National Achievement Scholarship Program

Paying for College National Merit Aid
41

<p>FLVADAD - really appreciated your posting the link to the NMSC's annual report. I hadn't thought to look at it and didn't realize there was such a wealth of info there! The stats for FAMU in 2006 for NatAch enrollments are interesting considering their robust recruitment efforts. My D actually just received a call from them tonight w/that offer, which prompted my search of this site for the scoop on FAMU. </p>

<p>I'd be interested to hear if anyone has heard from other colleges with a similar (free ride) offer specifically for NatAch SEMI-finalist status. I've seen quite a bit for National Merit, but even NatAch Finalist/Scholar free rides seem like needles in the proverbial haystack. That's bad news for "middle income" folks like us whose definition of "need" may not exactly match that of the FAFSA.</p>

<p>Fordham U in NY appears to offer a free tuition scholarship for NatAch Semis -- but Room&Board will run ya $12K+ & you have to be in the top 10% of class.</p>

42

<p>Not sure if this'll be helpful to anyone. I spent hours scouring the web to find a list of colleges that offer Free Rides or Full Rides to National Achievement or Hispanic Scholars with little or no success. The closest I got was a thread in this site that listed the same for National Merit. I found that not all schools that give full scholarships to National Merit Scholars do the same for National Achievement. </p>

<p>Consequently, I started an excel spreadsheet of colleges that offer full tuition or free rides to National Achievement Scholars specifically. After finding this thread, I uploaded the table to my Girl Scout website. Hope it's helpful to someone out there. If you know of any other colleges that aren't on the list (it's a short list!) please post links to their scholarship info pages here and I'll try to keep my list updated.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>This list contains the following types of information:
1. Free Rides for National Achievement SEMIFINALISTS
2. Free Rides for National Achievement FINALISTS/SCHOLARS
3. Full Tuition/Fees only for both of the above</p>

<p>[url=<a href="http://www.gstroop3131.com/NatAchFreeRide%5DSchool%5B/url"&gt;http://www.gstroop3131.com/NatAchFreeRide]School[/url&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p>

<p>p.s. I just heard from another Girl Scout mom whose D attended Howard U on a Full Tuition scholarship. The D maintained the overall GPA required, but fell short of it by three tenths of a point in one semester. Her D lost the scholarship with no chance of regaining it.</p>

<p>It's probably wise to check out the fine print to see if there's a "grace period" to get back on track if your S or D falls below the GPA requirement while enrolled.</p>

43

<p>I finally got around to reading the TOS for this site and realized posting links to other non-authoritative pages, is a no-no. Sooo . . . just in case my earlier post is ultimately deleted for that unintentional gaffe, I've copied and pasted here the info I've gathered on schools willing to give high merit aid to National Achievement Finalists and Semi-Finalists. The links are all good as of Nov 07. While the info was gathered in response to a search for National Achievement benefits specifically, in most cases the award was equally applicable to National Hispanic Recognition scholars.</p>

<p>IMPORTANT NOTE: There are lots of awesome schools (like ivies) that will meet a NA Scholar's full need. This list doesn't include awards based on financial need, so those schools aren't listed.</p>

<p>Arizona State (AZ) NAF
$21,500 annual award; 4yr renewable 3.25 GPA/30hrs per year
Student</a> Financial Assistance </p>

<p>Auburn U (AL)NAF
Tuition + Fees
Auburn</a> University Scholarship Office </p>

<p>Ball State U -Muncie (IN) NAF
Free Ride, 4 yr renewable; 3.0 GPA
<a href="http://www.bsu.edu/finaid/article/0,,52694--,00.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.bsu.edu/finaid/article/0,,52694--,00.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Fordham U
NY
National Achievement Semi-Finalist
Tuition + Fees
Traditional</a> Rose Hill and Lincoln Center Fordham University Aid </p>

<p>Florida A&M
FL
National Achievement Semi-Finalist
Free Ride + laptop
Some items not reflected on school website
University</a> Scholarships - Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University 2007 </p>

