<p>First, let me say that the situation totally sucks – I’m a one-time $2500 NM scholarship winner as well. However, I think the amount for the Northwestern-sponsored 4 year scholarship actually ranges from $500 to $2000 annually, depending on your financial need. (I know someone who only gets $500 a year.) So thinking about it that way, you might have only gotten $2000 over the four years. And I’d say $2500 is better than $2000…</p>
<p>This was in the first e-mail that I got from them when I asked the question:</p>
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I assumed that the size of the award was based on commended, semi-finalist, or finalist status. However, the third e-mail, after I noted that NM told me it was entirely up to the school as to whether to replace, add to, or subtract from their $2500 award, I was told it was based on need, and since we didn’t qualify for any, we got nothing. So now I wonder if my daughter wouldn’t have gotten the $2500 scholarship, if she still would have received nothing from NU. </p>
<p>And if a student is receiving financial aid, does it really matter whether (or how much of) it is designated as NM money or a grant (to the student anyway). </p>
<p>So then the National Merit award from NU is not truly a merit award, but a need-based award…</p>
<p>I think they meant any addition to the award would be based on need. Just my 2 cents, since that actually makes perfect sense in context. But then, I haven’t read the emails themselves.</p>
<p>Re: need versus merit. We did not qualify for need. Son still was offered and is receiving from NU the $2K per year NMF award. Of course, this is one situation; I can’t speak for all. FWIW, he was not offered the 2.5K blank check highest NMF award, so I don’t know what would have happened if he had. For us, it took a phone call to NU to make things clear regarding their 2K award for NMFs. My opinion is that the stuff online and in the paperwork from National Merit itself is not worded clearly, otherwise we wouldn’t have so many CCers saying year after year after year, “Should I list Yale as one of my NMF schools?”</p>
<p>Like I said, I know someone who gets only $500 a year for National Merit. Also, see [Northwestern</a> University - Undergraduate Financial Aid](<a href=“http://ug-finaid.northwestern.edu/tools/prospective/application_FAQ.html#general4:]Northwestern”>http://ug-finaid.northwestern.edu/tools/prospective/application_FAQ.html#general4:)</p>
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<p>I am not happy at losing out on $5500…</p>
<p>After submitting Northwestern as my first choice school to National Merit, the amount of my grant decreased by $2,000, so I will effectively receive nothing for being a National Merit Finalist. This is quite upsetting…</p>
<p>So I shouldn’t designate Northwestern? Weird.</p>
<p>You only shouldn’t designate NU if you’re receiving no work-study or loans of any kind in your aid package, as then your merit money will immediately cut into your grants. Otherwise, it will replace “self-help” aid first.</p>
<p>I am receiving $5,500 in loans and $2,200 in work-study, and my merit money still immediately cut into my grants. Is it possible that the financial aid office made a mistake?</p>
<p>Yes. Check that. Most colleges apply outside awards first to student “self-help” such as loans and work study. If that is NU policy, the loan should have been reduced before the grant. But it is up to the individual college. It can’t hurt to call.</p>
<p>Yes, please call NU. In fact, call ANY college when you have a question, whether it’s about financial aid or waitlists. CC is not the voice of truth, it’s the voice of opinion and anecdotal evidence. I think CC is fantastic, especially for looking at stats and opinions about schools and individual stories, but it’s not the horse’s mouth when it comes to a college’s policy. One person’s experience with a college may not reflect your experience. For heaven’s sake, go to the source.</p>
<p>I still think there’s some confusion in this situation. Does NU in fact have a program in which all NM Finalists automatically receive $2000 per year, or does it rather simply have college-sponsored National Merit awards that it gives out in its discretion? If it’s the former, then I agree that their position makes no sense, since presumably the point of such a program would be to entice Finalists to go to NU, and their policy has the opposite effect on winners! But if it’s the latter, I think this is a general problem with NM awards and college-based awards.</p>
<p>NU’s are the college-sponsored National Merit awards. It’s not any special program.</p>
<p>I just had my NM award from NU factored into my financial aid. $1000 is taken from your grant, $1000 goes in your pocket to help pay for college. Hope that helps.</p>
<p>actually I misread the statement - 1k gets taken out of the grant, 1k gets taken out of one of the loans.</p>
<p>My son was accepted at UChicago but not at Northwestern last year. Seems completely arbitrary to us. He chose the full ride at Auburn in Chemical Engineering. I doubt spending all the extra money to attend Northwestern or UChicago (which doesn’t even have an engineering degree) would be an unnecessary expenditure. If going to a “top tier” school is important for non-academic reasons–e.g.,making connections, the"prestige", etc.–and money is no object, go for it. For us Auburn fits the bill and the educational experience at the Honors College is as good as NU or UC.</p>