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NMF Scholarships: An Updated Compilation

KeilexandraKeilexandra 5360 replies132 threads Senior Member
edited January 2014 in National Merit Scholarships
Because I have too much time on my hands, I went through all of the old threads and pages I could find about significant college-sponsored National Merit scholarships. Here's an updated list, sorted by what I hope is an understandable format. If you have a correction or addition to make, please speak up--it would really useful if this list or a similar list were kept up-to-date.

*Full ride is defined as minimum tuition/room/board.
*U=University, C=College

NMF FULL TUITION+

Publics
U of Alabama (NMF full ride & NMSF full tuition with 3.5 GPA guaranteed)
U of Alabama-Huntsville (NMF full ride & NMSF full tuition guaranteed)
U of North Alabama (NMF full ride & NMSF full tuition+ guaranteed)
Alabama State U (full ride guaranteed)
Auburn U [AL] (full tuition+ guaranteed)
U of Arizona (full ride guaranteed)
Southern Arkansas U (in-state full ride/OOS full tuition+ [full ride - 2.5k] rolling)
U of Central Florida (NMF full tuition+ & NMSF 9k guaranteed)
University of Idaho (NMF full ride competitive [25])
Eastern Kentucky U (in-state full ride & OOS full tuition- guaranteed)
U of Kentucky (full ride 1st year & full tuition+ remaining 3 years guaranteed)
Louisiana State U (full tuition competitive)
U of Maine (tuition- competitive)
Wayne State U [MI] (full ride competitive)
U of Minnesota-Morris (full tuition guaranteed)
Mississippi State U (NMF full tuition+ & NMSF full tuition- guaranteed)
U of Southern Mississippi (NMF/SF full ride competitive)
Southeast Missouri State U (NMF full ride guaranteed, NMSF full tuition- guaranteed)
U of Nebraska-Lincoln (full tuition+ guaranteed)
Cleveland State U [OH] (full tuition guaranteed)
Youngstown State U [OH] (full ride with 30 ACT/1300 SAT competitive [40])
Ohio State U (full tuition competitive)
U of Oklahoma (full tuition+ guaranteed)
Oklahoma State U (full tuition+ guaranteed)
U of Memphis [TN] (NMF [9k + OOS waiver] & NMSF [7.5k + OOS waiver] full tuition+ guaranteed)
U of Houston [TX] (full ride guaranteed)
U of North Texas (full ride competitive)
U of Texas-Dallas (full tuition+ guaranteed)
Texas Tech U (OOS full tuition [12.7k] guaranteed)
U of Texas-Tyler (NMF full ride & NMSF full tuition+ guaranteed)
U of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (in-state full ride guaranteed [~4k OOS tuition difference])

Privates
Abilene Christian U (full tuition guaranteed)
Alfred U (full ride guaranteed with top 5% rank, otherwise full tuition/ride competitive)
Andrews U (full tuition guaranteed)
Baylor U (full tuition guaranteed)
Birmingham-Southern C (full tuition competitive)
Denison U (full tuition competitive)
U of Evansville (NMF full tuition & NMSF 75% tuition guaranteed)
Faulkner U (NMF/SF full tuition guaranteed)
Fordham U (full tuition+ competitive)
Harding U (full tuition guaranteed)
Liberty U (NMF full ride & NMSF full tuition guaranteed)
Long Island U-C.W. Post (full tuition competitive)
Oakwood U (NMF full tuition+, NMSF full tuition, & NMCommended 80% tuition guaranteed)
Oklahoma Christian U (full ride guaranteed)
Pacific Union C (full tuition guaranteed)
Sterling C (full tuition guaranteed)
U of Tulsa (full ride guaranteed)
Wesleyan C [women only] (full tuition competitive)
Westminster C [UT] (NMF full tuition & NMSF half tuition guaranteed)

NMF HONORABLE MENTIONS

Publics
U of Central Arkansas (12k guaranteed with 3.25 GPA)
California State U-Fullerton (in-state only: full tuition+ guaranteed)
California State U-Long Beach (in-state only: full ride competitive)
University of Florida (OOS tuition waiver guaranteed)
New C of Florida (17.5k guaranteed)
U of Kansas (in-state only: 10k guaranteed)
U of Louisiana-Lafayette (unclear - UL Lafayette: Academic Scholarships: High School Seniors)
U of Cincinnati (in-state full tuition+ [OOS 14k difference])
Wright State U [OH] (in-state only: NMF full ride guaranteed, NMSF/Commended full tuition guaranteed)
U of South Carolina (in-state up to 10k, OOS up to 6k + OOS tuition waiver)
U of Vermont (in-state NMF full tuition, OOS 10k guaranteed)
U of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (full in-state tuition guaranteed)

