THE NATIONAL MERIT® SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION 数据分析

胡老师

INFORMATIONABOUT THE NATIONAL

MERIT® SCHOLARSHIPCOMPETITION

Aug 2015

http://www.nationalmerit.org/Merit_About_Leaflet.pdf

In each annual NationalMerit Scholarship Program, about 50,000 academically talented high schoolstudents are

honored, but only some16,000 of them are named Semifi nalists. Students who qualify as Semifi nalistsbased on their

performance on thePreliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®) are the only program

participants who have anopportunity to advance to the Finalist level and compete for National MeritScholarships. About

7,400 of the outstandingFinalists will be chosen as Merit Scholarship® winners in the 2016competition.

Initiated in 1955, theNational Merit Program is conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a

not-for-profi torganization that operates without government assistance. A sizable number ofNational Merit Scholarships

to be offered in 2016 willbe underwritten by NMSC with its own funds, but most will be supported by some 440 independent

corporate organizations andhigher education institutions.

A description of thecurrent National Merit Program—including entry requirements, groups of honoredstudents,

and scholarships to beoffered—was in the 2014 Offi cial Student Guide to the PSAT/NMSQT distributedto students before

they entered thecompetition. This document gives additional information for Semifi nalists andincludes a chart of steps

in the 2016 scholarshipcompetition.

INFORMATIONABOUT THE NATIONAL

MERIT® SCHOLARSHIPCOMPETITION

National Merit, Merit Scholarship, MeritScholar, and the corporate “Lamp of Learning” logo are federally registeredservice marks of National

Merit ScholarshipCorporation. PSAT/NMSQT is a registered trademark ofNational Merit Scholarship Corporation and the College Board. SAT is a

registered trademark of theCollege Board. The College Board was not involved in the production of thisdocument.

How wereSemifi nalists designated?

The 2014 PSAT/NMSQT served as an initial screenof more

than 1.5 million entrantsto the 2016 National Merit Scholarship

Program. The SelectionIndex scores of students

who met programparticipation requirements were used to

designate a pool of about16,000 Semifi nalists on a state

allocation basis. Semifi nalistsare the highest scorers in

each of the 50 states andrepresent less than one percent

of each state’s high schoolseniors. Although Semifi nalist

qualifying scores vary fromone state to another, the scores

of all Semifi nalists areextremely high.

In addition to thosedesignated in each of the 50 states

and without affecting theallocation to any state, Semifi -

nalists were named in otherselection units established by

NMSC for the competition. Theseunits are for participants

who attend schools in the District of Columbia,schools

in U.S. territories and commonwealths,schools in other

countries, and U.S.boarding schools that enroll a sizable

proportion of theirstudents from outside the state in which

the school is located.

How will NMSC honor Semifinalists?

Semifi nalists in the 2016National Merit Program will be

recognized in anannouncement sent to news media nationwide

for release on September 9,2015. By spotlighting

Semifi nalists, NMSC hopes to increase generalinterest in

academic excellence andencourage broader support for

the education of talentedyoung people. To help enhance

their educationalopportunities, a list of Semifi nalists

(by high school) will besent to four-year U.S.colleges

and universities.

What isthe next step for Semifi nalists?

Before they can beconsidered for Merit Scholarship

awards, Semifi nalists mustqualify as Finalists by completing

the National MeritScholarship Application using

NMSC’s Online ScholarshipApplication (OSA) and fulfi

lling several other requirements.(See Requirements

and Instructions for Semifinalists whichis posted online

in the “CompetitionInstructions” section of the OSA.)

Semifi nalists who do notmeet all specifi ed requirements

and deadlines cannot becomeFinalists; they will be notifi

ed by NMSC or an offi cial of theirhigh school that they

have been withdrawn fromthe competition.

How willSemifi nalists know if they become

Finalists?

By mid-February, NMSC will notify Finalists attheir

home addresses. NMSC also will inform high schoolprincipals

about the status of theirSemifi nalists and provide

a Certifi cate of Merit forpresentation to each one who

qualifi es as a Finalist. NMSC does not make a news media

announcement aboutFinalists because Semifi nalists

are publicly honored andapproximately 90 percent of

the Semifi nalists areexpected to reach the Finalist level.

A Semifi nalist can advanceto Finalist standing and be

considered for a NationalMerit Scholarship in only one

specifi c annualcompetition.

WhatMerit Scholarship awards will be offered?

About 7,400 National MeritScholarships of three types

will be offered in 2016:

• 2,500 single-paymentNational Merit $2500 Scholarships

for which all Finalistswill be considered;

• about 1,000corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship

awards for which Finalistswho meet a company or business

grantor’s specifi edcriteria will be considered; and

• some 3,900college-sponsored Merit Scholarship

awards for which onlyFinalists who will attend their

respective sponsorinstitutions are considered.

