Hey! Just wanted to create a discussion thread for the Class of 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program. I’m aware that it is a bit early in the game, but as the last round of PSAT scores will be released next week, I think it would be smart to have a head start!
Thanks for starting this! Is there anything that needs to be done before next September? S26 will be a semifinalist.
My s26 will also be a semifinalist.
Based on my experience with s24, the two things that can be done between now and September are:
- Earn a qualifying ACT or SAT score. Student may retest but College Board only considers scores from the highest single sitting - no superscoring.
- If merit aid is a consideration, begin looking for schools offering great national merit scholarships.
Thanks! Do you know what is considered a qualifying score? I saw this too but cannot find any specific cutoffs.
Hey yall I’m sorry if this is a dumb question but a 1520/228 is a lock for finalist right? And what are the steps/timeline to go from a finalist to getting a scholarship?
Finally, how much does NMSF/NMF impact my application? My parents seem to think its a big deal but Im really not sure
1520 is a perfect score. Congratulations. Yes, you will make semifinalist. In September you will receive a letter informing you of your semifinalist status. The letter will include instructions you need to follow to advance to the next stage.
The impact on your college applications will vary. It is certainly something to write about in the honors section (although you should wait until you receive your confirmation letter). At some schools being a NMSF will automatically qualify you for honors consideration.
As far as scholarships go, they range from full ride to nothing depending on the school. University of Alabama and University of Tulsa are among those offering full rides. The Ivies and MIT give nothing. Other schools fall in-between. There are also some corporate-sponsored scholarships. College Board will inform you if you are offered one of those.
NMSC, not College Board
Here is the National Merit Scholarship Corp info for the Class of 2025. It is a good reference for timeline, policies and procedures.
Information about the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Competition
Does anyone know the accuracy of cutoff projections from companies like Compass Prep? S24’s score was high enough that we were confident he would make National Merit, so we didn’t pay close attention to the projections two years ago. However, D26’s score is right at the cutoff for our state for the class of 2025, which they are projecting to stay the same for the class of 2026.
Congratulations! I agree with everything Ajemom noted. My S24 is at an Ivy and although they don’t offer any direct scholarships, he did receive a scholarship from NMSC that was applied to his tuition. It’s $2500 and nonrenewable, so it’s more about the honor than the scholarship. There is a process to apply for finalist, similar to your college applications where you’ll complete an essay and provide letters of recommendation. Scholarship winners are then selected from the finalists. You can receive a scholarship from NMSC, directly from a college, or corporate scholarships. I don’t believe you can receive more than one of those. There is a list on the NMSC of college and corporate scholarships for finalists, which are usually higher than the $2500 from NMSC.
They have been doing it for years and are pretty darn accurate. I would say they are usually spot on or +/- 1 pt.
It’s a very big deal at certain schools that offer full rides to NMFs. Definitely take a look at those and try to find one you like. It’s huge to graduate without debt, and in some cases, with money in your pocket. It gives you a lot more freedom later.
I believe it’s a score that is at least the commended index. So 207/8 or so is most likely.
S26 is hopeful. He’s at 219 in Michigan and the cut-off has never been higher. It’s along wait until September to find out if it is good or not! He is planning on attending Alabama, so we are also hoping that they continue with the scholarships.
Good luck to everyone!
Hello! So I got a 1500 (740R/760M - 224) in Illinois. I really don’t know much about the NMF stuff (just what I’ve found online) because my school has never had a NMSF/NMF. Am I able to assume I’m good with a 224 (highest IL has been is a 221)? I know that no one can predict the cutoffs with 100% certainty but jumping multiple points in a year feels unlikely, but again, I don’t have a ton of knowledge about it. If I am good, is there anything I need to do before September other than get a confirming SAT score (which I already have)?
I honestly didn’t know that NMF-related scholarships existed for OOS students so I am only just now trying to find out more about this since my counselor has limited knowledge as well. I had kind of just accepted the fact that I would go to my state school and graduate with a ton of debt but the chance of NMF has had me expand my search for colleges. I would love to go to one of the schools with big NMF scholarships (UCF, UTD, Tulsa, UA) but I don’t want to get my hopes up if there’s not a decent chance of getting NMSF/NMF.
Thank you all!
224 was exactly what my S25 got and we are in CA where the NMSC Index range is just slightly higher than IL. So I think your chance of being NMF is excellent and you can get the big scholarship from one of these schools you listed. You just have to follow the process. In addition, you are also eligible to get corporate scholarship and that is not tied to any schools which is really nice too. Nothing to be done before Sept but to check out what college you might want to select for the NMF scholarship. But check when the finalists are announced and make sure your high school received the package by Sept. We had a hiccup because our high school had a staff change and the NMF package was lost so no one knew. Had to get the HS to call NM to re-acquire. Congrats.
Congrats! It sounds like you should have no problem being a NMSF! Nothing to do until September. But at that point follow here or Compass Prep so you know cut-offs are released and what they are for IL. Our school has very few NMSF and the first one had to push the admin to give the him the information needed. Be sure you get the information for logging in, etc in a timely manner because the due date for the application for finalist will be early October.
Before that, just start looking at the colleges that might interest you. This thread might be useful: Big merit NMF/NMSF schools and their specialties - #181 by fiftyfifty1
That’s great to hear!! I’ll have to keep an eye on stuff in September to make sure that my stuff gets in at the high school. Thank you!!
I’ll keep that all in mind. I’ve already talked to my counselor about it, so I will make sure it all gets through before the deadline. Until then, I’ll definitely do some research through some of the threads on here. Thanks!