Established in 1955, National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC®) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance. This program is an annual academic competition among high school students for recognition and college scholarships.
Since its founding, NMSC has recognized over 3.5 million students and provided some 470,000 scholarships worth over $1.8 billion. The honors awarded by NMSC to exceptionally able students are viewed as definitive marks of excellence. Recipients of Merit Scholarship® awards, Achievement Scholarship® awards, and corporate-sponsored Special Scholarships have increased the nation’s respect for intellectual accomplishments and have contributed significantly to its talent pool of future leaders.
NMSC’s goals have remained constant since its inception: to identify and honor academically talented U.S. high school students, to stimulate increased support for their education, to provide efficient and effective program management for organizations who wish to sponsor college undergraduate scholarships.
High school students enter the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which serves as an initial screen of over 1.3 million entrants each year, and by meeting published program entry and participation requirements.
National Merit Scholarship Overview:
- Level of Study: Higher education
- Location: United States
- Eligible: US Citizen, Permanent Resident.
- Scholarship type: Funded
- Scholarship value: Range by scholarship types below
- Focus Areas: Higher education programs
- Application Status: Open
Types of National Merit Scholarships
Some 7,140 National Merit Scholarships of three types and approximately 740 Special Scholarships will be awarded in 2025; these 7,880 awards will have a combined value of over $35 million. Different types of scholarships will be offered, but no student can receive more than one monetary award from NMSC.
- National Merit $2500 Scholarships
These awards are unique because every Finalist is considered for one and winners are named in every state and other selection unit. The number awarded in each state is determined by the same representational procedure used to designate Semifinalists. Finalists compete with all other Finalists in their state or selection unit for one of the 2,500 National Merit $2500 Scholarships. Winners are selected by a committee of college admission officers and high school counselors.
National Merit® $2500 Scholarships provide a single payment of $2,500. NMSC’s own funds support the majority of these scholarships, but corporate sponsors help underwrite these awards with grants they provide to NMSC in lieu of paying administrative fees.
- Corporate-sponsored scholarships
In 2023, about 160 corporations, company foundations, and businesses sponsored scholarships through the National Merit Program as part of their educational philanthropy. These sponsors committed over $13 million to support approximately 840 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards and 740 Special Scholarships for children of employees, or for other accomplished students who meet the sponsor’s criteria.
The number of National Merit Scholarships a company or business offers annually may range from one to more than 100. Finalists who meet a sponsor’s criteria are identified from information Semifinalists supply on their scholarship applications. Winners are selected from this pool based on their abilities, skills, and accomplishments. The scholarship name usually identifies the grantor—for example, National Merit XYZ Company Scholarship.
Over two-thirds of the program’s corporate sponsors also provide Special Scholarships. Organizations that sponsor Special Scholarships make Entry Forms available to children of employees or members, or to students with qualifications of interest to the sponsor.
Entry Forms are completed by students (and their parents, if applicable). If the number of Finalists eligible for a sponsor’s awards is smaller than the number of awards the corporate organization wishes to offer, NMSC establishes a pool of candidates to compete for the remaining awards (Special Scholarships). These candidates are the highest scoring students who filed Entry Forms with the sponsoring organization but were not named Finalists. NMSC sends Special Scholarship application materials to these candidates through their high schools.
Each corporate sponsor specifies the monetary limits of scholarships it finances and decides whether the awards provide one-time payments or fixed stipends that can be renewed for up to four years of college undergraduate study.
- College-sponsored Merit Scholarships
In the 2025 competition, it is expected that about 3,800 National Merit Scholarships will be offered to Finalists who plan to attend a sponsor college or university. (See the list of about 160 colleges that currently are Merit Scholarship sponsors, here.) A college-sponsored scholarship is renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study at the sponsor institution. It cannot be transferred; therefore, it is canceled if a winner does not attend the college financing the award.
Officials of each sponsor institution choose award recipients from among Finalists who have been accepted for admission and have informed NMSC that the sponsor college or university is their first choice.
Each college sponsor chooses the annual stipend their institution offers to award recipients, within a range of $500 to $2,000 per year. All college-sponsored scholarship recipients at the institution will receive the same stipend amount as determined by the college.
Scholarship Offer:
National Merit® $2500 Scholarships provide a single payment of $2,500. NMSC’s own funds support the majority of these scholarships, but corporate sponsors help underwrite these awards with grants they provide to NMSC in lieu of paying administrative fees.
Each corporate sponsor specifies the monetary limits of scholarships it finances and decides whether the awards provide one-time payments or fixed stipends that can be renewed for up to four years of college undergraduate study.
Each college sponsor chooses the annual stipend their institution offers to award recipients, within a range of $500 to $2,000 per year. All college-sponsored scholarship recipients at the institution will receive the same stipend amount as determined by the college.
Eligibility | Entry Requirements for National Merit Scholarship
To enter the National Merit Scholarship Program and compete for recognition and 7,880 scholarships to be offered in 2025, A student must:
- be enrolled as a high school student (traditional or homeschooled), progressing normally toward graduation or completion of high school by 2025, and planning to accept admission to college no later than the fall of 2025;
- attend high school in the United States, District of Columbia, or U.S. commonwealths and territories; or meet the citizenship requirements for students attending high school outside the United States; and
- take the 2023 PSAT/NMSQT in the specified year of the high school program and no later than the third year in grades 9 through 12, regardless of grade classification or educational pattern
For Students Attending High School Outside the United States:
To be eligible for the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program, a student attending high school outside the United States must be a citizen of the United States; or be a U.S. lawful permanent resident (or have applied for permanent residence, the application for which has not been denied) and intend to become a U.S. citizen at the earliest opportunity allowed by law.
Eligibility Verification:
The NMSC section of the PSAT/NMSQT Score Report shows the student’s responses to the entry requirement questions and whether the student’s Selection Index score will be considered for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Students are encouraged to review this section of their Score Report carefully and contact NMSC immediately if any responses to their entry requirement questions are incorrect or have changed.
How to Apply:
For more information on National Merit Scholarship program, please visit the Official website
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