<p>sengsational, since your daughter just enters 11th grade you have pretty of time to deal with this. Your daughter's job is to do her best at the PSAT this October. Many, though not the top tiers, colleges give NMF big NMF scholarships to encourage them to enroll in their school. Some of them have very attractive honors program for these students. If your daughter makes NMSF, she will receive both regular US mails and e-mails from many of these institutions that offer these big scholarships. Make sure she does not delete any of those e-mails. In most of those cases, the only requirements to obtain one of those scholarship is to identify that school as the first choice school sometime in April of her senior year. That means the student has decided to go to that school in the coming school year. In my opinion, NMF scholarship is really most attractive to those families that cannot qualify for need based financial aid. A free ride compare to paying $30K to $50K a year indeed deserve some consideration. For a family that qualifies substantial financial aid and especially good enough to get into some of the most selective colleges, the NMF scholarship might not make much difference from the financial stand point. I hope this help.</p>
<p>Thanks for the insightful reply.</p>
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In most of those cases, the only requirements to obtain one of those scholarship is to identify that school as the first choice school sometime in April of her senior year.
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<p>That's great news. No need to worry now about it.</p>
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In my opinion, NMF scholarship is really most attractive to those families that cannot qualify for need based financial aid. A free ride compare to paying $30K to $50K a year indeed deserve some consideration.
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<p>Yep, Agreed. It's in-state public, NMF scholarship, or McDonalds because there's no way I'm paying the $30K to $50K they "expect".</p>
<p>--Dale--</p>
<p>If you daughter is a semi-finalist, she will get a post card in her packet that she receives in Sept. of her senior year. She will be asked to send that post card back to the Nat, Merit. Corp. with the name of her first choice school. The final due date for this card is in the Spring of the senior year (May, if I remember correctly), but be aware, some schools want to be identified as the first choice earlier than that due date. For instance, our public univ. wanted to be identified as first choice by March 1. (March 1 is the earliest date that the Nat, Merit. Co. starts notifying colleges that a student has chosen them as first choice.) This allows the university to award merit scholarships in a timely matter. We sent the card to the NMC in early Feb. and called them later in the month to make sure that they had received it and recorded the information correctly, and then we called the university in early March to make sure that they had received the correct info from the NMC. Both places were more than happy to talk to us and assure us that they had all of the proper paperwork. So--remember to look at those final dates very closely--esp. the one that is required by the school. The only problem we found was that some schools, mostly private, were not very open with what to expect as far as merit money. Some don't offer merit aid at all, so its not worth putting their names down, but some may or may not. We ended up putting down the school that was very open about what they gave--and it was a lot--because we didn't want to take any chances.</p>
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she will get a post card in her packet that she receives in Sept. of her senior year.
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<p>Thanks for confirming that. If she makes it, we will take close note of each school's timing requirements.</p>
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We ended up putting down the school that was very open about what they gave--and it was a lot--because we didn't want to take any chances.
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<p>This seems like a good strategy. The ones that aren't open about their offer maybe don't have such a good story to tell.</p>
<p>--Dale--</p>
<p>seng
she will have time during the senior year to answer that #1 choice question. the info you receive will have the last date she can make her #1 choice,or you will be able to find the info online. Both my kids were NMF and answered undecided up until that date. It didnt hinder ANY mail arriving from colleges.
Take the early answer date some college request with a grain of salt. They may ask for the early date but you are not required to make a choice by their artificial dates. They say they do this so they know how to apportion their funding,but if one of the schools with an early date is in your final choice mix, I would question them further.
By the way, both my NMF kids took the free ride. D was undergrad (shes now a PhD Grad student) at Arizona State U, in the Honors College there,and was a music performance major to start.She had a stellar undergrad experience.
S is currently a junior at U of South Carolina and has their NMF scholarship (called the Lieber) PLUS their largest merit scholarship for undergrads (called the McNair) USCarolina is a college that allows layering of merit scholarships up to the cost of education..which is the combined cost of tuition,room and board,fees,books,etc.He is also in their Honors College and having a great experience.These are both out of state choices for the kids,they are native New Yorkers.</p>
<p>cathymee-
I've heard great things about the Honors College at USouth Carolina. My daughter's friends thinks she could do better(sorry!) - she'll be NMSF with a 227.
Could you speak to his experience there more?</p>
<p>Don't be sorry, this was one of my misgivings at first as well. Until we visited.
