Earning academic recognition from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSR) is a huge accomplishment for graduating seniors. In addition to the prestige connected with winning the scholarship, it can help you reduce the amount of student debt you graduate with.
Every student can aim at getting a scholarship by participating in the competition held by the National Merit Program. Being a finalist at this program could also give you a higher chance of getting admission to your dream college. Keep reading to learn what it takes to win the National Merit Scholarship.
What is a National Merit Scholarship?
The National Merit Scholarship Program offers a Merit Scholarship to eligible students who become finalists in the program. Approximately 1.6 million students take the PSAT/NMSQT exam each year. But only about 16,000 students will have scores high enough to qualify them as semifinalists for the National Merit Scholarship.
Among them, 15,000 students are finalists and every finalist is considered for a scholarship and named at Scholars. From this group, 7,600 finalists are awarded a one time amount of $2,500 to help pay for college. The scholarship is awarded to students with high performance in fields such as academics, athletics, or art.
Steps To Win The National Merit Scholarship
Among millions of people who want to get the merit scholarship, you could be a finalist to stand out from the crowd. If you’re thinking how, follow these few steps,
Step 1- Aim to Score Within The Top 1% On The PSA
To be eligible for the National Merit Scholarship, the first step is to take the PSAT/NMSQT exam held during October. Your score will need to fall within the top 1% in order for you to qualify for the National Merit program.
The top 1% of scores in every state are considered so that students in all areas of the country have an equal opportunity to claim the scholarship. A top PSAT score and an outstanding application are the first steps awards winning the scholarship.
Step 2- Prepare An Outstanding Application
After submitting your PSAT, you’ll be able to see your scores in two months. You get an invitation to apply for the scholarship with an outstanding application and your PSAT score, so the next process almost takes a year of waiting.
In September, you get to apply with the academic records, recommendation, and an application to make it to the final round. Your application needs to do a good job of representing your academic achievement, community involvement, passion, and interest to give you the best chance of becoming a finalist.
Step 3- Get A High Score On The SAT
While submitting your application, you will also need to send your SAT scores. As the SAT scores determine your performance on the PSAT/NMSQT even though the organization does not ask for specific numbers. After submitting the application, you must wait till February where there are 15,000 finalists chosen based on the extensive application process.
If you are one of the winners, you will receive a $2,500 scholarship. Only about 8,000 students receive the National Merit Scholarship each year. However, an additional 1,100 National Merit® Program participants who were outstanding, but not finalists, will receive “Special Scholarships” sponsored by businesses.
Do You Meet The Eligibility Criteria?
Before applying to the scholarship you must be aware of the guidelines and requirements to participate in the national merit scholarship program. You must be a student who:
- Is a U.S. citizen or be a U.S. lawful permanent resident on track to become a citizen. You must be attending a high school in the United States, but if you are from a high school outside the U.S. you must have applied to get permanent citizenship.
- Currently attends a high school and is on track towards regular graduation.
- Is preparing to get into a full-time college program starting from after the fall of your high school graduation.
- Has taken the PSAT/NMSQT during high school (no later than the third year of grades 9 through 12) and who’s score falls within the top 1% of all test takers.
Timeline For The National Merit Scholarship
The entire process of applying for and (hopefully) winning a National Merit Scholarship follows a timeline of about 2 years. Here’s how the program is processed.
- Take the PSAT during your junior year.
- Obtain results if you’re a finalist in September during your senior year.
- Submit and outstanding application by early October of senior year
- Find out if you are a finalist in February of senior year. 15,000 students are selected out of 16,000 semifinalists.
- Find out if you are a winner to win the scholarship in early May of senior year.
How To Increase Your Chances Of Winning
Winning the national merit scholarship program requires high academic knowledge, outstanding application to stand out among other applicants, here is how you can get closer to becoming a scholar.
- Prepare a unique essay to represent your personal achievements, academic progress, interests, and skills.
- Get a recommendation letter that exhibits all your accomplishments.
- Prepare well for the PSAT exam in the sophomore year.
- Include all the required information in your application about your research.
- Prioritize the first choice of sponsor college on your application.
- After clearing the PSAT and being in the top 1%, submit your application in early October of your senior year.
Think that the requirements for the National Merit Scholarship are too high? That’s ok. You could choose to apply for one of College Monk’s Easy Scholarships opportunities.
Conclusion
Winning a National Merit Scholarship is a huge honor for students and could help you reduce the number of student loans you take out during college. But these scholarships are also extremely competitive and require a lot of work and academic excellence.
Think that you’re up for it? If so, you can check out https://www.nationalmerit.org/ to learn more information about the National Merit Scholarship rules, criteria, and deadlines.
Author Bio:
I’m Rakshitha.N, a financial expert writer at The College Monk. My aim is to create easy guidelines towards exercising financial skills, helping students find solutions for their future without economical constraints.