Privates
U of Dallas (NMF 14k, NMSF 12k guaranteed)
Rochester Institute of Technology (15k guaranteed)
U of Sioux Falls (full ride competitive [1])
U of Southern California (half tuition guaranteed)
Southern Methodist U (half tuition + 2k guaranteed)
St. Olaf C (7.5k guaranteed)
edited January 2014
1056 replies
Post edited by Keilexandra on
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Replies to: NMF Scholarships: An Updated Compilation

  • farmgirl09farmgirl09 94 replies3 threads Junior Member
    don't forget Michigan State U-room and board covered (can stay in university apartments when older) and 4000 stipend for anything
    · Reply · Share
  • KeilexandraKeilexandra 5360 replies132 threads Senior Member
    Oh, thanks! I won't recopy the entire compilation, but here's MSU's offer in my format:

    Michigan State U (750-2k + in-state 2k & OOS 4k and room/board competitive)
    · Reply · Share
  • WhoeverWhoever 8 replies0 threads New Member
    Hi, K. Thanks for that great compilation. Here's an addition, limited to 25 awards, I think:

    Iowa State (in-state full ride competitive)
    · Reply · Share
  • WhoeverWhoever 8 replies0 threads New Member
    One more thing. Should Wesleyan be Wellesley?
    · Reply · Share
  • KeilexandraKeilexandra 5360 replies132 threads Senior Member
    ^ Nope. Wesleyan College in Georgia.
    · Reply · Share
  • KeilexandraKeilexandra 5360 replies132 threads Senior Member
    Additions:
    Concordia C (14k guaranteed)
    Alma C (full tuition guaranteed, full ride competitive [first 15 to commit])
    · Reply · Share
  • mregomrego 994 replies44 threads Senior Member
    Can you rank these by USNWR rankings or SATs or separate the LACs from the tech universities?
    · Reply · Share
  • ZetesisZetesis 1817 replies38 threads Senior Member
    I believe Hope College in Holland, MI, gives $17,000 to NMF; Calvin College, in Grand Rapids, gives $10,000.
    · Reply · Share
  • KeilexandraKeilexandra 5360 replies132 threads Senior Member
    I don't have a subscription to USNWR, so grabbing data from it is a PITA. And I'm disinclined to go through CB for every single SAT range, although someone else is welcome to do so. I have added size delination.


    o Full ride is defined as minimum tuition/room/board.
    o U=University, C=College
    o *=annual enrollment <1k students
    o ^=schools I personally find notable

    NMF FULL TUITION+
    Publics
    U of Alabama (NMF full ride & NMSF full tuition with 3.5 GPA guaranteed)
    U of Alabama-Huntsville (NMF full ride & NMSF full tuition guaranteed)
    U of North Alabama (NMF full ride & NMSF full tuition+ guaranteed)
    Alabama State U (full ride guaranteed)
    Auburn U [AL] (full tuition+ guaranteed)
    U of Arizona (full ride guaranteed)
    Southern Arkansas U (in-state full ride/OOS full tuition+ [full ride - 2.5k] rolling)
    U of Central Florida (NMF full tuition+ & NMSF 9k guaranteed)
    University of Idaho (NMF full ride competitive [25])
    Eastern Kentucky U (in-state full ride & OOS full tuition- guaranteed)
    U of Kentucky (full ride 1st year & full tuition+ remaining 3 years guaranteed)
    Louisiana State U (full tuition competitive)
    U of Maine (tuition- competitive)
    Wayne State U [MI] (full ride competitive)
    ^*U of Minnesota-Morris (full tuition guaranteed)
    Mississippi State U (NMF full tuition+ & NMSF full tuition- guaranteed)
    U of Southern Mississippi (NMF/SF full ride competitive)
    Southeast Missouri State U (NMF full ride guaranteed, NMSF full tuition- guaranteed)
    U of Nebraska-Lincoln (full tuition+ guaranteed)
    Cleveland State U [OH] (full tuition guaranteed)
    Youngstown State U [OH] (full ride with 30 ACT/1300 SAT competitive [40])
    Ohio State U (full tuition competitive)
    U of Oklahoma (full tuition+ guaranteed)
    Oklahoma State U (full tuition+ guaranteed)
    U of Memphis [TN] (NMF [9k + OOS waiver] & NMSF [7.5k + OOS waiver] full tuition+ guaranteed)
    U of Houston [TX] (full ride guaranteed)
    U of North Texas (full ride competitive)
    U of Texas-Dallas (full tuition+ guaranteed)
    Texas Tech U (OOS full tuition [12.7k] guaranteed)
    U of Texas-Tyler (NMF full ride & NMSF full tuition+ guaranteed)
    U of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (in-state full ride guaranteed [~4k OOS tuition difference])