<p>Florida A&M
FL
National Achievement Finalist
Free Ride + laptop * single room + summer travel
Some items not reflected on school website
University</a> Scholarships - Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University 2007 </p>

<p>Georgia State U
GA
National Achievement Finalist
Free Ride
Georgia</a> State University - Georgia State University Scholarships </p>

<p>Howard U
DC
National Achievement Finalist
Free Ride
Grants</a>, Scholarships & Fellowships - Howard University </p>

<p>Iowa State U
IA
National Achievement Finalist
Free Ride
National</a> Achievement Scholarship Program : Iowa State University Admissions</p>

<p>Missisipi State
MS
National Achievement Finalist
A full waiver of non-resident tuition scholarship and $20,000 over four years ($5,000/year). Criteria: Students with a core GPA of 3.25 or above.
Priority Date: February 1
Competitive</a> Scholarships || Office of Admissions and Scholarships || Mississippi State University </p>

<p>Missisipi State
MS
National Achievement Semi-Finalist
Mississippi State University recognizes National Merit/Achievement Finalists who are admitted to the university and name MSU as their first choice institution with four years of complimentary on-campus housing and a college-sponsored Finalist Award. Scholars sponsored by National Merit Scholarship Corporation or a foundation may be selected for an annual stipend ranging from $500 to $3,000
Priority Date: February 1
Competitive</a> Scholarships || Office of Admissions and Scholarships || Mississippi State University </p>

<p>New Mexico State U
NM
National Achievement Finalist
Tuition & fees, 4yr renewable; 12hrs/sem; 3.0GPA
NMSU</a> Prospective Students </p>

<p>Oklahoma State
OK
National Achievement Finalist
5yr renewable tuition (GPA 3.0); 4 yr renewable $5500 stipend (GPA 3.25); 28 credits per yr
National</a> Achievement Finalists at OSU </p>

<p>Texas State U (San Marcos)
TX
National Achievement Finalist
$40000K, 4yr renewable;
National</a> Scholarships : Financial Aid and Scholarships : Texas State University </p>

<p>U of Arkansas (Little Rock)
AR
National Achievement Finalist
Tuition+ ($12,500) 4yr renewable
Admissions</a> and Financial Aid | University of Arkansas at Little Rock </p>

<p>U of Cincinnati
OH
National Achievement Finalist
Free Ride, 4 yr renewable; 3.2 GPA; 30hrs comm svc, Honors college; $1500 stipend
15-Dec
Undergraduate</a> Admissions, University of Cincinnati </p>

<p>U of Memphis
TN
National Achievement Finalist
Tuition + Fees - possible room & board
<a href="http://www.enrollment.memphis.edu/scholarships/schol_pdf/freshacsh.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.enrollment.memphis.edu/scholarships/schol_pdf/freshacsh.pdf&lt;/a> </p>

<p>U of New Orleans
LA
National Achievement Finalist
Free Ride
The</a> University of New Orleans - Registrar's Office </p>

<p>U of TX Austin
TX
National Achievement Finalist
Tuition & Fees + $1000 Stipend
Texas</a> Scholarships: OSFS Scholarships: National Achievement Scholars </p>

<p>U of Massachusetts Amherst
MA
National Achievement Finalist
(up to) Free ride; 4yr renewable; 3.2 GPA
Jan. 15
UMass</a> Amherst: Undergraduate Admissions: National Merit & Achievement Scholarships </p>

<p>University of Alabama
AL
National Achievement Finalist
Value of tuition in-state or out of state for 4 years; 4 years of on-campus housing at regular room rate; $1,000 per year University National Merit/Achievement Scholarship for 4 years; One time allowance of $2,000 for use in summer research or international study; Laptop computer
Undergraduate</a> Scholarships - The University of Alabama </p>

<p>University of Arizona
AZ
National Achievement Finalist
Tuition+ ($20,000 scholarship 4yr renewable)
<a href="https://financialaid.arizona.edu/scholarships/awards/National_Achievement_African%20American%20Scholarship.aspx%5B/url%5D"&gt;https://financialaid.arizona.edu/scholarships/awards/National_Achievement_African%20American%20Scholarship.aspx&lt;/a> </p>

