National Merit Scholarship
National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) — private nonprofit (included as quasi-public per task)
$2,500 National Merit Scholarships plus corporate- and college-sponsored awards, entered by taking the PSAT/NMSQT as a high school junior
- How much
- National Merit $2500 Scholarship: one-time $2,500; corporate-sponsored: one-time $2,500-$10,000 or renewable $1,000-$10,000/yr; college-sponsored: renewable $500-$2,000/yr
- Who qualifies
- Enter by taking the PSAT/NMSQT in the specified year (normally grade 11) and no later than the third year of grades 9-12; must be planning to enter college by fall 2028 (for the 2028 competition). Semifinalists are chosen state by state from Selection Index scores; ~15,000 become Finalists. Students attending high school outside the US must be US citizens or lawful permanent residents intending citizenship.
- U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident intending citizenship
- When to apply
- Open now · due October 30, 2026 annual; enter by taking the PSAT/NMSQT during the October window of junior year (2026: Oct 1-30, entering the 2028 competition); Semifinalists named early September of senior year; Finalists named February; awards announced March-July
- How to apply
- Take the PSAT/NMSQT in your junior year (fall 2026 testing window: Oct 1-30, 2026 — ask your counselor) and answer the entry questions
- About 16,000 Semifinalists (named in September of senior year) complete a Finalist application (essay, recommendation, academic record, confirming SAT/ACT score) to compete for awards
- What you'll need
- test scores + essay + recommendation + transcript
- Last checked
- October 5, 2026, against the official page (nationalmerit.org) and page 2
The details
$2,500 National Merit Scholarships plus corporate- and college-sponsored awards, entered by taking the PSAT/NMSQT as a high school junior Steps for the 2028 competition: ~1.3 million entrants take the PSAT/NMSQT in October 2026; ~50,000 high scorers; ~34,000 Commended Students and ~16,000 Semifinalists (Sept 2027); ~15,000 Finalists (Feb 2028); ~7,320 awards worth over $30 million (from March 2028). No student can receive more than one NMSC monetary award. NMSC is a private nonprofit, not a government program.
More federal and national aid
- QuestBridge National College Matchfull four-year scholarship to a partner college (worth $360,000+; tuition, room/board, no loans)
- Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship Programup to $55,000/yr for up to 4 years (last-dollar after institutional aid)
- Davidson Fellows Scholarship$100,000, $50,000, or $25,000 (one-time)
- Burger King Scholars Program$1,000 to $60,000 (most general-track awards $1,000 or $5,000; up to three $60,000 James W. McLamore WHOPPER Scholarships)
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)$37,000/yr stipend + $16,000/yr cost-of-education allowance to the school, for 3 years
Keep looking
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