<p>Sorry, I think I'm back to square one. So isn't it conflicting to receive corporate sponsored award and USC half-tuition? because everything goes through NMSC.
Here is what I found in the letter</p>
<p>
[quote]
Consideration for a college-sponsored Merit Scholarship award is limited to Semifinalist who quality as Finalists and who also
1..
2..
3.. have not been offered any Merit Scholarship award(corporate-sponsored, National, or another college-sponsored award).
[/quote]
10 characters</p>
<p>Are you saying USC half tuition is not considered college-sponsored award? eventhough in order for student to get USC half-tution, student has to report to NMSC that USC is their first choice.</p>
<p>And also</p>
<p>
[quote]
April 30, 2008: NMSC will begin mailing college-sponsored Merit Scholarship offers
<p>Thank you again for your help. Now, is this correct... my s has listed USC as his first choice, is a NMF, and has also won a corporate sponsored award. So, he is entitled to earn through NMSC the corporate award only (since NMSC only gives out 1 award) then through USC he will earn the 1/2 tuition because NMSC notified USC that he was a NMF AND listed USC as a first choice. This way he will have earned both the corporate through NMSC and the 1/2 tuition through USC? I hope I have it now</p>
<p>^^^I'm going to get back to both of you after I talk to the financial aid office at USC. In my son's case, he was a NMF and has received each year a $1000 scholarship from NMSC, AS WELL AS a full tuition Trustees scholarship from USC [ he qualified for the 1/2 tuition scholarship and was lucky enough to be selected to receive a full tuition scholarship after his interview]. So the Trustees scholarship has NOT prevented him from receiving each year $$ from NMSC. So this quote is indeed confusing-
"Consideration for a college-sponsored Merit Scholarship award is limited to Semifinalist who quality as Finalists and who also
1..
2..
3.. have not been offered any Merit Scholarship award(corporate-sponsored, National, or another college-sponsored award). " </p>
<p>The April 30 date is referring to ther first wave of official notifications from NMSC to Finalists who have already notified MNSC of their First choice college. The first wave is usually comprised of EA or ED students. There will be further mailings into May as more Finalists's notify NMSC of their college choices. As mentioned above[?] because some students don't make up their minds about where they are going to college until the absolute last minute - that's the main reason the suggestion is often made to leave college choice "blank" on the NM form until the end of April, when Finalists's have to let NMSC know where they will be attending.</p>
<p>I thought I was pretty clear on this, but now I am confused.</p>
<p>So if I want to receive the $2500 NMF Scholarship, I must list my first choice college as the college that I will choose to attend? I thought that the $2500 award will be received (if you were to receive it in the first place) regardless of what school you choose as your first choice college for the NMSC.</p>
<p>Types of Merit Scholarship® Awards
Beginning in March and continuing to mid-June, NMSC notifies approximately 8,200 Finalists at their home addresses that they have been selected to receive a Merit Scholarship® award. Merit Scholarship awards are of three types:</p>
<p>National Merit® $2500 Scholarships
Every Finalist competes for these single payment scholarships, which are awarded on a state representational basis. Winners are selected without consideration of family financial circumstances, college choice, or major and career plans. </p>
<p>Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards
Corporate sponsors designate their awards for children of their employees or members, for residents of a community where a company has operations, or for Finalists with career plans the sponsor wishes to encourage. These scholarships may either be renewable for four years of undergraduate study or one-time awards.</p>
<p>College-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards
Officials of each sponsor college select winners of their awards from Finalists who have been accepted for admission and have informed NMSC by the published deadlines that the sponsor college or university is their first choice. These awards are renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study. The published deadlines for reporting a sponsor college as first choice can be viewed on page 3 of the leaflet</p>
<p>It is NOT a "conflict" to receive ONE of the NMSC award's detailed above AND a 1/2 tuition "National Merit" Scholarship from USC. I use the quotes to show that USC's 1/2 tuition merit scholarship is NOT adminstered by NMSC. USC can offer what they want to whom ever they want. </p>
<p>This is from the NM website
"Different types of scholarships will be offered, but no student can receive more than one monetary award FROM NMSC." This is referring ONLY to the 3 scholarships detailed above.</p>
<p>SO IF A STUDENT IS OFFERED THE $2500 one time award, that is all they can receive from NMSC. They can still receive the 1/2 tuition scholarship from USC</p>
<p>BOTTOM LINE, students can get $4000 [administered by NM @ $1000/year] plus the 1/2 tuition scholarship [from USC] if they designate USC as there first choice by mid May AND matruiculate there. If you are offered a corporate sponser award, you need to find out the details- is it a one time award? or is it awarded all 4 years? If the corporate sponser award is NOT at least $4000 total for all 4 years, you should probably decline it and just go for the regular NMSC College Sponsered Merit Scholarship award, which is administered by NMSC.</p>
<p>D received corporate sponsored notification and it list USC scholarship + $$ from USC, so I guess it means she can get both. </p>
<p>From the reply form</p>
<p>
[quote]
I have been offered a National Merit Scholarship that may be renewed to cover up to four years of college undergraduate study. The name of the Scholarship I was offered is National Merit Corporate Name Scholarship, which is sponsored by The Corporate Name.</p>
<p>The Scholarship has a fixed-amount annual stipend of $XXXX, and was offered for my use at the college or university I reported as my choice, ** University of Southern California**.