I know UT stopped participating in the program several years ago. They still seem to get a fair number of NMS though. Do they do other non-financial things for NMS that entice these students to attend? I am wondering if NMS helps with acceptance into the Honors programs for instance.
I am curious about this as well…
Nope. Nothing. My son is a NMF & he was finally admitted to the university last Thursday. Denied for CNS honors, waitlisted for LAH. Still waiting to hear from Plan II but it doesn’t look good.
@Oldhorn Thanks (I guess). Are you in state or OOS?
He’s in state. Non-ranking HS, 34 ACT, 2290 SAT.
Thanks again. Trying to keep my junior D from getting his heart set on UT. Hope your son gets Plan II.
There is money usually in Engineering honors and business honors. All others are iffy.
I suppose the main benefit is the in-state tuition for NMF Texans then?
I suppose OOS NMF would be foolhardy to go there?
@texaspg my S is interested in business honors. (I must have hit the D instead of the S in my previous post- lousy typist). By money are you referring to departmental scholarships?
My son was NMF and is an OOS junior at UT in computer science. There is very limited merit money, but he has friends who did earn tuition waivers as incoming freshmen in engineering. CS offers 30 waivers a year for ALL students, undergrad and grad. I would not say that going to UT OOS is foolhardy – my son is receiving an excellent education. The cost is less than paying full expenses at a private university, but obviously a lot more than some of the NMF programs out there.
@getttingschooled The main justification UT provided for removing NMF scholarships was that they are moving money to need based and also that most departments have their own scholarships. What I have noticed over the past few years is that Engineering honors admittees and BHP admittees get scholarships at varying levels (I know people getting 12,500 in engineering as well as 4,000 per year) and similar money given to BHP admittees.
However, similar applicants to non-engineering/non-business majors tend not to get anything. So I can confirm a biochem major with a 34 ACT and top ten class rank got nothing couple of years ago. This person was also admitted to one of the honors programs.
This issue has a lot more to do with most departments not having much money to give out.
@Nerdyparent what major is your student interested in?
@texaspg I appreciate the advice. I had given up on any merit aid at UT but was hoping NMF might have a non-financial benefit like admission into BHP.
I suspect BHP admission comes with some money which is one reason they are tagging people with honors tag (The other benefit is supposed to be access to dorms).
@gettingschooled UT has top ranked engineering and business programs and that’s why NMF may choose UT even with almost no chance of financial aid compared to full-rides at other schools. Getting into the honors programs will give a higher chance of aid, but one must not only have great stats but also be in the top % rank to have a chance.
UT cares a LOT about class rank. Be outside that top 7% and even with great stats and EC’s there is just NO SPACE in the competitive engineering departments. As the top 7% go through the holistic review first.
My younger son is a NMF, 35 ACT, 2290 SAT (750M, 780W scores engineering looks at for the Academic Index), 14 AP’s (AP scholar with distinction), 4 years of foreign language, 400+ hours of documented volunteer work, 12 years of music + multiple awards. His counselor said his essays were so good, he could sell them (lol). He is also an excellent writer (12 on SAT essay). So strong in verbal and non-verbal areas.
My older son who is at UT Engineering said he has friends with similar/lower stats who have engineering scholarships. However my younger son is just outside the top 10% at a very competitive high school and applied for a very competitive Engineering major and is Waitlisted/Paced. So, NMF probably makes NO difference at UT.
He probably would have been accepted into another less competitive major. We will never know as this year UT did not look at second choice major (if across schools). Why? because they decided to just look at first choice as a second choice major was someone else’s first choice and is now full. They have NO space. This also prevents students from accepting second choice majors and then trying an internal transfer later to their first choice. UT says not possible- no space.
In Texas, NMF looking for large scholarships turn to Texas A&M. The Engineering rankings are not far behind UT. Petroleum is ranked higher. And by 2025 the balance can shift as Texas A&M will be the largest engineering program in the country with a huge Aggie Network and huge job fairs (already the largest in the country).
No we have not decided on a college yet- but he does have some full-ride options at other schools because of NMF status and excellent stats/ec’s.
All very interesting. My S is top 6 percent and may be 5 percent by June. He is likely NMF. 2100 SAT. I don’t have concerns about him getting into McCombs but Business Honors is concerning. I don’t expect scholarships from UT for him. I would like him to have the option of the Honors dorms and BHP.
Guess keep that class rank high. Play the GPA game. Take just enough AP classes to stay in the top % (with A’s). My son took every AP/dual class available- wanted the challenge I guess. He did not play the game right.
I think you have a great chance of getting into McCombs. It’s Engineering that has been very tough this year… especially the smaller departments.
(Also for NMF status - no C’s in High School. Some years they accept 1 C. So, not just the PSAT/SAT score for NMF status).
I had just assumed my second D would get in to biomedical engineering for the class of 2020. Now I am concerned. She is top 8 percent at competitive high school. 217 PSAT so likely will just miss cutoff for NMSF. SAT 2200. 800 math. 750 writing. Good but not great ECs. I guess we better have a backup plan. Her sister is a freshman EE major and had much lower stats.
@Dallas14 each year seems to be different. Last year(s) PetroleumE seemed to be in high demand. This year BiomedE and ChemE was in high demand. One of the best students from our school did not get BiomedE. Seems like they gave a few engineering spots per school. Everyone else was placed in UGS. It’s a matter of space and creating a diverse class. If you are “Asian” then it’s a disadvantage. My older son said they have SO many Asian students coming in with very high stats and great EC’s (maybe that’s just his observation).
My older son is also in ECE and had lower stats. ECE is the largest engineering department at UT so easier to get in I guess. Luckily my younger son has some great scholarship offers because of NMF.
TX NM qualifying scores seem to be rising. But 217-219 you may still have a chance. Wishing you all the best.
From our experience, knowing many applicants over the past few years, even in engineering, even in honors, even with National Merit Finalist standing, even being top in the class, it is very difficult to get scholarships unless you have financial need. In fact, we do not know of a single kid who got purely merit based scholarships from UT, but we do know kids who received need-based scholarships. Just something to keep in mind if that is a deal-breaker for your student.