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The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and college scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®)- which serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.6 million entrants each year- and by meeting published program entry and participation requirements.
To enter the National Merit Scholarship Program and compete for recognition and 8-700 scholarships to be offered in 2021:
• Take the PSAT/NMSQT in October 2019.
• Meet other entry requirements.
Program entrants must take the test in the specified year of the high school program (see page 6). The 2019 PSAT/NMSQT is the qualifying test for entry to the 2021 program. Most entrants will complete high school and enroll in college in 2021.

The National Merit® Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition among high school students for recognition and college scholarships. The program is conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC)- a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance.
The 2019 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®) is the qualifying test for entry to the 2021 National Merit Program. (The PSAT™ 10 and PSAT™ 8/9 will NOT be considered for entry to the National Merit Scholarship Program.) The competition will span about 18 months from entry in the fall of 2019 until the spring of 2021 when scholarships for college undergraduate study will be awarded. It is expected that about 4 million students will take the PSAT/NMSQT in 2019- and approximately 1.6 million of them will meet requirements to enter this program.

To enter the 2021 National Merit Program- a student needs to meet all of the following requirements. A student must:
1. be enrolled as a high school student (traditional or homeschooled)- progressing normally toward graduation or completion of high school by 2021- and planning to accept admission to college no later than the fall of 2021;
2. attend high school in the United States- District of Columbia- or U.S. commonwealths and territories; or meet the citizenship requirements for students attending high school outside the United States (see below);

To participate in the National Merit Program- students must take the PSAT/NMSQT in the specified year of their high school program. Because a student can participate (and be considered for a scholarship) in only one specific competition year- the year in which the student takes the PSAT/NMSQT to enter the competition is very important.
1. Students who plan to spend the usual four years in high school (grades 9 through 12) before entering college full time must take the qualifying test in their third year of high school (grade 11- junior year). Sophomores who take the 2019 PSAT/NMSQT but plan to spend four years in grades 9 through 12 will not meet entry requirements for the 2021 National Merit Program. They must take the PSAT/NMSQT again in 2020 (when they are juniors) to enter the competition that will end when scholarships are awarded in 2022- the year they will complete high school and enter college.
2. Students who plan to leave high school early to enroll in college full time after spending three years or less in grades 9 through 12 usually can participate in the National Merit Program if they take the PSAT/NMSQT before they enroll in college. To enter the competition for awards offered in 2021- these students must be in either the next-to-last or the last year of high school when they take the 2019 PSAT/NMSQT:
a. if they are in the next-to-last year of high school when they take the 2019 PSAT/NMSQT- awards will be offered as they are finishing their last year of high school; or
b. if they are in their last year of high school when they take the 2019 PSAT/NMSQT- awards will be offered the year after they have completed high school.

Students who plan to participate in a postsecondary enrollment options program (through which they enroll simultaneously in both high school and college) must take the qualifying test in their third year of high school (grade 11- junior year). To enter the competition that ends when scholarships are offered in 2021- these students must be in their third year of high school when they take the 2019 PSAT/NMSQT- the same as all other students who plan to spend four years in grades 9 through 12. The high school determines whether a student is participating in a post-secondary enrollment options program and certifies the students status.
4. Students who plan to take five years to complete grades 9 through 12 can participate in the National Merit Program if they take the PSAT/NMSQT in the third year of high school and again in the fourth year. These students Selection Index scores will not be eligible for the program until a written request for entry to the competition is approved by NMSC. The request should include the students name- high school name and location- year the student began high school- year the student will complete high school- and a brief explanation of the students educational pattern.
NMSC will use the students Selection Index score from the PSAT/NMSQT taken in the students third year of grades 9 through 12 to determine the expected level of recognition. In order to be recognized in the fifth (final) year of high school- the student must take the PSAT/NMSQT again in the fourth year- and earn a qualifying Selection Index score at or above the level achieved on the third year test. The level of recognition a student receives cannot exceed the level earned on the qualifying test taken during the students third year in grades 9 through 12- the year in which all other competitors are considered.