August 2015

All Merit Scholar® designees are chosen on thebasis of

their abilities,accomplishments, and potential for success

in rigorous collegestudies—without regard to gender,

race, ethnic origin,religious preference, or family fi nancial

circumstances. Although allstudents who become

Finalists are outstanding,not all Finalists receive a Merit

Scholarship award. In the2016 program, about half of the

approximately 15,000Finalists will win an award, and

no student will receivemore than one scholarship offer

from NMSC.

How areNational Merit $2500 Scholarship

winnersselected?

Every Finalist isconsidered for one of the National Merit

$2500 Scholarships. Most ofthese one-time scholarships

are supported by NMSC’s own funds. Business organizations

that providecorporate-sponsored awards help

underwrite a portion ofthese scholarships with grants

they provide to NMSC in lieu of payingadministrative

fees. As in the designationof Semifi nalists, these awards

are allocated on astate-representational basis according to

the state’s percentage ofthe national total of high school

graduates; winners are alsonamed in the other selection

units established for thecompetition. Each Finalist competes

with all others in thestate/unit that includes the

high school in which thestudent is enrolled when winners

are chosen.

In late January 2016, acommittee of experienced

college admission offi cersand high school counselors

will meet to choose thewinners of National Merit $2500

Scholarships. Committeeteams analyze and evaluate all

Finalists’ scholarshipapplications based on information

supplied by students andtheir schools, which includes:

• the academic record;

• the school’s recommendationof the Finalist;

• a student essay;

• extracurricular activities;and

• scores on the PSAT/NMSQT and SAT®.

Because every Semifi nalistwho qualifi es as a Finalist

has an excellent academicrecord and outstanding test

scores, the school official’s characterization of the student

and the student’s essayplay an important part in the process

of choosing Merit Scholardesignees. Activities, awards,

and employment are alsoconsidered. Winners in each

state (or other selectionunit) will be the Finalists judged

by committee members tohave the most distinguished

credentials and potentialfor academic success, without

consideration of fi nancialneed, college choice, or major

and career plans.

Who canwin a corporate-sponsored Merit

Scholarshipaward?

About 1,000corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship

awards will be offered in2016 to Finalists who meet

specifi ed criteria. Mostof the 250 corporate sponsors that

underwrite thesescholarships designate them for children

of their employees;however, some sponsors specify their

awards for residents ofcommunities in which the company

has plants or offi ces, orfor Finalists pursuing college

majors and careers thegrantor organization wishes to

encourage. (See Sponsorsof National Merit® Scholarships

which is posted online inthe “Competition Instructions”

section of the OSA.)

Information Finalistssupply on their National Merit

Scholarship Applications will be used to identifycandidates

for corporate-sponsoredawards. NMSC’s professional staff

will choose almost allrecipients from the pool of eligible

candidates, based on anevaluation of their abilities, academic

records, andaccomplishments both in and out of

school. Offi cials of a fewsponsor organizations will make

their own selections fromeligible Finalists.

Each corporate sponsorspecifi es the monetary limits

of scholarships it finances and decides whether the awards

provide one-time paymentsor stipends that can be renewed

for up to four years ofundergraduate study. Renewable

awards provide either a fixed yearly stipend or an annual

stipend that can vary byindividual. Stipend ranges are

given in the table below.

Type of award Type ofstipend Stipend ranges

Renewable Variable Minimum:at least $500

Maximum: $2,000 or

more per year

Renewable Fixed$1,000–$5,000 per year

One-time Single-payment$2,500–$5,000

Although fi nancial need isnot considered in the selection

of award recipients,winners of scholarships with

variable-amount stipendsmay wish to be considered for

more than the minimumannual stipend. When scholarship

offers are sent to winners,annual stipends are set at the

minimum, but instructionsare given for submitting family

fi nancial information.Variable stipends are then individually

determined, taking intoaccount the fi nancial circumstances

of the Scholar’s family andcollege costs.

WhichFinalists can be considered for

college-sponsoredMerit Scholarship awards?

About 190 colleges anduniversities have made arrangements

with NMSC to sponsor National MeritScholarships

in the 2016 competition,and it is expected that some 3,900

of these awards will beoffered to Finalists next spring.

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(See Sponsors ofNational Merit® Scholarships which is

posted online in the“Competition Instructions” section of

the OSA.) To be considered for acollege-sponsored award,

a Finalist must meet allthree of the following conditions.

The Finalist:

• must have notifi ed NMSC that the sponsor college ishis

or her fi rst choice;

• must have applied foradmission to that institution; and

• must not have beenoffered any other National Merit

Scholarship.

Every college-sponsoredaward is offered with the condition

that the Finalist has beenadmitted and will attend the

sponsor college. Becauseevery college-sponsored award

can be used only atthe institution fi nancing it, the scholarship

is canceled if the winnerchanges college choice.

Also, if NMSC receives notice of a changein college

choice from a Finalist towhom a college-sponsored Merit

Scholarship offer hasalready been mailed, the student

cannot be offered anothercollege-sponsored award—even

if the new choice ofcollege is one that also sponsors

Merit Scholarship awards.(See page 3 of the Requirements

and Instructions document which is postedonline

in the “CompetitionInstructions” section of the OSA orat

nationalmerit.org/resources.php.)

