Are you a high school student searching for an undergraduate in the US So good news? National Merit Scholarship 2025 has been announced for students of the United States. This is an esteemed academic scholarship for United States citizens. After college, every student has a goal to get a merit scholarship and every year most of the students win this scholarship.
From National Merit Scholarship 2025 average award range is $2000 to $9000 and winning students can earn this amount annually. This is a very competitive scholarship program and has almost 1,300,000 Entrants every year.
For this scholarship, students must pass the SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®) and then they can apply for this scholarship. This scholarship has three rounds, details about this scholarship rounds are given below. From 1,300,000 entrants only 15,000 Finalists for this scholarship.
From these 15,000 students, 710 students were awarded Special Scholarship recipients, and 6,870 students are Merit Scholarship® winners. After this NMSC notify students about the type of National Merit Scholarship 2025. These three types of scholarships awarded to students are given below:
- National Merit® $2500 Scholarships
- College-sponsored scholarships
- Corporate-sponsored scholarships
This scholarship is very well-known and every student dreams. Every year government awards this scholarship to 15,000 students. These students get benefits from this scholarship. Qualifying for this scholarship is very challenging due to the more competitive But don’t worry because at the end of this article How to Qualify for the National Merit Scholarship in 2025.
Table of Contents
I collect this information and tips from the National Merit Scholarship (NMS) qualifier. I hope this information is very helpful for you.
National Merit Scholarship 2025 Details:
| Host Country | USA |
| Host Organization | National Merit Scholarship Corporation |
| Amount | $2000 – $9000 / $25000 |
| Total Awards | 7500 |
| Grade Level | Undergraduate |
| Location | United States |
| Last Date | October 2025 |
| Official Website | Visit Now |
| More Scholarships | Mutee Academy |
Eligibility Criteria:
- Must be a resident of the United State
- Enrolled high school student (Traditional or Homeschooled)
- Must completion of high school by 2026
- Must attend high school in the US (District of Columbia)
- Must meet eligibility requirements If they attend high school outside the United State
- Applicant required PSAT/NMSQT in the specified year
Application Process:
The application process is a little bit difficult for this scholarship but below I explain the step-by-step application process. I hope you can easily understand:
1- PSAT/NMSQT:
Applicants must take PSAT/NMSQT in their junior year. Try to get higher marks in your PSAT/NMSQT which gives you a chance to win this scholarship.
2- Score Requirements:
If you get higher marks in the state directly National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) has been notified of the next phase which is to Submit an Application:
3- Submit an Application:
After the result of the SAT/NMSC, you will invited to semifinalist. In this phase, students need to submit their application. Students need to give below to complete the application process:
- Academic record
- Recommendation letter
- Essay
- Extracurricular Activities
- Leadership roles
4- Achieve Finalist Status:
After submission of the application, there are 15,000 students selected for the finalist phase. “Finalist students must maintain a high academic record or performance and be endorsed by their school”.
5- Receive the Scholarship:
After the finalist round only around 7500 students were selected for National Merit® $2500 Scholarships, College-sponsored scholarships, and Corporate-sponsored scholarships.
Note: I advise students to avoid some common mistakes such as submitting incomplete information and missing the deadline. Make sure to submit your application with complete and up-to-date information.
Required Documents:
- Valid ID
- Citizenship of the United States and District of Columbia
- A valid SAT/NMSC test
- College Transcript that reflects your GPA and academic performance
- Two-page Essay
- Recommendation Letters
Also Online Apply For Partner Colorado Foundation Scholarships 2025
Deadline:
The deadline for the National Merit Scholarship 2025 is October 2025. All the applicants must apply before the last date. In the application eligibility criteria organization mentions applicants must submit their complete application before the last date otherwise application not be considered for the next phase.
Must Apply For This Undergraduate Hispanic Scholarship Fund 2024 – 2025
How to Qualify for the National Merit Scholarship in 2025:
NMS 2025 is one of the most competitive scholarship programs in the United States. There are more the 1.3 million entrants annually for qualifying this scholarship. Of these 1.3 million applicants, only 7500 applications win this scholarship. The win rate of this scholarship is 0.5769% annually.
