Is there any specific deadline to name USC as my top choice for National Merit so I can receive half tuition? I did it about 2 weeks ago, and I didn’t have a Presidential scholarship in my financial aid package. Was I too late in naming it as my top choice?
No- you are not too late. You should be receiving information about this scholarship soon. If you do not hear anything from USC by 4/15, you should definitely call and ask- but it should show up by then.
@smith1201 My son got an email this evening from USC saying that they saw he was a NM Semifinalist and when he became a finalist and named USC #1 he would get half tuition. The email also talked about the additional $4,000 scholarship. Ours came through at 8:00 p.m. CT.
@SATX53 hmm, ok. Did he name USC as #1 before he received the email? I guess I’ll wait until the end of the week before calling National Merit to see if they distributed and USC if they’ve received.
D got the same email. She named USC #1 on NM a couple of weeks ago but NMF Presidential has not shown up on her FA page yet. She has a “University Scholarship” under the Gift Aid section of her FA page. Anyone know if this University Scholarship is merit or need based, and will it disappear once NMF Presidential is added?
^ great news! This is a an additional merit scholarship that is renewable for 4 years. It will not disappear!
You will get more information about it and a form to sign to accept the scholarship at some point in the near future (before the end of April for sure)
Thanks, @camomof3 ! I’ve got 3 kids myself so every little bit helps!
@smith1201 My S is still “undecided” with NMSC. So I don’t think that plays a part in whether or not you got the email. It might be a good idea to check in.
Well now I am hearing from USC admissions that the University Scholarship is need based and may disappear after my D is awarded the NMF Presidential. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
That isn’t how it has been in the past, but I guess they could be changing things up this year. D received the NMF Pres, NM 1K, and University scholarship of xK (which got named in future years). All were merit and renewable for 4 years. I hope this ends up being the case for your D as well.
Is there a hard deadline for when to name USC as my number one choice… And how do I do this? Is it by making a deposit, or is it through National Merit? Is this binding?
May 1 deadline- contact NM Corp. for this.
I listed USC as my first choice with national merit on April 1st and am waiting for the scholarship to by added to my online financial aid statement. Does anyone have any idea how long it will be before I can see that I have been given the scholarship? Would help with peace of mind before officially accepting USC.
USC finally received NM first choice notification from NMC and updated D’s financial aid award. D did not lose the $3750 University Scholarship when NM was added, so that is nice. She’ll be out there for a visit next week and making her decision!
This is what I learned from the 2021 USC decision thread. You will most likely not be offered an interview for Presidential/Trustee scholarships from USC if you let them know in your application that you are a NMSF. Most of the rejections on that thread are high stat kids with NMSF. You are much better off holding this NMSF information from USC and you have till May 1 to let USC know after you get admitted. This way you may actually get admitted. The sad truth is there are way more NMSF applying to USC than there is USC Presidential scholarships available. You can test this out yourself if you don’t believe me. I think people will catch on that this 1/2 tuition offer is just a way USC attracts high stat students to apply and to lower USC’s admission rate. Most of the NMSF applied are rejected in the end.
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@SATHater Hi I am sorry to hear about your daughter’s rejection from USC. The information you shared regarding USC’s treatment of NMSF applicants is not factually correct. USC loves to recruit NMFs each year. For the class of 2021, USC offered 1000 applicants either a Trustee or and Presidential Scholarship Finalist. Most of these finalists are NMSF. To be eligible for the consideration of these finalists, an applicant must submit his or her application by 12/01. In addition, 60% of the 1,000 finalists are awarded a scholarship. And all NMFs accepted during RD are awarded a 50% tuition scholarship if they designate USC as their NM college.
The selectivity of USC departments/majors varies greatly. SCA is highly regarded - it’s harder to get into USC SCA than any top 10 colleges.
Like any colleges, USC cares about its yield rate. If you are NMSF and choose not to apply by 12/01, USC probably looks at you as an uninterested applicant.
" If you are NMSF and choose not to apply by 12/01, USC probably looks at you as an uninterested applicant. "
Uh, NO.
@PrimeNumber2 -
that is a false conjecture on your part.
The Dean of Admissions at USC had THIS to say recently to me about how USC views NMFs with regard to the scholarships that require a Dec 1 application deadline.
“On a related note, when choosing scholarship recipients from those students who interviewed at Explore, we pretty much ignore NM status. It’s not factored into our thinking when we select scholarship finalists, nor when we make scholarship awards. These are two completely separate processes within our annual work cycle.”
@PrimeNumber2 so USC advertises half tuition for NMSFs to get them to apply, then pick and choose their favorite ones to receive scholarships, then rejects most of the other ones on the exact premise that they don’t want to give them money?
" Most of the NMSF applied are rejected in the end. "
Just as they are at individual Ivys, S, C, MIT and many other top colleges with acceptance rates lower than 20%. There is no guarantee of admission at USC for NMF’s.
Getting a high score on a test taken during a students Jr year does not make it MUCH more likely that USC, or ANY highly selective college which evaluates student applicants holistically, will accept them.
Being a NMF is one aspect of a students application- it is not a deciding factor- not even close.