    Privates
    *Abilene Christian U (full tuition guaranteed)
    Alfred U (full ride guaranteed with top 5% rank, otherwise full tuition/ride competitive)
    *Alma C (full tuition guaranteed, full ride competitive [first 15 to commit])
    *Andrews U (full tuition guaranteed)
    Baylor U (full tuition guaranteed)
    *Birmingham-Southern C (full tuition competitive)
    ^*Denison U (full tuition competitive)
    *U of Evansville (NMF full tuition & NMSF 75% tuition guaranteed)
    *Faulkner U (NMF/SF full tuition guaranteed)
    Fordham U (full tuition+ competitive)
    *Harding U (full tuition guaranteed)
    Liberty U (NMF full ride & NMSF full tuition guaranteed)
    Long Island U-C.W. Post (full tuition competitive)
    *Oakwood U (NMF full tuition+, NMSF full tuition, & NMCommended 80% tuition guaranteed)
    *Oklahoma Christian U (full ride guaranteed)
    *Pacific Union C (full tuition guaranteed)
    *Sterling C (full tuition guaranteed)
    *U of Tulsa (full ride guaranteed)
    *Wesleyan C [women only] (full tuition competitive)
    *Westminster C [UT] (NMF full tuition & NMSF half tuition guaranteed)

    NMF HONORABLE MENTIONS
    Publics
    U of Central Arkansas (12k guaranteed with 3.25 GPA)
    California State U-Fullerton (in-state only: full tuition+ guaranteed)
    California State U-Long Beach (in-state only: full ride competitive)
    University of Florida (OOS tuition waiver guaranteed)
    ^*New C of Florida (17.5k guaranteed)
    Iowa State U (in-state full ride competitive)
    U of Kansas (in-state only: 10k guaranteed)
    U of Louisiana-Lafayette (unclear - http://admissions.louisiana.edu/scholarships/senior.shtml)
    Michigan State U (750-2k + in-state 2k & OOS 4k and room/board competitive)
    U of Cincinnati (in-state full tuition+ [OOS 14k difference])
    Wright State U [OH] (in-state only: NMF full ride guaranteed, NMSF/Commended full tuition guaranteed)
    U of South Carolina (in-state up to 10k, OOS up to 6k + OOS tuition waiver)
    U of Vermont (in-state NMF full tuition, OOS 10k guaranteed)
    U of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (full in-state tuition guaranteed)

    Privates
    *Calvin C (10k guaranteed)
    *Concordia C (14k guaranteed)
    U of Dallas (NMF 14k, NMSF 12k guaranteed)
    *Hope C (17k guaranteed)
    ^Rochester Institute of Technology (15k guaranteed)
    *U of Sioux Falls (full ride competitive [1])
    ^U of Southern California (half tuition guaranteed)
    Southern Methodist U (half tuition + 2k guaranteed)
    *St. Olaf C (7.5k guaranteed)
    · Reply · Share
  • Erin's DadErin's Dad 34104 replies4820 threads Super Moderator
    Keilexandra, Great compilation of information!
    · Reply · Share
  • thejobethejobe 58 replies26 threads Junior Member
    northwestern gives 2000 extra each year to a finalist
    · Reply · Share
  • d101parentd101parent 345 replies37 threads Member
    Vanderbilt....$5,000/yr
    · Reply · Share
  • geek_momgeek_mom 2072 replies34 threads Senior Member
    Here's another one: Arizona State University -- $15k/year for residents, $23k/year for OOS, guaranteed. Depending on the food/housing options, that's a full ride or more -- and this year a student told me that the merit scholarships are indexed with tuition increases. And some other scholarships are stackable with this one, including a $3k/year renewable, competitive cash award National scholars can apply for. Considering the new Honors College dorm complex and perks for Honors students, not bad overall.
    · Reply · Share
  • ns9908ns9908 147 replies0 threads Junior Member
    ^ The best ASU scholarships (i.e. freshman recruitment) are not stackable w/ NMF. However, if you go to the honors college (a given for NMFs) you'll likely walk away with what amounts to a full ride. Otherwise, COA is a few thousand above the 23k/yr figure for OOSs and just a few hundred more for residents.

