Are you interested in the Top Colleges Awarding National Merit Scholarships in 2024? Do you want to be one of the most desirable students in the country? Colleges want National Merit Finalists, students who have accomplished a great deal in school and shown they are college-bound by doing well on standardized tests. It should come as no surprise that these high-achieving students are in hot demand.
Many colleges offer full-ride, tuition-and-fee scholarships to lure these rare scholars. But wait, there’s more! A limited number of them take it a step further and award additional financial awards, which can support experiences like research opportunities, study abroad programs, and even technology. Think of the possibilities for you as a National Merit Finalist at these schools.
How Much Are National Merit Scholarships?
The road to National Merit Scholar starts with the PSAT/NMSQT Of 1.5 million test-takers, only 16,000 top scorers are designated as National Merit Semifinalists and the state cutoffs vary year to year.
While already a distinction, being named a Semifinalist allows these students to move on in the competition to National Merit Finalist status. It’s somewhere between a college application – one where the stakes are high enough that students need good SATs or ACTs, good grades, good recommendations, and a great essay.
Advertisements
Successful National Merit Finalist status (of which there are over 15,000 students each year in all two categories) means you are eligible to be awarded one of three types of scholarships:
The National Merit $2,500 Scholarship: A one-time payment of $2,500, awarded mainly based on the pupil’s educational report, essays, and also recommendations.
Advertisements
Corporate-Sponsored Merit Scholarship Awards: Amounts and values differ for these awards offered for a one-time award or can enable the scholarship to be renewed. Scholarships are usually awarded by the sponsor to students who fulfill specific requirements set by the individual corporations, including being related to an employee, living in a certain area, or pursuing a particular career field.
College-Sponsored Merit Scholarships Awards: These Scholarships range in value and are renewable for one to four-year (s) of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship.
The base National Merit Scholarship is a single $2,500 award, Finalists can earn renewable scholarships in the tens of thousands of dollars from various corporations and universities, making the pursuit of Finalist status extremely lucrative.
How Many Schools Offer Full Rides to National Merit Scholars?
There are very few full-ride scholarships through the National Merit Program – you almost need to be able to count on one hand the number of schools that offer them. A full-ride scholarship is the highest level of award that a student can receive, covering the full cost of attendance (tuition, housing, meals, fees, and books). These scholarships often include extra stipends that students can use for their life expenses, exchange opportunities, and other stuff.
As Investopedia notes, “If the student is not an elite athlete, is not 1% in rank academically, or has not done something else of note, the chances of getting a full-ride scholarship are between slim and none. But one of the notable criteria that will grant a student a full-ride scholarship at some places of higher ed is to become a National Merit Finalist.
While full-ride scholarships for National Merit Scholars are few and far between, they are one of the most sought-after opportunities to obtain a university-level education without incurring substantial debt. While the number of scholarships is small, for those truly unusual students who have achieved the National Merit Finalist distinction through school academic excellence, to receive one of these full-ride scholarships is, indeed, a life-changing event.
Full-Ride Scholarships for National Merit Finalists
Many colleges recognize the exceptional achievement of becoming a National Merit Finalist and offer enticing full-ride scholarship packages to attract these top students. Here are some institutions that provide comprehensive full-ride awards to National Merit Finalists:
1. Faulkner University
Finalists who list Faulkner first will receive funding which includes a full-tuition scholarship, room and board, and mandatory fees. The semifinalist phase offers free tuition as an award as well.
2. Florida A&M University
In-state Finalists Receive the Full Cost of Attendance award through the Benacquisto Scholarship Program, inclusive of tuition, fees, on-campus room and board, books and supplies, travel expenses, and miscellaneous expenses.
3. Florida Atlantic University
In-State Finalist in the Benacquisto Program at FAU which covers up to full the cost of attendance Must maintain a 3.0 GPA at 12 credit hours per semester to renew.
4. Florida International University
Finalists who rank FIU first (not required for admission!) get full tuition, fees, housing, and a meal plan plus an allowance for books and, for those who demonstrate financial need, the option of a laptop.
5. Liberty University
National Merit Finalists who enroll in the Honors Program at Liberty are awarded four years of free tuition, room, and board. Plus, semifinalists get their tuition fees waived as well.
6. Louisiana Tech University
All tuition, housing & meals for four years: Louisiana Tech covers the full cost of tuition, on-campus housing, and meals for all four years for Finalists who rank Louisiana Tech as their top choice institution To retain the award in a future semester, students must maintain full-time enrollment and a minimum 3.0 GPA.
