What is the National Merit Scholarship?
And why is it important?
If you have taken or heard of the PSAT, you might have also heard of the National Merit Scholarship. What is this national scholarship, and what relation does it have with the PSAT? Who is eligible for it, and when should applicants take the test?
The Nation Merit Scholarship is awarded to top-scoring high school juniors in the PSAT/NMSQT — the Preliminary SAT or the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Over 1.5 million students take the test each year, out of which 50,000 high scorers are selected, and around $180 million dollars in merit scholarships are awarded to students annually.
The PSAT/NMSQT of each year is the qualifying test for entry to the National Merit Program two years ahead — for example, the 2020 PSAT/NMSQT allows entrants to apply for the 2022 National Merit Scholarships — and the competition spans about 18 months, from the fall of the year of the test to the spring two years later when the scholarships will be awarded. Students taking the PSAT 10 or PSAT 8/9 are not considered for the National Merit Scholarship Program.
To be eligible for the NMS, a student must be a high school student — traditional or homeschooled — in the U.S., the District of Columbia, or U.S. Commonwealth and territory, or have U.S. citizenship if the student attends a high school outside the U.S. He/she must take the PSAT/NMSQT during his/her junior (third year) of high school and plan to attend a college or university the fall after graduation. Among the 50,000 high scorers, more than two-thirds of them will receive Letters of Commendation from the College Board in recognition of their academic achievement, but they will not be eligible for the scholarship. The remaining one-third of the 50,000 students, who are the highest-scoring entrants in each state, have qualified as Semifinalists and will continue in the competition through the National Merit Scholarship Application. Semifinalists who meet academic and other requirements advance as Finalists, all of whom will receive Certificates of Merit, and winners of the National Merit Scholarship are chosen from the group based on their exhibited skills, abilities, and accomplishments.
There are three types of National Merit Scholarships: National Merit $2500 Scholarships, Corporate-sponsored scholarships, and College-sponsored scholarships. About 7,600 entrants are awarded this scholarship, and their names will be released to news media to be publicly announced. There are also around 1,1000 designees of the Special Scholarships, candidates for which are provided by corporate sponsors.
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