    NMF

    I did the same thing as OP a while back and created a list with some personal info on there to make things recognizable for myself. If you can decrypt my notes there's great info on there. Ball State is not mentioned in OP or anywhere in the thread, for one. Explanations are at the bottom, and "complete" means room/board & tuition; the same as OP's definition of a full ride. Having graduated early I didn't include awards that required you to apply as a senior in HS. This is the meaning behind "not available", but if you're spending 3 yrs in HS, look into those. All the listed awards (except for Idaho recently and I'm sure a few others) are guaranteed. Also useful is the description of "first choice" requirements, which could be useful if you're intent on multiple degrees or might need to transfer and would still like to keep your school of choice bargaining chip.
    · Reply · Share
  • lafayettelafayette 84 replies1 threads Junior Member
    Tulane gives $2000/yr for Finalists who name it as their first choice.
    · Reply · Share
  • pugmadkatepugmadkate 5824 replies64 threads Senior Member
    Thank you, keilexander, for putting this list together. Here is info on a few additional schools:

    UMASS Amherst
    National Merit and National Achievement Scholarships
    These scholarships cover the full cost of tuition, fees, room, and board for in-state students. A limited number of scholarships are offered per entering class, based on a competitive review of the freshman National Merit and National Achievement Scholars who have applied to UMass Amherst. This scholarship may not be combined with tuition waivers, since the scholarship already covers the full cost of tuition, fees, room, and board.
    Scholarship application: None required
    Notification: Admissions Office will notify recipients at the time of acceptance
    UMass Amherst GPA requirement: 3.0 or higher during freshman year, 3.2 in subsequent years.
    Students must carry at least 15 credits per semester and must have continuous enrollment.


    Brandeis-Sponsored National Merit Scholarship
    This scholarship is available to entering first-year students who have attained National Merit Finalist status and have designated Brandeis as their first choice through the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). Recipients of this scholarship are chosen by the NMSC. The amount of this scholarship ranges from $500 to $2,000, based on financial need.


    American University-
    (Please note: For reasons I do not know, American University does not post award amounts.) National Achievement and National Merit Scholarships
    Eligibility: Freshman applicants who were named National Achievement and National Merit finalists and semi-finalists who designate AU as their first choice college with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation by February 1 of their senior year.
    · Reply · Share
  • KeilexandraKeilexandra 5360 replies132 threads Senior Member
    To clarify, this list will not include small NMF finalist awards (<5k). Macalester and Vanderbilt both give 5k, but that's a drop in the bucket compared to their COA, so it's not a significant award.

    Thanks for the additions everyone, and especially ns9908 for sharing another list!

    EDIT: Forgot to cross-reference the other list, so I'll post an updated compendium shortly.
    · Reply · Share
  • KeilexandraKeilexandra 5360 replies132 threads Senior Member
    (Note: The linked list includes many schools that no longer offer significant NMF scholarships.)


    o Full ride is defined as minimum tuition/room/board.
    o U=University, C=College
    o *=annual enrollment <1k students
    o ^=schools I personally find notable

    NMF FULL TUITION+
    Publics
    U of Alabama (NMF full ride & NMSF full tuition with 3.5 GPA guaranteed)
    U of Alabama-Huntsville (NMF full ride & NMSF full tuition guaranteed)
    Alabama State U (full ride guaranteed)
    Auburn U [AL] (full tuition+ guaranteed)
    U of North Alabama (NMF full ride & NMSF full tuition+ guaranteed)
    Troy U [AL] (full ride competitive)
    U of Arizona (full ride guaranteed)
    Arizona State U (NMF in-state full ride [15k] & OOS full tuition+ [23k], NMSF in-state full tuition+ [9k] & OOS 10.5k guaranteed)
    Southern Arkansas U (in-state full ride/OOS full tuition+ [full ride - 2.5k] rolling)
    U of Central Florida (NMF full tuition+ & NMSF 9k guaranteed)
    University of Idaho (NMF full ride competitive [25])
    Ball State U [IN] (NMF full ride guaranteed)
    Eastern Kentucky U (in-state full ride & OOS full tuition- guaranteed)
    U of Kentucky (full ride 1st year & full tuition+ remaining 3 years guaranteed)
    Louisiana State U (full tuition competitive)
    U of Maine (tuition- competitive)
    Wayne State U [MI] (full ride competitive)
    ^*U of Minnesota-Morris (full tuition guaranteed)
    Mississippi State U (NMF full tuition+ & NMSF full tuition- guaranteed)
    U of Southern Mississippi (NMF/SF full ride competitive)
    Southeast Missouri State U (NMF full ride guaranteed, NMSF full tuition- guaranteed)
    U of Nebraska-Lincoln (full tuition+ guaranteed)
    Cleveland State U [OH] (full tuition guaranteed)
    Youngstown State U [OH] (full ride with 30 ACT/1300 SAT competitive [40])
    Ohio State U (full tuition competitive)
    U of Oklahoma (full tuition+ guaranteed)
    Oklahoma State U (full tuition+ guaranteed)
    U of Memphis [TN] (NMF [9k + OOS waiver] & NMSF [7.5k + OOS waiver] full tuition+ guaranteed)
    U of Houston [TX] (full ride guaranteed)
    U of North Texas (full ride competitive)
    U of Texas-Dallas (full tuition+ guaranteed)
    Texas Tech U (OOS full tuition [12.7k] guaranteed)
    U of Texas-Tyler (NMF full ride & NMSF full tuition+ guaranteed)
    U of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (in-state full ride guaranteed [~4k OOS tuition difference])

