National Merit Scholarship winners don't "win" at NW

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
1

<p>My D was accepted at NW, is a National Merit Finalist and has also been named a National Merit Scholarship winner. (These are the $2,500 one-time awards given to only 2,500 of the 15,000 Finalists, given directly by National Merit, not a corporate sponsor.) </p>

<p>We were previously told by the NW financial aid office that National Merit Finalist status automatically earns a $2,000 per year merit scholarship at NW, for a total of $8,000.</p>

<p>However, since she won the National award, they will not give her the $8,000 scholarship and are replacing it with the $2,500 scholarship. So she will not be receiving the $8,000, nor even the difference between the two.</p>

<p>At first I was told that this was a National Merit rule, but I had spoken to NM directly about this and knew this was not true. It is entirely up to the school. They can substitute it, reduce their regular awards by it, or add to it.</p>

<p>As some examples, at Vanderbilt, my D was offered an automatic $20,000 scholarship as a Finalist, which Vanderbilt reduced by the $2,500, resulting in a $17,500 award directly from Vanderbilt. At Centre College, her receipt of the $2,500 scholarship did not affect the $74,000 scholarship they had already awarded her. At University of Alabama, her full ride due to her Finalist status will also not be reduced by the $2,500. None of these or other colleges that she received merit scholarships from, are replacing them with this award. </p>

<p>I pointed this out to them, and they came back with a new reason--that we didn't qualify for need-based aid. This is another example of colleges apparently making merit scholarships need-based. </p>

<p>Northwestern, instead of recognizing this high honor and achievement, is actually penalizing my D for accepting it, to the tune of $5,500. And it feels like a slap in the face.</p>

<p>No thanks...</p>

2

<p>To be blunt, those other schools aren’t of the same caliber, or (barring Vanderbuilt) even close to the same caliber, as NU. Additionally, in order to qualify for the $2,000 / a year from Northwestern, she would have had to have designated NU as her number one choice with the National Merit corporation. While it’s definitely the school’s perogrative, this is a ridiculous complaint. None of the Ivy League universities award any money for being a National Merit Scholar, to my knowledge. </p>

<p>Personally, I’m pretty pleased with my $2,000 a year National Merit money from NU. If I had gone to my other options, I’d have gotten $0.</p>

<p>Just for good measure, for being a semi-finalist I was offered full ride+ stipend to a public university in Kentucky or Kansas, one which neither I nor anyone I knew had ever heard of. Looking back, I guess I should’ve been outraged when NU wouldn’t match that!</p>

3

<p>The point is, if she refused the $2,500 scholarship and designation as a Scholar, she would have received $8,000 automatically from Northwestern. This makes no sense at all, because the Scholar designation is higher than the Finalist designation (2,500 out of 15,000).</p>

4

<p>And the designation of calling yourself a Northwestern Student is a higher one than a Centre College student- And a Northwestern National Merit Scholar therefore a higher one than a National Merit Scholar at Centre College. You’re complaining she can’t have her cake and eat it too.</p>

5

<p>Are you sure they aren’t taking away $2000 for the first year only? Ask if the $6000 for the remaining four years will be awarded automatically.</p>

<p>Sort of fair would be that your D is up $500 the first year for the nonrenewable $2500 NM award and then gets $2000 the remaining three years from NU .</p>

6

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<p>I confirmed this, in writing, with NW. She gets the $2,500 award and NONE of the $8,000 award, ever. </p>

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<p>I agree. That is the way Vanderbilt would handle it.</p>

<p>And I don’t consider this “having my cake and eating it too.” What you seem to be saying, arbiter, is that it is better to be a Northwestern NM Finalist than a Northwestern NM Scholar. Statistically, this is not true. (There are 15,000 Finalists. There are 2,500 of the 15,000 finalists chosen as Scholars.) Monetarily, however, at least at NW, it is true.</p>

7

<p>kentuckymom,</p>

<p>Did your D designate NU as her number one choice with the National Merit corporation? Is not, that’s probably a moot point. Otherwise, I guess it is kinda backward.</p>

8

<p>boo. i wish i had known this before i checked the “accept” box next to my award for 2500.</p>

9

<p>

First, congratulations to your daughter on being named a National Merit Scholarship winner. This is a wonderful accomplishment and both you and your daughter deserve credit. As far as Northwestern’s policy, I do find fault with Northwestern for not having made the various possibilities more clear at the beginning. That said, it is Northwestern’s longstanding policy not to give merit aid, with the only exception being a Northwestern sponsored National merit scholarship award for those who are not National Scholarship winners. All other financial aid at Northwestern is given on need based criteria. A National Merit Scholarship winner at Northwestern only receives the scholarship from the National Merit corporation plus Northwestern’s need-based aid (if any). Arbiter is correct in saying the Ivy League schools plus several other schools do not even have school-sponsored National Merit awards. Your aid package at those schools would have been the same as what Northwestern is giving as far as merit award. They technically would not have recognized your daughter’s high honor and achievement either. The school-sponsored awards are by policy renewable each year; the national award is not. You would have run into this problem on any school that only offers the school-sponsored merit award as the sole exception to a no-merit aid policy. And the renewable award would not have even been an option at schools that don’t offer the school-sponsored awards. Still, it is unfortunate that Northwestern didn’t make their policy clearer in the beginning. If you had qualified for need-based financial aid or applied at a school which awards other forms of merit aid (which Northwestern doesn’t) this problem may not have been an issue. Congratulations to your daughter where ever she winds up.</p>

