Hi everyone! Recently, I heard about the National Merit Scholarship program, and I'm a bit confused about the difference between semifinalists and finalists. What sets them apart, and how does one move on from being a semifinalist to a finalist? Thanks in advance!
Hello! The National Merit Scholarship program is an academic competition based on your performance on the PSAT/NMSQT exam. The distinctions between semifinalists and finalists mainly come down to the selection process, criteria, and the level of potential scholarship opportunities tied to these distinctions.
Semifinalists: Approximately 16,000 students from across the United States qualify as semifinalists. These students earn this designation based on their PSAT/NMSQT scores. The qualifying score varies by state and typically falls within the top 0.5% to 1% of scorers. Semifinalists are the highest-scoring entrants in each state and represent those who move onto the next phase of the competition. To learn more about what the cutoffs usually are for each state, check out this blog post from CollegeVine: https://blog.collegevine.com/national-merit-cutoffs
Finalists: To advance from semifinalist to finalist status, semifinalists must submit additional application materials, including an outstanding academic record, an application essay, recommendations, and official SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student's performance on the PSAT/NMSQT. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) uses these materials to evaluate the holistic achievements of students, and approximately 15,000 semifinalists are advanced to finalist standing.
Scholarship Opportunities: Not all finalists will receive National Merit Scholarships, as they're quite competitive. Of the 15,000 finalists, around 7,500 students are selected as Merit Scholarship winners. These scholarships can be sponsored by the NMSC, colleges, or corporations and are generally awarded based on the finalist's abilities, skills, and accomplishments.
In summary, semifinalist status is determined solely by PSAT/NMSQT scores, while finalist status is based on a more comprehensive review of the student's academic and extracurricular achievements. Advancing from semifinalist to finalist can open up more scholarship opportunities for students, but even if you are only a semifinalist, that's still an excellent distinction to include in the honors or awards section of your college applications.
Good luck!
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