Yes, you have to enroll first. The $1k/yr scholarship is how USC supports you as a National Scholar. There are 3 ways that you can advance from NMF to a National Scholar: sponsorship directly from nmsc, from a corporate sponsor, or from a college sponsor. If you look on page 9 of the student guide found on the nationalmerit.org website, you will see that college sponsorships only range from $500 to $2000 per year. The Presidential 1/2 tuition nmf scholarship that USC gives is different, as are all the large NMF scholarships from other universities. It is something USC gives to their NMF students, but it is not sponsorship. They have to give this award to claim they have x number of National Scholars. Believe me if you want.