<p>My d was told by the NMSC that UNC-CH participates in the NM Scholarship program. She is accepted in UNC Honors and has designated UNC-CH as her first choice with the NMSC.....and she has until Monday to fax a change in designation or to return to the undecided status. However, we rec'd a summary of scholarships and financial aid from UNC and no mention of a Nat'l Merit scholarship is made on this summary. She is also accepted at UT-Austin Liberal Arts Honors and she will automatically receive a NM scholarship if she attends that school.</p>
<p>Does anyone know if there are automatic NM awards at UNC? My d visits Carolina on April 16-18 and will make her decision after the visit. Whether or not she receives a scholarship will not factor into her decision...we want her to go where she will be happy. But, with conflicting deadlines approaching, it seems that if UNC does NOT automatically award scholarship money to NMF, it would be best to change the designation to UT-Austin, just in case. I will need to make this change before my daughter completes her Carolina visit...which is the rub.</p>
<p>This whole NM deadline thing is the most confusing process we have yet to encounter in the college admissions experience. I plan to call UNC tomorrow a.m. for clarification, but if anyone knows how this works, I'd love to hear!</p>
<p>ldmom: If your daughter is a NMF, and if she put UNC down as her first choice, then she will receive a National Merit award/monies. I do think that's automatic (though I'm sure I'll be corrected here if wrong.) That money actually comes from National Merit Fdn, though, so I don't think that would be included in material from the financial aid/scholarship office. You might get a separate letter from UNC, but most likely, the letter will come from National Merit. We actually were confused by NM, too, in terms of changing the 1st choice school, etc. I found it all a little confusing, but National Merit folks were very helpful when I called. I just can't remember the exact details, but I do know her initial letter came from National Merit. And you have to renew it every year, and that letter for renewal also comes from National Merit, not from UNC. (I do think UNC also sent a letter about it, but as I remember, it was later and separate from everything else.)</p>
<p>My son also waited until the end to switch his designation to UNC and just made the deadline. </p>
<p>jack is correct, the NMF monies are paid directly to UNC which then credits them to the student account. Sometime it comes after billing has gone out and if you have paid the full amount, the cashier will either issue the credit toward the next semester or cut a check back to the student.</p>
<p>I can't remember if we got an acknowledgement from UNC but I do know that we got one from NMF saying that he had been awarded the scholarship through UNC.</p>
<p>As jack said each year thereafter you will get a letter asking if you want to continue to receive the funding, along with asking for grades, activities, intended major etc. This year it came TWO days before it was due back so we had to fax it back to NMF.</p>