Early in March, NMSC will begin notifying each

sponsor college aboutFinalists who have reported that institution

as their fi rst choice.College offi cials will choose

all winners of their MeritScholarship awards from among

these Finalists. A sponsorcollege may decide to offer a

Merit Scholarship award toevery Finalist who is admitted

or choose to limit thenumber of awards it provides. After

receiving the college’sreport of its winner selections, NMSC

will mail formalscholarship offers to the selected Finalists.

Within limits of $500 to$2,000 per year, college offi

cials will set eachwinner’s Merit Scholarship stipend,

using fi nancialinformation fi led with the institution. The

college may choose to offera fi nancial aid “package” that

includes grants, loans, andemployment; however, unless

the student’s total financial need (as calculated by the college)

is met with gift aid, theMerit Scholarship stipend

must represent at leasthalf the winner’s need, up to a maximum

stipend of $2,000 per year.

Are thererequirements that National Merit

Scholarshipwinners must meet?

Yes. Terms of thescholarship are specifi ed in the online

component of the formaloffer NMSC sends each winner.

These govern acceptance andreceipt of the award and,

in the case of four-yearscholarships, specify addi tional

requirements forscholarship renewal in subsequent

academic years. The Scholarmust apply and be admitted

to the college at which thescholarship will be used. All

Merit Scholarship paymentsmust be used exclusively for

undergraduate education ata college or university in the

United States that holds accreditedstatus with a regional

accrediting commission onhigher education; NMSC scholarship

stipends are not payable,however, for attendance

at service academies,virtual universities, or certain institutions

that are limited in theirpurpose or training. Merit

Scholarship recipients alsomust enroll in college in the fall

following selection, mustattend college full time during

the day, and must pursue acourse of study leading to one

of the traditionalbaccalaureate degrees. Although a college

transfer cancels acollege-sponsored Merit Scholarship

award, all National Merit$2500 Scholarships and almost

all corporate-sponsoredawards are transferable from one

regionally accredited U.S.institution to another.

When dowinners receive scholarship

stipendpayments?

Next September, recipientsof one-time awards will be sent

a single payment in thefull scholarship amount. At that

time, winners of renewableawards will be issued the fi rst

installment of their annualstipend; additional payments

will be sent on a scheduledbasis (usually twice annually)

for up to four years ofundergraduate study or until baccalaureate

degree requirements aremet, whichever occurs

fi rst. NMSC sends stipend checks forscholarship recipients

to their college fi nancialaid offi ces.

When willFinalists learn whether they have won

aNational Merit Scholarship?

In March 2016, NMSC will begin mailingscholarship

offers to winners at theirhome addresses, with confi dential

notifi cation to their highschool principals. (See the schedule

in the Requirements andInstructions document.) After

NMSC receives award acceptances,the names of Merit

Scholar designees will bereleased to news media nationwide

in four announcements, onefor each type of award on

three dates in April, May,and June, and a second release of

college-sponsored awardwinners in July.

In mid-May 2016, NMSC will notify Finalists whohave

not won a National MeritScholarship. However, a few additional

scholarships may becomeavailable after this date;

recipients of those awardswill be notifi ed and their names

released to news mediaduring the summer.

Direct questions about thecompetition to:

National Merit ScholarshipCorporation

Attn: ScholarshipAdministration

1560 Sherman Avenue, Suite 200

Evanston, IL 60201-4897

Telephone (847) 866-5161

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2016NATIONAL MERIT® SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION

For acomplete explanation of steps, requirements, and dates for the competition, seepages 1–3 of this

documentand the Requirements and Instructions for Semifi nalists document. Bothdocuments can be

found atwww.nationalmerit.org/resources.php and in the Competition Instructions sectionof the OSA.

Semifinalists and their high schools

electronicallysubmit National Merit Scholarship

Applicationsusing the Online Scholarship

Application(OSA); Semifi nalists make

arrangementsfor reporting of SAT® scores

September–October2015

15,000Semifi nalists advance to Finalist

standing;their Certifi cates of Merit are

sent tohigh schools and selection of Merit

Scholar® awardeesbegins

January–February2016

16,000Semifi nalists notifi ed and their names

releasedto media

September2015

Semifinalists who

do notadvance to

Finaliststanding

notifi ed

January2016

2,500 NationalMerit

$2500Scholarship

winnersnotifi ed

March2016

3,900collegesponsored

Merit

Scholarshipwinners

notifi ed

May–June2016

Releaseto media of

NationalMerit

$2500Scholars

early May2016

Releaseto media of

college-sponsored

MeritScholar

designees

June andJuly 2016

Finalistsnot

selectedas Merit

Scholarship®

winnersnotifi ed

May 2016

7,400Merit Scholar

designeesnotifi ed

March–June2016

1,000corporatesponsored

Merit

Scholarshipwinners

notifi ed

March2016

Releaseto media of

corporate-sponsored

MeritScholar

designees

mid-April 2016