S picked the school b/c his intended major..Sports Management,is highly regarded and this is how we did our original research..plus the availability of an Honors College,Div 1 sports, a semi urban campus,a non rural setting, and a cohort of like minded kids.It fit HIS needs very well,it may not be for everyone,especially someone for whom name prestige is utmost.South Carolinians are very proud of their institution.
He's been challenged there. Theres a fascinating range of Honors classes available,as well as having super large sections of some reqs for his major (like Intro to Marketing).He has two levels of advising, an Honors advisor and one in his major. He loved living in Honors housing (first year dorm and second year on campus honrs only apts).They are building a new Honors Housing complex which is supposed to be finished for next fall and is "state of the art" with the latest concepts..like clusters..if Im using the term correctly..a group of rooms and bathrooms centeres around a common living area, and its own dining hall.
If theres any drawback, it may be the U is considered a bit conservative and regional but within the Honors College he has found diversity of opinion and open mindedness.Faculty, many of whom we met during S's Merit Scholarship Interview weekend, come from all over the US and abroad and are decidely not regional in their outlook.
He will be fufilling the Senior Honors Thesis feature of the program.
As a junior now, most of his energy is focused on his major and he takes the "fun" Honors classes as he has fufilled all his undergrad reqs.</p>
<p>Never underestimate the value of a FREE college education. If you already have money set aside and are able to give your child a down payment on a house (well, not in CA or NY type of markets) or set up a trust fund or market account instead of spending it on college, that early financial security will likely go a lot further than a "better" college will. If you do not already have money for college, and would be incurring debt, then it is a no brainer. FWIW: my son ended up applying to his college because of their guaranteed NMSF scholarship. After visiting and finding out more about it, he decided to attend event after being admitted to what he previously thought was his dream school. Sometimes, the school you/your child thinks he would never attend turns out to be the best fit. Visit, visit, visit. Take all rankings with a huge grain of salt.</p>
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Both my kids were NMF and answered undecided up until that date. It didnt hinder ANY mail arriving from colleges. Take the early answer date some college request with a grain of salt. ...
By the way, both my NMF kids took the free ride.
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Thanks for the help with the "undecided". I've advised my daughter. You've got some awesome kids!</p>
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Never underestimate the value of a FREE college education. ... that early financial security will likely go a lot further than a "better" college will.
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I agree, but the "smart" guy that I am (ha!), the money is in a 529, so no home down payment or debt free car. The good news is that I can be the "rich uncle" (ha!) that helps pay for other family members' kids if my own two kids don't use it. Or maybe even grand kids (shudder). But I think both of my kids may go on to grad school, so it might not be so hard to spend it all, even if there are big scholarship bucks.</p>
<p>--Dale--</p>
<p>Northeastern University considers NMFs for full rides if they are deemed finalists. It's risky, but if you know you want to go there, it might be worth it.
UIllinois-UC gives 30 full rides a year to NMFs. </p>
<p>I know neither of these are huge deals, but I figured they were worth posting.</p>
<p>MSU has some scholarship money
down to in-state tuition as a NMSF (no idea what that means for in-state kids), worth
about 15,000 a year and a job as a research assistant (beats working if the caf...)
room and board covered plus a 4000 stipend as a NMF</p>
<p>Many of these offer full tuition and/or full rides for NMS
Some schools with full rides (you'll have to dig through these to see what suits you)
Wake Forest University Winston-Salem NC Wake Forest University Joseph G. Gordon Scholarships
Brandeis university Financial Services | Brandeis University
Miami University Harrison Scholarship Full ridehttp://casnov1.cas.muohio.edu/honors/honors/harrison.html
Wayne State U in Detroit ... NMF's get a full ride ... tuition, room, board, fees, laptop, study abroad.
University of Massachusetts at Amherst has 4 year, full-ride for National Merit Finalists.
UMASS Dartmouth & UMASS Lowell offer full-ride scholarships (called Commonwealth Scholarship) for SATs of 1400+ & recalculated (by MA Dept of Education standards) GPA of 3.7 (Dartmouth) or 3.75 (Lowell).
University of Southern Mississippi National Merit finalists get a full ride at, as well as $4,000 to study abroad and a laptop.
Missouri Southern State University Evans Scholarship Awarded to students in the Honors Program
Covers tuition, textbook rental, activity fees ACT 28 or better
Students with ACT of 31 or better receive room and board also.
