<p>Speculative cutoffs from previous posts, for easier reference.</p>
<p>TX 216
PA 216
NJ 221
VA 218
GA 215
FL 212
MA 221
WA 220
MD 220
IL 215
CT 218
CA 219
IO 209
MO 210</p>
<p>I would like to refine and add more, but I am not much of a predictor.</p>
<p>Actual cutoffs from last year:
AL 211; AK 212; AZ 213; AR 205; CA 221; CO 215; CT 220; DE 217; DC 223; FL 214; GA 218; HI 216; 211; IL 216; IN 214; IA 210; KS 214; KY 212; LA 209; ME 212; MD 221; MA 223; MI 210; MN 215; MS 205; MO 213; MT 209; NE 209; NV 209; NH 216; NJ 223; NM 210; NY 219; NC 217; ND 204; OH 214; OK 209; OR 216; PA 215; RI 213; SC 211; SD 206; TN 214; TX 219; UT 208; VT 217; VA 220; WA 220; WV 204; WI 209; WY 204; International 223; New England Boarding Schools 223; Commended Scholar 202</p>
<p>I was searching for some more PSAT data this morning and stumbled upon a 1969 annual report for the NMSC. It shows the National Merit scholarship was $1000 back then. It doesn’t sound like much until you consider the following…</p>
<p>1969-70 to 1972-73 Data</p>
<p>Average total 4 year tuition & fees
Public Private
1,997 6,638</p>
<p>$1,000 as % of 4 year tuition and fees
Public Private
50.08% 15.06%</p>
<hr>
<p>2008-09 to 2011-12 Data</p>
<p>Average total 4 year tuition & fees
Public Private
$30,299 $110,025</p>
<p>$2,500 as % of 4 year tuition and fees
Public Private
8.25% 2.27%</p>
<p>While every dollar helps, National Merit scholarships certainly have far less impact than they used to. They now cover the tuition for the cost of about 1 class in 1 semester at the average private university and maybe 3 classes at a state university. (The half or full tuition breaks a handful of schools provide to NMSF are, of course, a huge benefit. But school choice is limited.)</p>
<p>I’ve been searching for something to tell me what data set the NMSC uses to determine HS graduates by state to no avail. However, I don’t see how a change to calculating graduation “rates” would matter to the NMSC. A HS student either graduates in a given year or not, right?</p>
<p>It could very well be that this change will have no effect on NMSC calculations. In fact the NMSC materials emphasize “graduating high school seniors” which, if this really has been their literal standard all along, suggests that the new metric–which counts only high school seniors and no post-senior graduates–simply aligns with where the NMSC has always been. Would be nice if it were a little more transparent, right?</p>
<p>And, yes, the relative financial significance of a NMS has slipped over the past few decades. But, as the list maintained elsewhere in this forum reminds us, it is still the case that NMF designation can make a critical difference in the affordability of a good number of schools.</p>
<p>My screen name is a misnomer. I got a 212 in ohio. is there hope for being a semifinalist? Becoming a semifinalist seems like the hardest part, since you’re going from 50,000 students, to 16,000 semifinalists.</p>
<p>OH cutoffs over the past ten years or so have been 213 ±2. So yes, there is a possibility that 212 will qualify but it is far from certain. You’ll know by mid-September.</p>
<p>Scores are released on Tuesday at my school. I can’t wait, I’m so nervous! I’m so worried about my score; I feel like NC’s cutoff will rise even more this year.</p>