National Merit Notification?

<p>I received mine on Friday so...the 28th?</p>

<p>IDNO:
Please elaborate....you mean they gave you a grant for X amount of dollars (higher than $17K) and then when you received the financial Aid package it was =
$X-$17K ?
If so...... I am disappointed , because my daughter is in the same boat and I thought she could receive both! I spoke with the USC FA people and that is what they told me!</p>

<p>@Tuitionsaver, check your PM.</p>

<p>So if I didnt get anything now it's safe to say I got zilch?</p>

<p>I did apply to a citigroup scholarship on march 3rd. Did I automatically win this for being a national merit finalist?</p>

<p>... not sure if i followed you right, piccolo, but if you haven't gotten a letter yet it's only safe to say that you haven't gotten one of the 2,500 scholarships that NMSC will be presenting: you could still receive a college-sponsored award or a corporate national merit scholarship, either of which could be more (or less) money than the NMSC-sponsored flavour, don't sweat it at this point, there are still at least 5,000 NM scholarships left unmailed, as of yet.</p>

<p>Rather nicely, WashU in St. Louis apparently will renew the one-time-payment $2,500 through all four years, which could float my boat just fine. :)</p>

<p>So if we didn't get notification, does that mean we didn't win the $2500? Do they not inform us that we didn't win anything? :/</p>

<p>Correct. National Merit only notifies scholarship recipients.</p>

<p>Anyone else lose money?</p>

<p>My son was designated a national merit scholar and will receive the non renewable $2500 scholarship, but as Fibonaci indicated was happening to him, the top choices for schools that my son would like to attend do not give a scholarship for the following years. He would have been better off financially not to have achieved the National Meit Scholar designation.</p>

<p>I do not believe many individuals are aware of this little fact.</p>

<p>*Why is the National Merit Scholarship Corporation so slow ? *</p>

<p>It takes them forever to notify the schools of changes (i.e. going from "undecided" to actually designating a school)..and then they do it by fax or snail mail!</p>

<p>hmmm. so what if...say, we designated a first-choice college for the NMF award, but just recently (a few days ago) rejected that college's offer because we decided to attend another school (which doesnt offer anything for NMF) ?</p>

<p>does this mean I am still in standing possibly for a $2500 award....or does it mean that i don't get anything at all? lol</p>

<p>Those winners have already been chosen, and college choice had nothing to do with who won.</p>

<p>Fibonaci, are you saying that you lose money by the school not renewing the award (by the school) for the remaining three years? Or does the school sponsor an award for NM winners? </p>

<p>Why do schools have to reduce your university grant by 2500 because you did so well to earn 2500 as a NM winner? Seems like unfair backtracking to me...</p>

<p>A student who gets the $2500 one-time NMC award and attends a school that offers a more generous award (say, $1,000/yr. for four years) may well lose out. In S's case, he loses out at two of his schools by getting the $2500one-time award.</p>

<p>That surprises me. Most colleges that offer NM scholarships will offer those receiving the NM-sponsored scholarships the same package they offer other NM finalists, less what they receive from NM.</p>

<p>Fireflyscout,
Just off the phone with UChicago...they confirmed that they don't sweeten that pot to make it a comparable award to those students who get the UChicago-sponsored NMF award. S loses money by getting the one-time $2500 NM_sponsored award. Why was I not surprised their FA office would take this stance?</p>

<p>So just decline the award if you don't want it.</p>

<p>I'm not turning away $$ -- and NM only gives a student a crack at one offer. It's not like S could turn down the one-time award and wait for a school-sponsored one. He had to sign the acceptance by April 2 for the one-time, anyway.</p>

<p>That's what I got when I called. What wasn't clear was if the $1000/year is all they offer to NM finalists in general or if they have a different award for the ones that indicated UChicago as first choice (college-sponsored scholarships will be announced after 4/30). What was clear was that you can get only one award thru NM and should accept the best offer. S didn't get the $2500 award so he didn't have a deadline.</p>

<p>Per the Chicago FA office, if you don't qualify for FA at Chicago and you get a school-sponsored award, it's $1,000/yr. If you do get FA, it's $2,000. If you get a NMC $2,500 award or a corporate-sponsored award, that's all you get. S had listed Chicago as his first choice. </p>

<p>I was disappointed with the answer I got, but the FA person did call me back within ten minutes after I left a message.</p>

<p>How do the National Merit people decide which of the Finalists is offered a scholarship and which is not? What are the determining factors? Any clue, anyone?</p>