NMSC uses PSAT/NMSQT Selection Index scores (calculated by doubling the sum of the Reading- Writing and Language- and Math Test scores) as an initial screen of some 1.6 million program entrants. The 2019 Selection Index scores of all students who meet entry requirements for the 2021 program will be considered. In the spring of 2020- NMSC will ask high school principals to identify any errors or changes in the reported eligibility of their high scorers (students whose Selection Index scores will qualify them for recognition in the fall of 2020).
Commended Students. In September 2020- more than two-thirds (about 34-000) of the high scorers will be designated Commended Students. They will be named on the basis of a nationally applied Selection Index qualifying score that may vary from year to year. In recognition of their outstanding ability and potential for academic success in college- these students will be honored with Letters of Commendation sent to them through their high schools. Although Commended Students will not continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships- some may be candidates for Special Scholarships offered by corporate sponsors. NMSC will notify those candidates in November 2020.
Semifinalists. Some 16-000 of the high scorers- representing less than 1 percent of the nations high school graduating seniors- will qualify as Semifinalists. Only Semifinalists will have an opportunity to advance in the competition for Merit Scholarship® awards. NMSC will notify Semifinalists of their standing and send scholarship application materials to them through their high schools in September 2020. Their names will be sent to regionally accredited four-year U.S. colleges and universities and released to local news media for public announcement in mid-September.
NMSC designates Semifinalists in the program on a state-representational basis to ensure that academically able young people from all parts of the United States are included in this talent pool. Using the latest data available- an allocation of Semifinalists is determined for each state- based on the states percentage of the national total of high school graduating seniors. For example- the number of Semifinalists in a state that enrolls approximately two percent of the nations graduating seniors would be about 320 (2 percent of the 16-000 Semifinalists).
NMSC then arranges the Selection Index scores of all National Merit Program participants within a state in descending order. The score at which a states allocation is most closely filled becomes the Semifinalist qualifying score. Entrants with a Selection Index score at or above the qualifying score are named Semifinalists. As a result of this process- Semifinalist qualifying scores vary from state to state and from year to year- but the scores of all Semifinalists are extremely high.
In addition to Semifinalists designated in each of the 50 states and without affecting the allocation to any state- Semifinalists are named in several other selection units that NMSC establishes for the competition. These units are for students attending schools in the District of Columbia- schools in U.S. commonwealths and territories- schools in other countries that enroll U.S. citizens- and U.S. boarding schools that enroll a sizable proportion of their students from outside the state in which the school is located. A participant can be considered for Semifinalist standing in only one state or selection unit- based on the high school in which the student is regularly enrolled when taking the PSAT/NMSQT.
Finalists. A Semifinalist must fulfill several additional requirements and advance to the Finalist level of the competition before being considered for a National Merit Scholarship. Over 90 percent (about 15-000) of the Semifinalists are expected to become Finalists and receive a Certificate of Merit attesting to their distinguished performance in the competition. Only Finalists will be considered for the 7-600 National Merit Scholarships. Approximately half of the Finalists will be Merit Scholarship winners (Merit Scholar® awardees). Winners are chosen on the basis of their abilities- skills- and accomplishments—without regard to gender- race- ethnic origin- or religious preference. Scholarship recipients are the candidates judged to have the greatest potential for success in rigorous college studies and beyond.
To receive a scholarship payment- a Merit Scholarship winner must notify NMSC of plans to (a) enroll in a college or university in the United States that holds accredited status with a regional accrediting commission on higher education- and (b) enroll full time in an undergraduate course of study leading to a traditional baccalaureate degree. NMSC scholarship stipends are not payable for attendance at service academies or certain institutions that are limited in their purposes or training.
The selection process involves evaluating substantial amounts of information about Finalists obtained from both students and their high schools. Included are the Finalists academic record (course load and difficulty level- depth and breadth of subjects studied- and grades earned); standardized test scores; the students essay; demonstrated leadership and contributions to school and community activities; and the school officials written recommendation and characterization of the Finalist. The same process is used to select Special Scholarship winners for a corporate sponsors awards.
Types of Scholarships Some 7-600 National Merit Scholarships of three types and approximately 1-100 Special Scholarships will be awarded in 2021; these 8-700 awards will have a combined value of about $41 million. Different types of scholarships will be offered- but no student can receive more than one monetary award from NMSC.
National Merit® $2500 Scholarships. 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.
National Merit $2500 Scholarships provide a single payment of $2-500. NMSCs 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.