My guess is that you are out of luck regarding National Merit. (But no harm in inquiring . . . but I’d guess is that it is way too late to do anything about it now.) That is one crummy thing about NM is that it is so dependent on one day, one short test, in 11th grade! Everything else has to come together, too, but if the stars aren’t aligned that day, you are pretty much toast. I am so sorry for that! However, as others here posted, you are certainly in great shape for good merit aid, even without the NM designation! For instance, my dd is (presumably, expecting finalist designation when they come out) going to attend U. Alabama on a NM package, but even if she weren’t a NM, she’d still be eligible for nearly as good a package in automatic merit aid based pretty much solely on SAT and GPA. You’d get the Presidential Scholarship http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out-of-state.html which gives FULL out of state tuition for 4 years. (And, it can now be applied to grad studies if you can graduate in under 8 semesters!) The only additional things NMF gives her are 3500/yr + an iPad + housing for a single year + 2000 towards a summer or research program. Plus a 5th year of tuition. Those NMF bonuses are not insignificant, but they are a small portion of the overall package, especially if you don’t consider the 5th year tuition. Over four years, you’re talking maybe 100k in scholarships for the non-NMF student vs. 125k over the first four years for the NMF. So, you’re still in great shape as you are, even without the NMF designation. I’m sure other schools out there offer great packages automatically as well . . . and then there are the numerous competitive scholarships at “2nd tier” or other big state schools . . . and I’m sure you’ll be competitive for any number of them. Apply widely, look for academic scholarships at all sorts of schools . . . and I bet you’ll find somewhere fabulous. Don’t sweat the NM disappointment. When you are a super high achiever (as you are), one of the harder lessons to learn is that you won’t succeed at everything. Just move on and make the most of the opportunities and successes you have! Not all super smart kids have their best test that one morning of 11th grade . . . and most of those super smart kids who miss out on NM . . . still make great successes in college and beyond!