<p>University of Nebraska
NE
National Achievement Finalist
Tuition+ $2000 stipend
15-Jan
UNL</a> Admissions | National Achievement Scholars </p>

<p>University of SC
SC
National Achievement Finalist
Tuition+ ($6,000 scholarship 4yr renewable + in-state tuition rate)
Leiber Scholarship
Academic</a> Scholarships </p>

<p>Wright State U (Dayton)
OH
National Achievement Finalist
Free Ride
WSU</a> - Scholarships for Your Important First Year</p>

44

<p>Also, virtually any school that gives merit aid to National Merit scholars gives merit aid to National Achievement finalists and possibly even semifinalists (since it's so difficult to recruit black students with high scores).</p>

<p>Even if colleges don't say this on their sites, any students who are N Achievement finalists, semifinalists or even N A commended have excellent chances of getting merit aid at colleges that offer such aid. The number of high scoring (even at the N A commended level) black students (particularly ones who aren't immigrants' kids) is very small, and the demand to recruit them is very high. Even black students who got some kind of Achievement scholar distinguishment on the PSAT but have medicore (sub 3.0) gpas can get merit aid (though not likely to occur at top 25 colleges) to some 4-year colleges. </p>

<p>I speak from experience as both of my sons were N Achievement semifinalists (would have been finalists, but didn't get it because of low grades) got merit aid. Older S got acceptances at 2 top 25 schools, but didn't get merit aid from them. He did get merit aid from a top 50 school and from 2 2nd tier schools. Younger S got merit aid from a tier 2 LAC, and probably would have gotten admission and some merit aid from top 50s, but didn't apply to any.</p>

<p>Also check CC's archives as I think that a few years ago,I posted a list of colleges offering scholarships to N Achievement scholars/semifinalists. I don't still have the list or I'd post it again.</p>

<p>And if your kids haven't yet taken the PSAT, be aware that it pays off for students to study for the test. Good scores are related to preparation -- rigor of the coursework and whether a student studies for the test. It's worth it to pay the $20 or so for the prep books and CDs. The overwhelming majority of many white and Asian students whom I know who did well on the test prepped for it either through taking prep courses (not worth it in my opinion because they are extremely expensive and one can achieve the same results if a student is disciplined enough to do the prep books), private tutoring or regularly studying with prep books. I had my older S study using prep books (bribed him by offering him a nice amount of money for certain scores when he took the SAT). That kind of incentive wouldn't work with younger S, so I paid $50 an our for a tutor, who went through the prep book with (doing exactly what S could have done on his own if he had had the discipline). Both sons also took very rigorous college prep programs. Both scored on the PSAT at National MERIT commended, and had SAT scores in the 98th (older S) and 99th (younger S) percentile.</p>

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<p>Great point about the prep courses Northstar Mom. Using the prep books with discipline may yield equal or better results.</p>

<p>Re: Nat Ach merit -- I may be wrong, but the impression I got was that things had changed somewhat this year. I called a few schools: U Cinn, Baylor, and USC to ask whether they extended equal $$$ to National Achievement as NM and was told either that they didn't know what I was talking about (U-Cinn), or used to and don't anymore (USC, Baylor). Following those experiences, I made a point of calling each of the schools on the NM list elsewhere on this site that my daughter was interested in, to find out their policies. The results were similar. </p>

<p>It's not that the schools aren't offering ANY merit aid to Nat Ach -- it's just that it's not guaranteed like NM, may be partially based on need, and/or may not be as significant. :(</p>

46

<p>"Nat Ach merit -- I may be wrong, but the impression I got was that things had changed somewhat this year. I called a few schools: U Cinn, Baylor, and USC to ask whether they extended equal $$$ to National Achievement as NM and was told either that they didn't know what I was talking about (U-Cinn), or used to and don't anymore (USC, Baylor). Following those experiences, I made a point of calling each of the schools on the NM list elsewhere on this site that my daughter was interested in, to find out their policies. The results were similar."</p>

