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.
Scholarship Details
- Representative Selection Process: Scholarships are awarded in each state and selection unit following a rigorous representational procedure, ensuring a fair distribution of awards across the country.
- National Recognition, Local Excellence: Winners represent the pinnacle of achievement in their specific state or selection unit, with a selection process involving evaluation by a committee of college admission officers and high school counselors.
- Financial Support and Corporate Sponsorship: Each scholarship provides a significant single payment of $2,500 to the recipient, with the majority of scholarships supported by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) and corporate sponsors.
- Contributing to Educational Excellence: The program fosters healthy competition and recognition at both the state and national levels, promoting academic achievement on a broad scale.
Eligibility Criteria
- Automatic Consideration: Every National Merit Finalist is automatically considered for the $2500 scholarships.
Application Process
- Become a National Merit Finalist through the initial selection process.
- Finalists enter into competition at the state or selection unit level for one of the 2,500 National Merit $2500 Scholarships.
- Winners are chosen based on the rigorous evaluation by a committee of experts in the field.
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.
