<p>My son is a National Merit Semi-Finalist. USC is his first choice. Several posters commented that applicants who are being considered for Merit Aid are accepted and contacted in January or early February to interview. Since he is in line for the NMF Half Tuition Scholarship, I am wondering whether they will contact him early, or whether we will have to wait until April 1st to find out whether he has been accepted. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>There is no interview or early notification for the NMF 1/2 tuition scholarship. If he is accepted and is a finalist, he will receive the scholarship. Unless he is selected to interview for the non-NMF scholarships (or Bacc/MD), he will not hear early.</p>
<p>The scholarship candidates who hear in January/February are the Trustee and Presidential (non-NMSF) candidates. He may hear early, if he is selected to interview for one of those two scholarships - many NMSF are considered - but it won’t be for the NMF 1/2 tuition scholarship.</p>
<p>The NMF 1/2 tuition scholarship cannot be combined with the Trustee or Presidential, but if he is invited to interview for the Presidential, it is still a good idea to attend the interview - a small % are “bumped up” to Trustee after the interview.</p>
<p>*Clarification - the scholarships cannot be “combined,” but NMF are eligible for both the Trustee and Presidential!!! - the Trustee would replace the NMF 1/2 tuition scholarship.</p>
<p>Congrats on your son’s NMSF!</p>
<p>As alamemom explained, no early notification for NMF unless they are invited for interview-based scholarships. </p>
<p>Even though the wait can be kinda grueling (the regular acceptances kind of roll out over several weeks and it is anyone’s guess what the reason some hear earlier than others) with strong SATs/ACTs, school rank, and especially GPA in rigorous curriculum, NMFs are a desired commodity at USC. </p>
<p>Best of luck.</p>
<p>Thank you both for your comments. I really appreciate the information!</p>