    Privates
    *Abilene Christian U (full tuition guaranteed)
    Alfred U (full ride guaranteed with top 5% rank, otherwise full tuition/ride competitive)
    *Alma C (full tuition guaranteed, full ride competitive [first 15 to commit])
    *Andrews U (full tuition guaranteed)
    Baylor U (full tuition guaranteed)
    *Birmingham-Southern C (full tuition competitive)
    ^*Denison U (full tuition competitive)
    *U of Evansville (NMF full tuition & NMSF 75% tuition guaranteed)
    *Faulkner U (NMF/SF full tuition guaranteed)
    Fordham U (full tuition+ competitive)
    *Harding U (full tuition guaranteed)
    Liberty U (NMF full ride & NMSF full tuition guaranteed)
    Long Island U-C.W. Post (full tuition competitive)
    *Oakwood U (NMF full tuition+, NMSF full tuition, & NMCommended 80% tuition guaranteed)
    *Oklahoma Christian U (full ride guaranteed)
    *Pacific Union C (full tuition guaranteed)
    *Spring Arbor U (NMF full tuition & NMSF half tuition + one-time 5k guaranteed)
    *Sterling C (full tuition guaranteed)
    ^*U of Tulsa (full ride guaranteed)
    ^*Wesleyan C [women only] (full tuition competitive)
    *Westminster C [UT] (NMF full tuition & NMSF half tuition guaranteed)

    NMF HONORABLE MENTIONS
    Publics
    U of Central Arkansas (12k guaranteed with 3.25 GPA)
    California State U-Fullerton (in-state only: full tuition+ guaranteed)
    California State U-Long Beach (in-state only: full ride competitive)
    University of Florida (OOS tuition waiver guaranteed)
    ^*New C of Florida (17.5k guaranteed)
    Iowa State U (in-state full ride competitive)
    U of Kansas (in-state only: 10k guaranteed)
    U of Louisiana-Lafayette (unclear - UL Lafayette: Academic Scholarships: High School Seniors)
    U of Massachusetts-Amherst (in-state full ride competitive)
    Michigan State U (750-2k + in-state 2k & OOS 4k and room/board competitive)
    U of Akron [OH] (6k guaranteed + Honors College 3k)
    U of Cincinnati [OH] (in-state full tuition+ [OOS 14k difference])
    Wright State U [OH] (in-state only: NMF full ride guaranteed, NMSF/Commended full tuition guaranteed)
    U of South Carolina (in-state up to 10k, OOS up to 6k + OOS tuition waiver)
    U of Vermont (in-state NMF full tuition, OOS 10k guaranteed)
    U of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (full in-state tuition guaranteed)

    Privates
    *Calvin C (10k guaranteed)
    *Concordia C (14k guaranteed)
    U of Dallas (NMF 14k, NMSF 12k guaranteed)
    *Hope C (17k guaranteed)
    ^Rochester Institute of Technology (15k guaranteed)
    *U of Sioux Falls (full ride competitive [1])
    ^U of Southern California (half tuition guaranteed)
    Southern Methodist U (half tuition + 2k guaranteed)
    *St. Olaf C (7.5k guaranteed)
    · Reply · Share
  • miltonmommiltonmom 56 replies10 threads Junior Member
    If student designates a school as first choice to National Merit and then does not attend (because total award was insufficient to make attendance possible), can they transfer award to another school?
    · Reply · Share
  • WhoeverWhoever 8 replies0 threads New Member
    miltonmom, it seems like you are talking about college-sponsored Merit Scholarships. The money for these scholarships comes from the particular college, so, no, they are not transferable. You still have time to change which college you designate as first choice. The other two kinds of NM Scholarships, corporate-sponsored and the single-payment National Merit $2500 Scholarship, would be transferable, but there are only about 1,100 and 2,500 of these, respectively.
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