National Merit Scholarship requirements 2022-2023

On this article, we’ll talk about the National Merit Scholarship Requirements 2021,  GPA requirements, score requirements by state, finalist requirements, and renewal requirements.

Are you interested in participating in the National Merit Scholarship Program? Are you a parent and you want to put up your kid to participate in the program? You need to read this article whether you are a student or a parent.

The National Merit Scholarship Program is conducted by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition that was put in place to recognize and give scholarships to United States high school students who are academically brilliant.

The scholarship program is for students who are citizens of the U.S., whether studying in the U.S. or abroad. An international student can participate in the scholarship program as long as he or she intends to become a citizen of the U.S. at the earliest chance which is permitted by law.

The National Merit Scholarship Program has three (2) main objectives.

National Merit Scholarship Program Objectives

• To promote quality education by identifying and honoring United States high school students who are talented academically.
• To act as a basin for corporate organizations who want to sponsor college scholarships for undergraduates by bringing them together and effectively managing the scholarships.
• To enhance support for U.S. high school students’ education.

National Merit Scholarship Requirement 2021

To stand a chance of becoming a beneficiary of the National Merit Scholarship Program, students or parents should ensure that their child or children meet the following requirements.

1. Interesting students must be enrolled as either a traditional or homeschooled high school student.
2. Student must be among those that are progressing towards completion of high school and graduation normally.
3. Student must also be making plans to accept college admission in the fall following completion of high school.
4. Interested students must be attending high schools in the U.S. commonwealth and territory, and the District of Columbia.
5. Students attending high school outside the U.S. must meet the requirements for United States citizenships.

The above requirements are nonnegotiable and must be met before a student is allowed to participate in the scholarship program.

National Merit Scholarships GPA requirements

Students who are National Merit Semi-finalists and Finalists are extremely serious with their academics. This is because of the demand by the National Merit Scholarship Board with regards to becoming semifinalists and finaliss. The scholarship programs demands that a student must maintain a 3.5 or higher GPA to qualify.

The student will also have to maintain the GPA level through his or her four years in school.

National Merit Scholarships Score Requirements by State

The National Merit Scholarships score requirements varies for each states, the NMSC sums up your overall scores once you have taken the PSAT.

The table below shows the score requirements for each state, it will help you to know how the National Merit Scholarship Competition in your area will be competitive.

Data Source: https://www.sparkadmissions.com/blog/understanding-the-national-merit-scholarship-program/

STATE	SELECTION INDEX SCORE
Alabama	216
Alaska	213
Arizona	219
Arkansas	214
California	222
Colorado	220
Connecticut	221
Delaware	220
DC	223
Florida	219
Georgia	220
Hawaii	219
Idaho	215
Illinois	221
Indiana	218
Iowa	215
Kansas	218
Kentucky	218
Louisiana	215
Maine	215
Maryland	222
Massachusetts	223
Michigan	219
Minnesota	219
Mississippi	214
Missouri	217
Montana	214
Nebraska	216
Nevada	218
New Hampshire	218
New Jersey	223
New Mexico	213
New York	221
North Carolina	219
North Dakota	212
Ohio	218
Oklahoma	214
Oregon	220
Pennsylvania	220
Rhode Island	218
South Carolina	215
South Dakota	214
Tennessee	219
Texas	221
Utah	215
Vermont	216
Virginia	222
Washington	222
West Virginia	212
Wisconsin	216
Wyoming	212
Average Score	218

 

National Merit Scholarship Finalist Requirements

To become a finalist, the following requirements must be met;

• A semifinalists must work together with a high school official to submit a scholarship application that is well detailed.
• Information about the student’s academic record, participation in school and community activities must be provided.
• Student’s exhibited leadership qualities and employment must be included in the application.
• Semifinalist’s awards and honors received must be added in the application.
• The student’s academic record through high school must be outstanding.
• A high school official must endorse the student.
• The student must write an essay.
• Semifinalist must have good scores on SAT or ACT which will confirm the his or her earlier performance in the qualifying test.

National Merit Scholarship Renewal Requirements

The academic performance of students are evaluated once every year after the posting of spring grades. Students must meet the following requirements each year to be able to meet the renewal requirements:

• Enroll in no fewer than 12 credit hours in both terms to be eligible for the award.
• Students who were admitted prior to fall 2021 must complete 24 credit hours in previous fall and spring terms.
• Students who were admitted in and after fall 2021 must complete at least 30 hours within the fall and spring terms.

Other renewal information in chart below:

Minimum Required Hours Each Term:	12
Minimum required GPA at the end of every Spring (First semester of enrollment before current school year):	3.2
Minimum required  GPA at every end of Spring (First term of enrollment Fall of Current School Year:	3.0
Are Dual/Transient Hours Accepted?	No
Are Remedial Hours Accepted?	No
Are Satisfactory Academic Progress Needed?	No
Is FAFSA Needed?	No
Maximum Limit of Time	8 Semesters