<p>I would not bother calling colleges to ask that question because I think that colleges are concerned about lawsuits from students who for race/ethnicity reasons can't get National Achievement or National Hispanic scholarships. Colleges don't want to have on their website promises of excellent guaranteed merit aid to NA and NH scholars whose scores may be lower than those of white and Asian students who don't qualify for NM.</p>

<p>The reality is that there is a very small pool of high scoring black students. You can check in the research area of the College BOard site to see the breakdown of black students scoring each range on the SAT. </p>

<p>Colleges know that the competition is fierce to get such students, so colleges that offer merit aid will use that aid as an attraction. </p>

<p>I've heard that at some mainstream colleges offering merit aid, when students are brought in to compete for top scholarships, the majority of students are high scoring URMs. However, when the college put on their website the info about new freshmen with those top scholarships, the overwhelming majority are white or Asian because the black students and Hispanic students went elsewhere, probably to either colleges much higher rated or to colleges in the same tier that the students found more desireable (which could be because of location or other reasons that had little to do with money or the quality of the education).</p>

47

<p>Just followed my own links 2nite and reread my post. Wanted to go on record with a retraction about UCinn. I must have confused it with some other school, because they DO offer substantial merit for NatAchF status.</p>

48

<p>SuperMom,</p>

<p>That's a nice list you put together. There is a similar effort for National Hispanic Scholars on this thread:</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/247029-full-rides-national-hispanic-scholar-finalists.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/247029-full-rides-national-hispanic-scholar-finalists.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>There may be some additional ideas there.</p>

49

<p>SuperMom thanks for taking the time and effort to consolidate this information for us. Also, thanks to Northstarmom for your help and insight.</p>

50

<p>I know I sound greedy, but since I'm both NMF and NAF could I potentially get near twice the money? Or will the colleges only give me money for one program, cuz I'd like to have a stipend :)</p>

51

<p>"The reality is that there is a very small pool of high scoring black students."</p>

<p>An unfortunate and sobering truth, but one that creates significant opportunities for those who do score high. Moreover, while this circumstance has worked to my family's particular advantage, I truly wish the reasons why were different.</p>

52

<p>Fred, they generally don't allow you to double dip like that. However, a couple of our state schools are offering NM and NA scholarships on top of the scholarship program offered by the state which pays up to full tuition. The surplus would go directly to the student and could be as much as $10k per year for NMF and $7.5k per year for NAF.</p>

53

<p>Fred, do you mean finalist? Or semi-finalist? I know I read somewhere that you can only accept final designation in one program. I've also heard, through the grapevine, that finalist status will depend on GPA (not sure if the GPA level is different for NMSF/NASF -- maybe yours is such that it won't matter). </p>

<p>I thought decisions on finalist status didn't come out until January?</p>

<p>But, if you get the luxury of choosing, I'd definitely go NMF because there are so many more scholarship options. Some include stipends, laptops and/or summer abroad options. Of course, for a free ride+, you may have to be willing to attend a 2nd or 3rd tier school . . .</p>

54

<p>Does anyone know any previous years cut off scores for National Achievement semi-finalists in Oklahoma?</p>

55

<p>I just took the SAT on December 1. I recieved a letter from the Scholarship program that said that I need to have them in by the beginning of January. Do you think I should rush deliver them?</p>

56

<p>Smartguy,</p>

<p>Did you elect to have your scores sent to the National Achievement Corp upon completion of the test? If not, I'd definitely do whatever it takes to get your scores there asap! </p>

<p>I'd also check to see how the scores are delivered (internet or mail). The folks at the SAT were very helpful when I called to ask about rushing scores. They explained the delivery options; the end result being that we did NOT have to pay extra to rush scores. The college we were sending to received scored via the internet which was fast enough for our purposes.</p>

57

<p>Yes, I elected to send my scores to the scholarship program before I took my SAT test.</p>

58

<p>Does Morehouse offer anything to National Achievement Semis or Finalists?</p>

59

<p>Finalist to be notified this week, I think (crossing fingers).</p>

60

<p>Are you serious? Where'd you hear? How will they be notified?</p>