Question on Merit Scholarships

Paying for College
1

<p>My S missed taking the PSAT (which I have been given to understand is a prerequisite for National Merit Semifinalist/Finalist etc.).</p>

<p>I know that there are schools which give non-need-based merit awards to NMF winners; do any give similar awards based on scores alone without regards to the NMF? He has a 2350 on the SATs and a 3.92 GPA (uw) with several 5s on AP classes.</p>

<p>He is not necessarily looking at top schools, as long as he has a high GPA he intends to go to a name school for a graduate degree.</p>

2

<p>The PSAT is also known as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test so, yes, it is a prereq. There are some great scholarships out there for high scorers/grades. Take a look here: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>Thanks for the link, will check it out.</p>

<p>(This is a great site, btw.)</p>

4

<p>PSAT exam is a req’t, but if a student misses the test and contacts NMCorp within about a month (it’s too late now) then he can use a SAT score.</p>

<p>I’m only writing this for anyone who might miss this fall’s PSAT test.</p>

5

<p>There are schools that give guaranteed merit scholarships based on a students’ stats; some of them are listed in a sticky thread on this board. Like Alabama is famous for giving a lot of merit aid to out of state students. Howard University also has guaranteed scholarships in different tiers; your son would be eligible for a full scholarship there with a book and computer allowance.</p>