7. Murray State University
National Merit Finalists are awarded four years of free tuition and meals at Murray State including on-campus housing. Recipients must have a 3.2 GPA, be full-time students, and participate in the University’s Honors College.
8. New College of Florida
National Merit Finalists who have named New College of Florida their first choice, have been offered, through the Benacquisto Scholarship Program, a few scholarships that still exist for Florida residents. The school must be listed as a first-choice institution by the student with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
9. Oklahoma Christian University
The National Merit Scholar Award at Oklahoma Christian University (OC) is a full tuition, fee, and room and board scholarship for eight semesters (up to 17 credit hours of tuition per semester). This award is available for finalists who have chosen their institution as OC’s 1st choice and have a college GPA of 3.0.
10. Texas Tech University
The Texas Tech National Merit Finalist Scholarship is awarded as a full-ride, four-year national scholarship. Wait, though – that award comes with a caveat: to qualify for it, recipients have to take on at least 30 hours a year, and they need to maintain an amazing 3.5 GPA.
11. University of Alabama
At Alabama, Finalists get the whole kit price of tuition, room, a $3,500 option to purchase per year, a $2,000 summer ‘enhancement’ stipend to work on research or study abroad, and $500 for books.
12. University of Central Florida (UCF)
UCF Honors Finalists (both in-state and out-of-state) are eligible to participate in this program. In-State Residents of Florida: Full cost of attendance award Out-of-State Residents: In-State tuition rates and $80,000 merit scholarship This includes expedited admission, Honors College membership, guaranteed housing, and a laptop for all Finalists.
13. University of Idaho
The University of Idaho provides Finalists enrolling as freshmen with scholarships that cover tuition, fees, room, and board Such a scholar has preferential admission to the highly-ranked University Honors Program.
14. University of Maine
The University of Maine also offers a full-ride scholarship for up to 15 credits per semester and room/board to all in-state Semifinalists, provided you are a full-time student during your 4 semesters handled by the scholarship.
15. University of Mississippi (Ole Miss)
Finalists with at least a 3.0 GPA are declared eligible to receive Ole Miss’ top Academic Excellence Scholarship, which pays full tuition, room and board, and out-of-state fees for a potential four-year period.
What Your PSAT Score Means For You In Admissions
PSAT scores themselves are not factored into the college admissions or admissions process, however, high PSAT scores can project high SAT scores for applicants, and may as a result determine University admittance.
Among the metrics commonly used when evaluating applicants are standardized test scores and grades, which are combined to generate an applicant’s Academic Index, a single score that is used by some of the country’s most competitive colleges at least in part to determine who deserves closer consideration. An academic index is the lowest possible line an applicant needs to cross to be taken seriously in the same way that an applicant who happens to cross it will automatically be taken seriously.
As mentioned, just getting to be a National Merit Semifinalist is an impressive feat because they pick the top 1% scorers in each state. For example, if you are a National Merit Semifinalist, you need to make certain this goes down in your Awards and Honors so you can increase your college admissions odds.
Enter CollegeVine, which can provide some much-needed transparency to your chances of being admitted. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account to get started! Instead of just forecasting whether or not you may be accepted into a particular college, this analytic tool can also reveal both high points and low points in your college application, leaving you opportunities to highlight owning poor qualities and increasing your college selection chances.
Conclusion
Hundreds of selective colleges are taking even more dramatic steps to ensure they lay claim to National Merit finalists enrolled in the Class of 2024 as the competition for top academic talent in the upcoming recruitment cycle ratchets up. Some full-ride packages glide over book stipends, research grants, study-abroad opportunities, room and board – life game-changers for the brightest young scholars in the nation.
Those given the most valuable scholarships often receive that level of funding from public institutions like the University of Alabama, University of Central Florida, University of Idado, University of Maine, and the University of Mississippi, which all offer full-ride scholarships to both in-state and out-of-state National Merit Finalists. Meanwhile, private colleges such as Faulkner University, Oklahoma Christian University, and Texas Tech University are offering equally generous package deals of their own to attract the best and brightest.
These renewable scholarships are often valued at $200,000 or more and striving for National Merit Finalist status can create an opportunity to gain access to a top-tier higher education at little or no cost. With this level of esteem persistently powerful in college admissions, the competition for National Merit Scholarships looks likely to hold strong for 2024 and into eternity. Want more scholarship tips, guides, and opportunities? Subscribe to Meetgist for more!
SCHOLARSHIP
Learn How to Get a Scholarship: Top Strategies for Funding Your Education
Advertisements