Washington and Lee University. The Johnson Scholarship :: Washington and Lee University The Johnson Scholarship
The University of Richmond has a program called Richmond Scholars. University of Richmond.
Syracuse University The Coronat Scholars Program Coronat Scholarship
Indiana University Wells Scholar Program at Indiana University Wells Scholarship
Michigan State University Home | Michigan State University Office of Admissions Alumni Distinguished Scholarship
Clemson University Clemson University : NATIONAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM : The Clemson National Scholars Program Clemson National Scholars
University of Kentucky <a href="http://www.uky.edu/AcademicScholarsh...holarship.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.uky.edu/AcademicScholarsh...holarship.html</a> The Otis A. Singletary Scholarship
University of Utah <a href="http://www.sa.utah.edu/finance/schol...man/merit.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.sa.utah.edu/finance/schol...man/merit.html</a> University Nonresident President's Club Scholarship
Morehead State Morehead</a> State University - Search MSU
Presidential Scholarship full tuition and university housing scholarships
Commonwealth Scholarship full tuition scholarship
Marshall University Marshall University Financial Aid Society of Yeager Scholars
University of PittsburghHonors Challenge Scholarships- Full tuition
Chancellor Scholarship- Above + room and board University of Pittsburgh
Rhodes Bellingrath Scholarship Full-ride Rhodes College | Home
University of Delaware Eugene S. Dupont Scholarship, full ride for 4 years, plus $2,500 for study abroad.
Scholarships | admissions.udel.edu
North Carolina State University Park Scholarships at NC State Park Scholarship
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill <a href="http://studentaid.unc.edu/studentaid...olarships.html%5B/url%5D">http://studentaid.unc.edu/studentaid...olarships.html</a>
The Carolina Scholars, Davie, & Pogue scholarships are all full-ride ONLY if you are out-of-state.
Tulane Dean's Honor Full-ride Tulane University
Furman Lay Scholarship Full-ride <a href="http://www.engagefurman.com%5B/url%5D">www.engagefurman.com</a>
Idaho National Merit Scholar Award for the Class of 2008 University of Idaho
National Merit Finalists of the Class of 2008 guaranteed a full-ride
Regis University Student Resources
Natural Science Scholarship full-tuition scholarship
Knox -Early Admission Program to Medical School Early Admission Program to Medical School - Knox College
Scholarships Scholarships - Knox College
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnatus Scholarship Competition Student Financial Aid, University of Cincinnati</p>
<p>I don't understand your list-- Many of these schools DO NOT automatically offer any thing close to a full ride for NMS. Brandeis offers $500-$2000 for NMS, Tulane offers $2000 (although you will probably also qualify for 20-24k in merit money as a presidential scholar if you have the typical stats that go with NMS).</p>
<p>This list was complied from what others on CC got. Some were NMFs and some just high scoring high achieving kids. As I said in the second line, "Some schools with full rides (you'll have to dig through these to see what suits you) ". And I never said anything about these being "automatically" offered to anyone. Many might automatically consider NMFs eligible for the scholarship though not guarantee it to them just because they are NMFs. These schools also offer some full tuition or full ride scholarships that NMFs could be perfectly qualified for. (e.g. Brandeis' Justice Louis D. Brandeis Scholarships, Gilbert Grants, Annenberg Scholarships, etc).</p>
<p>Pardon my confusion. I thought the thread title "Schools with full tuition for national merit finalists" was indicative of what was in the list.</p>
<p>The University of Utah does not offer NMFs a full ride (though as always, there are full ride scholarships available that one can apply to, etc., but those are not being considered).</p>
<p>This is a nice thread.</p>
<p>I’ve been using the one from this forum which dates back to 2004. Is there a link to any updated schools?</p>
<p>Also anyone know of a school that offers NMFs full ride that has a strong film program?</p>
<p>University of Maryland, Baltimore County has a strong program in film (they call it Media and Communication Studies)</p>
<p>They don’t offer automatic scholarships to NMFs, but they have a couple very generous scholarships your child may qualify for [UMBC:</a> Financial Aid](<a href=“http://www.umbc.edu/financialaid/scholar_fresh.html]UMBC:”>http://www.umbc.edu/financialaid/scholar_fresh.html)</p>
<p>Please add Stevenson University in Maryland to the list, at least for Maryland Residents</p>
<p>Got an unsolicited letter with full tuition offer a week ago</p>