Does anyone know if Pomona gives an admissions boost to National Merit finalists? I know they are sponsors and have a small NM award. Also, is their NM award available to students who do not apply for financial aid?
There is no boost for NMFs explicitly. The standards to get in remain the same.
Pomona offers a NM award of $1000-$2000. The website states: “After the final reply date (May 1), Pomona awards scholarships to a limited number of enrolling National Merit Finalists. Not all admitted National Merit Finalists will be offered an award. There is no additional information that Finalists need to submit to our office to be considered for a scholarship award, which range from $1,000 to $2,000.”
It is available for those who didn’t apply for financial aid, but as mentioned, not everyone gets it. Pomona admits around 30-40 NMF, and of them, around 3 or so get the scholarship.
According to their CDS, they gave out $5000 merit awards to 3 undergraduates, which I’m guessing is the NMF scholarship. Perhaps they give enrolling students a higher amount if not all the admitted NMFs with a scholarship enroll? Not sure. Probably best to contact financial aid about this.