If you are national merit finalist/scholar, and are accepted to a school like USC (which offers half tuition to NMF), and if you get in, do you automatically get the scholarship? If you get into USC as a NMF, are you guaranteed the scholarship?
Do you have to reapply for the half tuition scholarship at USC? Are there kids who got in who were NMF, but did not get the scholarship?
This applies to other schools which offer NMF scholarships, like BU, or NEU.
Basically, do you automatically get this scholarship if you are NMF and admitted?
Yes as to USC and you do not have to reapply each year. Can’t speak to the other schools. The trick to USC is getting in. They deny lots of NMF each year. Very much depends on your intended major.
does applying as a NMF reduce your chances of getting in because then they have to give you the scholarship?
@vistajay
I thought you had to be a National Merit Winner to get the scholarship.
@“aunt bea”
I myself am not sure, but the USC site does not make this clear.
You have to be a NMF and accepted to USC. Then you’ll get the award…and then you’re named a NMScholar.
@kjake2000 , I don’t really know. They seem to be looking for students who have a passion for their intended major. My D is a drama BA and they called her before acceptance, specifically probing into her passion for theatre.
We just went to a USC road show, and D was told the scholarship is NOT automatic if you are accepted, you are just automatically in the pool for consideration as a presidential scholar. I was not able to ask further, if this was a change in policy, but it did sound as if they were going to limit presidential scholarships to around 200 in total, including NMFs.
@ollie113 , that does sound like a change