They did some other stuff that made them look second rate compared to the privates. For example, with the May 1 decision date looming, they did not send her their fin. aid offer until April 18, much, much later than the other schools she applied to.</p>

<p>UMass wants to be considered as good as Virginia, NC-Chapel Hill or Michigan, but can’t pull it off.</p>

<p>It’s a state university, there’s not much they can do in terms of finances. If they don’t have it, they don’t have it.</p>

<p>Call them up and ask them how many NMFs got scholarships and for how much!</p>

<p>Why sit there and speculate, pick up the phone.</p>