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<p>I think many of you here are missing the point. If my daughter refused the Scholar designation from NM, she would have received NW’s automatic $8,000 scholarship. Because she accepted the $2500 award, they will not give her the $8,000 OR the difference of $5,500. </p>

<p>I’m not complaining here about whether a school gives or does not give National Merit scholarships–what I am complaining about is the obvious unfairness of NW’s policy. They are expecting students to know, up front and before they accept this high honor from NM, that they are signing away the AUTOMATIC offer of $8000. This, in my opinion, is very unreasonable and I really believe that most students wouldn’t have even bothered to ask the question, it is so ridiculous.</p>

<p>I understand that NW does not give merit aid except for this scholarship, but they are highly favoring, to the tune of $5,500, Finalists over the highest achievers. Makes no sense at all, to me.</p>

<p>And thanks for the congrats, werner. I don’t think my D feels very “congratulated” by NW, right now, however.</p>

11

<p>I called Northwestern to ask them whether I should accept to reject my NM award of 2500 in order to receive the 2000/year. the lady told me to call national merit, because “they’re the ones that deal with it.” so i called national merit and spoke to a lady who interrupted me repeatedly, spoke down to me like i was stupid, and told me the wrong information.</p>

<p>Now i’m losing out on almost $6000.</p>

12

<p>This is pretty silly of NU, but I wouldn’t let it stop you from your D going to NU. Like people said, NU is better than the other schools you mentioned. </p>

<p>Try to talk to someone higher up at NU, like a dean or something. Hopefully, you will get to talk to someone with a brain. </p>

<p>Congrats…</p>

13

<p>Cherry, I’m so sorry. When I spoke with NM (actually when they called to tell me that my D had won the award), they specifically told me it was up to the school she chose as to whether they would reduce their own scholarship or allow it to “stack.”</p>

<p>The first e-mail I received from Northwestern said the reason they replaced their $8000 award with NM’s $2500 was because NM told them they had to. I know this is not true, based on the conversation I had with NM and in the way D’s other accepted colleges are handling it.</p>

<p>When I said so, in my return e-mail, they then said it was because we didn’t qualify for need-based aid.</p>

14

<p>I agree, it makes no sense…:</p>

<p>-kentuckymom’ daughter as “NM finalist” is entitled to $8,000 (merit scholarship).
-However, kentuckymom’ daughter as “Scholar” is entitled to $2000.</p>

<p>Are you sure about the entitlement of $8000?
Can she renounce the “Scholar” designation? Did you call the NMSC?
Good luck!</p>

15

<p>Kentucky and Cherry</p>

<p>This would have made me INSANE! There is NO logic and I competely agree that it is bizarre and inconsistent.</p>

<p>My son is a NMF with the $2500 scholarship and he got into NU. We turned it down for a MUCH better offer elsewhere. While our EFC was met and we were fine with the aid package, he got better deals at other places that gave him good Merit money AND let him keep outside scholarships. </p>

<p>If it were me I would walk away and says thanks but no thanks –>Vanderbilt here we come!!</p>

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<p>The letter from NM clearly states the student may only receive one award. Your daughter should have declined the $2500 award if she knew she was definitely attending a college that would give her more. And by the way, all National Merit Finalists that receive money from one of the three sources (national, corporate or college) are designated as National Merit Scholars. Since my child wanted to attend colleges that did not participate in the NM program he accepted the national award. But if he had wanted to attend a school that gave more money, he would have declined. Is it too late to decline?</p>

17

<p>My understanding was also that NM Finalists can only accept one award, either one sponsored by a corporation, a college, or the NM Corp. So while my son did not receive the $2500 award, if he had been offered it, we would have declined it because we knew NU gave up to $2000 per year.</p>

<p>I agree it seems illogical. I empathize with students and parents because the awarding of this NM thing is very confusing and depends on the school, etc. It is prudent for others in this situation in the future is to check and check again with the schools your children are applying to before accepting any NM-related award.</p>

18

<p>I got 2K a year for being a finalist, but 1K came out of my need grant. 1K came out of my loans too, but I wound up with an extra 1K in free money a year, so I guess I can’t complain.</p>

19

<p>This doesn’t make sense. The NM rules say that you may only receive a college sponsored NM award if you name that college as your first choice by the designated date. That seems to be the simple answer if your daughter did not designate NU as her first choice. I don’t know why neither NM or NU has given you that as a reason. Is it something they just don’t follow in practice? Two of my kids received tons of offers from colleges based on their NM scores (PSAT) offering everything from $12,000 to full rides. But they all said that my child needed to designate them as first choice to receive the award. My son designated NU as his first choice and is receiving the $2,000 award. My daughter designated Princeton, which doesn’t have an NM program, and was awarded the NM $2,500.</p>

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<p>wait, since when has it been okay for “top” schools to bend the rules when it comes to merit aid?</p>

<p>oh wait, i guess for a while now…</p>

<p>I wish your D luck in the future, at NU or not.</p>