<p>I was wondering if anyone knows how much does A&M offer in scholarships to National Merit Finalists?</p>
<p>I got a letter in November (I think). At the time, I hadn’t yet applied but had already sent scores and had listed them as my first choice (they’re the only school I’m looking at that gives significant aid to NFs).</p>
<p>The letter said that if you are a finalist and you name A&M as your first choice school you will receive free tuition (in state and out of state covered). It also said you’d have preferential admissions to the honors program.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure it didn’t cover room and board.</p>
<p>So, as a finalist, going there would cost you travel, housing, meal plan, and books.</p>
<p>I cannot tell if they are only guaranteeing $2,500 or more:</p>
<p>[Texas</a> A&M University 09-10 Undergraduate Catalog](<a href=“http://catalog.tamu.edu/09-10_UG_Catalog/honors/competitive_freshmen/national_merit.htm]Texas”>http://catalog.tamu.edu/09-10_UG_Catalog/honors/competitive_freshmen/national_merit.htm)</p>
<p>I saw that too, at some point. Something I’ve noticed with the A&M websites is that little bits of conflicting information scattered throughout it. That was even true with some information regarding their application, but I cannot quite remember what now.<br>
I know their policies regarding NMFs have changed a few times over the past three years. That part of the website could be a little old.</p>
<p>I finally was able to find my letter:</p>
<p>"
October 25, 2012</p>
<p>address</p>
<p>Howdy ___,</p>
<p>Congratulations on being named a Semifinalist in the National Merit Scholarship Competition!</p>
<p>In the coming months, you will be making a difficult decision about the next chapter of your life. I hope you will take some time to consider Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University is among the nation’s leading universities in a variety of fields and throughout our history have been a place where academic excellence and student spirit combine for a unique educational experience.</p>
<p>Our Professors, who are some of the world’s leading experts in their fields, are passionate about helping students succeed. They bring their expertise to the classroom and encourage students to learn beside them in their pursuit of new discoveries and creative endeavor. Beyond your coursework, you will be afforded individually tailored academic challenges, including study abroad programs in more than 73 countries; and limitless opportunities for leadership development in more than 800 student-lead clubs and organizations.</p>
<p>If you are named a Finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Competition and designate Texas A&M as your first-choice university within the National Merit Scholarship Corporation guidelines, you will be guaranteed a $40,000 package. Additional scholarship opportunities are available to make a total scholarship package that may cover much of the cost of four years of tuition, fees, and room and board. If you are an out-of-state resident, these scholarships have an additional value of approximately $100,000 to cover the out-of-state portion of tuition for four years.</p>
<p>To be considered for these and other scholarships opportunities, I encourage you to complete the online scholarship and admission application at <a href=“http://www.applytexas.org%5B/url%5D”>www.applytexas.org</a> by December 1, 2012. The Texas A&M Office of Admissions and our Prospective Student Centers throughout Texas are available to assist you. You can contact the Aggieland Prospective Student Center at (979) 458-0950 or our team directly at <a href=“mailto:nationalscholar@tamu.edu”>nationalscholar@tamu.edu</a>.</p>
<p>The enclosed brochure has details on our academic colleges, opportunities with the Honors Program and helpful information to guide you through the application process.</p>
<p>Best wishes in this important decision. I hope you will visit Aggieland in the near future.</p>
<p>Sincerely,</p>
<p>Dr. R. Bowen Loftin '71
President</p>
<p>"</p>
<p>After having typed this out, I realized they sent me the exact same letter in an email on November 9 from the email address given in the letter.</p>
<p>@LonelyHapax: Thanks for taking the time to post, that is what I recall reading too. So, it seems the language has changed from guaranteed to qualifies. Any idea what kind of GPA has to be maintained to renew each year?</p>
<p>My son was interested in EE but it seem the major is closed.</p>
<p>I believe it is guaranteed. The webpage you’re looking at was last updated Mon 27 July, 2009. The letter is the most recent official document and should reflect their policy for this year’s students. Approaches to awarding scholarships vary on an annual basis.</p>
<p>Since they claim the scholarship is guaranteed, I think it would be very hard to lose and that they probably do not have a set minimum GPA. I would think that if a student is seriously remiss and is placed on academic probation, or something along those lines, their scholarship could be in jeopardy. My guess is they don’t say the scholarship is contingent on anything because NMFs are usually very capable students with a good high school academic record, so A&M isn’t concerned.</p>
<p>Sorry about the major being filled up. I don’t know anything about A&M’s policy on changing majors, but could he enter another engineering or science and switch after a semester/year?</p>
<p>I believe A&M is guaranteed.</p>
<p>How did your son do on SAT (did he finally take it?).</p>
<p><a href=“https://scholarships.tamu.edu/national_scholars/national_merit.aspx[/url]”>https://scholarships.tamu.edu/national_scholars/national_merit.aspx</a></p>
<p>Hi texaspg, Yes, managed to take it in November and score higher than his 219 on the PSAT. (did better on all 3 sections). So I guess his NMSF score is verified. Unfortunately, he did not do as well as he was expecting, so sulking for about a day. lol.</p>
<p>perazziman - Since these academic scholarships were moved out of the office where I work a couple of years ago, my information might be dated so I would recommend contacting the folks in admissions who are responsible for recruiting National Merit Scholars (Lori Halfmann and David Tofel) for the most up-to-date information. That said…</p>
<p>Typically, National Merit Scholars receive a package of academic scholarships (the language here is that we “stack” the scholarships) and some students do receive enough that they receive a refund after all their university accounts are paid. You can check out the list of awards at <a href=“https://scholarships.tamu.edu/SCH_Opportunities/tamu_scholarships/freshman.aspx[/url]”>https://scholarships.tamu.edu/SCH_Opportunities/tamu_scholarships/freshman.aspx</a>.</p>
<p>I would imagine that a language shift from “guarantee” to “qualify” reflects the fact that even if a scholarship is “automatic” for a National Merit Scholar, there is a process that you have to go through and a deadline that you have to meet to claim the money (e.g. naming TAMU #1 by the National Merit Corp. deadline).</p>
<p>Unless something has changed since the academic scholarship coordination moved to Scholarships and Financial Aid, the GPR requirement is a 3.5 cumulative.</p>
<p>Again, I highly encourage you to contact David and/or Lori if you have specific questions. 979-845-1060.</p>
<p>Best,</p>
<p>Jon Kotinek
Associate Director
Honors and Undergraduate Research</p>
<p>Jon, Thanks for the update and for Lori Halfmann’s name. I left her a message. I just panicked a bit, when I clicked on the National Merit Opportunities link on the A&M website:</p>
<p>[Admission</a> to Texas A&M | Texas A&M University, College Station, TX](<a href=“http://www.tamu.edu/admissions/index.html]Admission”>Admissions - Texas A&M University, College Station, TX)</p>
<p>A 3.5 GPR seems a little steep, even for a NMF to maintain, especially in engineering.</p>
<p>Second calling the office. Many of the schools we are looking at require a minimum maintenance GPA. Agree 3.5 is steep, but the package being stackable makes it pretty good. Get the apps in and good luck. There are many departmental and others. The importance of getting the app ties into on-campus housing. You can’t apply for housing until accepted. Sounds like he is probably an auto admit and they might make room in EE if a deal breaker. We heard that “other” scholarships applied for on the master application will be announced in Feb time-frams.</p>