I recall reading that 16,000 NMSFs are designated, and from that pool, 15,000 go on to become NMFs. Are those numbers set in stone? What if over 1,000 NMSFs failed to turn in a completed application? Or what if a particular year is riddled with poor grades and disciplinary issues? Would 15,000 still be selected as Finalists? Likewise, if everyone turned in complete applications and there were more than 15,000 strong candidates, would some otherwise-qualified Semifinalists be denied Finalist designation?
There is no quota or set number of Finalists. The final number depends on how many complete all steps in the process and how many are qualified. 15,000 is a rough average number.
OK, thank you!
The number 15,000 seems to be stated as a hard and fast number, and the reason for the 1,000 not moving to Finalist is presumably something lacking–whether an incomplete application or some blight on the student’s record. It has been stated as almost a slam dunk if you have a complete application that meets/exceeds the standards. However, how can one know what the competition is? What if it turns out that a single B in Art from Freshman year knocks you out bc there are 15,000 applicants with perfect 4.0s? Just speculating.
At my kids’ school, a number of the semifinalists take the ACTs and do not bother taking the SATs so they take themselves out of the running for finalist.
@uesmomof2 To me, that seems ludicrous. Lots of kids take both ACTs and SATs. Multiple times. Do they do this by mistake? I can’t even imagine why someone would do this. What’s their reasoning? Wow.
It would surprise me that someone would blow off the National Merit opportunity. Many kids don’t “get” the value of money–even $2500. I have noticed that at my son’s prep school there is an elitist attitude toward college–get into the most prestigious college and attend there regardless of cost. They couldn’t be bothered to consider anything less, and mom and dad don’t seem to mind coughing up a quarter of a million dollars for an undergraduate degree.
That is not the case for us! We are on pins and needles hoping our son makes Finalist and can take advantage of one of the awesome tuition-plus opportunities.
You’re not alone, @jiggymom. The NMF scholarships are amazing and should be tried for if at all possible.
I think everyone qualified should try for it, but there is no money offered at top schools, and s lot of other schools only give $1,000 per year to NMFs. (I know they say $2,000, but at most schools only students who get need based aid are eligible for the $2k, and then the schools don’t stack the merit and they really get nothing – students not eligible for FA get $1,000 per year). But I’d ask my kid to sit for the SAT for a return of $4,000.
For example in 2014 there were 16,227 semifinalists and 15,181 finalists.
Don’t get me wrong. My daughter took the SAT and submitted the application for finalist but I just know that of the 30-40 semi-finalists in her grade, several took the ACT and scored 35 or 36 the first time and did not think about taking the SAT.
Yeah, for those of us not looking at tippy-top schools, for various reasons, being a NMF still opens up some opportunities at many great schools.
If DD had not done better than expected among the very selective schools, she would be attending one of the better NMF schools right now. She worked hard for that opportunity and researched like crazy to find the best NMF school for her.
We read a lot on this board about prepping for the SAT, but darned little about prepping for the PSAT.
I sort of understand a 15-yr-old not getting worked up about her chances to attend, say, U of Evansville. But there comes a point where financial reality needs to trump vanity.
Does anyone know when the 2015 PSAT scores are released?
@Kimo2017 I’ve heard they will be out by 12/12
Yes, it is true that most very highly selective schools don’t typically give generous merit awards for NMF, but there are some schools where a student can have every opportunity for a good eduction, receive full tuition plus significantly more money… It is always good to have a financial safety, and if a student visits he/she might really love some of the high NMF scholarship schools. Some best known with large number of NMF students are: U of Alabama, U of Kentucky, U of Oklahoma, and Arizona. There are other schools out there, too! Yes these are fairly large public schools each with some strengths and weaknesses, like any school. We visited 3 of these I have mentioned, and liked them all. I think when the reality of college expenses came into focus for our family (bought the student a car, need to buy dorm stuff, clothes, spending money, books, travel money, etc) plus another child coming who will be college age soon, and then multiply expenses by 4 years, plus factor in grad school possibility, we became very appreciative of the NMF scholarship. Even though we are not broke or in huge amounts of debt, we appreciate the scholarship very much. In the end this money will come back to her in assistance for future needs.