You can imagine how difficult to qualify for this and that’s why only top performers and extraordinary students can qualify for this scholarship. After talking with Qulafie of NMS in the past we made a summary and collected some points, If you can follow these points you can win this scholarship.
To win this scholarship depends upon you. These all points are given below:
PSAT/NMSQT Performance:
Because your NMSQT performance is included in your selection procedure. Must give good performance in your PSAT/NMSQT that makes a higher winning chance.
Academic Excellence:
We prefer students who maintain good academic records because this is a merit-based scholarship so all this is calculated.
School Endorsement:
Applicant must obtain a recommendation from your high school principal or designated school official. These reflect your academic performance and participation in extracurricular activities.
Complete Application:
Most of students submit their applications with incomplete information or after the last which is a major mistake. If you submit your application with incomplete information or wrong information or after the last date your application is not accepted for further procedure.
These are some points that help to qualify National Merit Scholarship Application 2025.
Prestigious Universities Accepting 2025 Merit Scholarship Students:
- University of Alabama
- Oklahoma Christian University
- University of Idaho
- Texas Tech University
- University of New Mexico
- University of Mississippi
- Faulkner University
- Florida International University
- University of North Texas
- Liberty University
- University of South Florida
- University of West Florida
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Florida Atlantic University
- University of Central Florida
- University of Tulsa
- University of Maine
- Florida A&M University
- Louisiana Tech University
- New College of Florida
- Murray State University
- University of Texas at Arlington
National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test Scores:
Application with the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is valid for the next phase. Many students ask about the average score of NMSQT because it gives an overview. The average score for this scholarship is 215. It changes every year and up and down with student’s performance during the test year.
As an example in 2024, the cutoff score of NMSQT is 207 which lowers the average score. This is the average score from the performance of last year. To qualify for this scholarship you need to achieve good marks.
National Merit Semifinalist List:
After the application procedure many students worried about National Merit Semifinalist List. As I mentioned above there are 1.3 Million applications and only 16,000 applicants are selected for the Semifinal phase. At the start of September 2025, NMSC will display the National Merit Semifinalist List.
All students can check from the official website. Also, NMSC will be notify you if you semifinalist for the Undergraduate scholarship 2025. Semifinalist students selected for the next phase which is the finalist phase.
National Merit Finalist List:
Semifinalist students who meet academic requirements and other requirements will be called for the finalist phase. In this phase, 15000 students participated in the qualifying semifinalist phase. After this phase, approximately 7,500 students were announced as winners of this scholarship. The National Merit Finalist List was announced in February 2026, and all the students were notified by NMSC.
National Merit Scholarship PSAT Score:
In 2025 students required at least 221 scores. Required National Merit Scholarship PSAT Score in 2025 221 and students must be required to qualify for this scholarship. I share some tips in this blog post that help you to qualify for this PSAT. All students must read and then apply for the PSAT score national merit.
Conclusion:
The National Merit 2025 is a very stunning opportunity for students of the United States. This scholarship is a top opportunity in the United States and top performers students can qualify for this scholarship. This scholarship awards qualifying students between $2,000 to $9,000 annually and More than 7500 students win this scholarship per year.
In this article, I share all about the application procedure, eligibility requirements, and required documents. I share a list of universities that accept this scholarship and how students qualify for this scholarship. I think I delivered all the information about the National Merit Semifinalist 2025. Thanks for Reading.
FAQs:
Can international students apply?
No, Only Citizens of the US can apply for this scholarship.
What score qualifies for National Merit?
The average Qualifying score is approximately 215. It depends upon the test year because it is different each year.
How Do I Know If I Am a National Merit Finalist?
National Merit Corporation notify you If you are a finalist. Also, NMSC published a list of finalist students.
What Is The Commended Cutoff For 2024?
The commended cutoff for 2024 is 207 marks.