So You’re a National Merit Finalist…Now What?
February 23, 2026
Earlier this month, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) named the list of Finalists for its annual scholarship competition. Along with the notification that they have advanced to the final round of consideration for Merit Scholarships, Finalists also received a Certificate of Merit, acknowledging their academic achievement.
If you were notified that you are a National Merit Finalist, first of all: congratulations! Being named a Finalist is an accomplishment in itself and a recognition of your hard work throughout your high school career. You have already put time and effort into your application materials to get to this stage of the competition, on top of maintaining your grades in your final year of high school, and applying to colleges over the last several months. This is no small feat, and you should be proud of this recognition!
You may be wondering what happens now that you’ve been named a National Merit Finalist. Below, we’ve gathered some of the most common questions we get from students and their families about this stage of the competition, along with clear and actionable answers to help alleviate your stress and anticipation about the process.
Key Takeaways
- Finalist status is a major milestone, and roughly half receive a National Merit Scholarship.
Around 6,930 scholarships are awarded each year, so being a Finalist puts you in solid contention, but outcomes vary by scholarship type and eligibility. - Students can win three types of scholarships.
Finalists may be considered for the $2,500 National Merit awards, corporate-sponsored scholarships (based on sponsor criteria), and college-sponsored scholarships tied to your first-choice institution. - Keep your grades up.
One of the main factors for Merit Scholarship designation is consistent high academic performance, and NMSC will be informed if your grades decline significantly. - Updating colleges is usually optional, but can help in the right context.
Most schools already know you were a Semifinalist, so Finalist status may not add much unless you’re sending a LOCI or sharing other meaningful updates. - Protect your scholarship candidacy at your first-choice college.
Make sure your first-choice college is accurate in your OSA account by the appropriate deadline, as college-sponsored awards depend on it.
What does being a National Merit Finalist really mean?
As a National Merit Finalist, you have advanced to the last round of consideration for National Merit Scholarships. While Semifinalists were qualified by virtue of being the highest-scoring entrants in their state (or other selection area), in order to advance to the Finalist round, students needed to meet a certain set of application requirements and deadlines. About 15,000 students (or 95% of the Semifinalist pool) are named Finalists. Students are only withdrawn from the competition at this stage if they do not meet all of the Finalist requirements and standards.
While this may not sound like a significant winnowing of the application pool, it is still a significant achievement to be named a Finalist! All National Merit Scholarship awardees will be selected from this highly accomplished group of 15,000 students.
What scholarships am I now in the running for?
About 6,930 National Merit Scholarships will be awarded this application cycle. That means that approximately half of the students designated as Finalists will be offered Merit Scholarships. There are three types of scholarships you may be eligible for as a Finalist:
1. National Merit $2,500 Scholarships
All Finalists will be considered for these one-time $2,500 scholarships. There are 2,500 of these $2,500 scholarships available, and they are allocated on a state-representational basis according to each state’s percentage of the national total of high school graduates. Each Finalist competes for this award against other Finalists in their state (or other selection area). The awards committee chooses winners based on the scholarship materials submitted by students and their schools at the Semifinalist round. Since all Finalists are highly accomplished academically, a significant weight is given to the school official’s recommendation letter and the student’s essay. The winners will be chosen based on their potential for academic success, without regard to financial need, college choice, or major/career plans.
2. Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarships
About 830 Merit Scholarships of varying amounts will be awarded to Finalists who meet specific criteria. Most of these scholarships are reserved for children of employees at the sponsor organization, but some are also awarded to students who live in communities where the sponsor has offices, or to students who are pursuing specific majors or career paths. There is no additional application needed for these scholarships; NMSC will identify a pool of eligible Finalists based on information students have already provided in their applications. Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarships may be either one-time awards (ranging from $2,500 to $10,000), or renewable for up to four years of an undergraduate degree (in amounts ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 per year).
3. College-sponsored Merit Scholarships
About 3,600 Merit Scholarships of varying amounts will be awarded by sponsor colleges to Finalists who have indicated that college as their first choice. These scholarships will only be awarded to Finalists who have not been offered any other National Merit Scholarship (students can only receive one scholarship from NMSC). College-sponsored Merit Scholarships are offered on the condition that the recipient has been admitted to and will attend the sponsor college. Awards are renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study at the sponsor college, and depending on the institution, range from $500 to $2,000 per year. All Merit Scholars at a particular sponsor college receive the same award amount.
When will I hear back about my application results?
NMSC will begin notifying winners of the National Merit $2,500 Scholarships and the Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarships at the beginning of March. Colleges will notify winners of their College-sponsored Merit Scholarships in May and June.
Finalists who are not selected as winners of Merit Scholarships will be notified in May.
Is there anything I can do to maximize my chances of receiving a scholarship?
Firstly, and most importantly, stay consistent with your schoolwork! As tempting as it may be, do whatever you can to avoid the senior slump. One of the main factors for Merit Scholarship designation is consistent high academic performance. The officials from your high school who helped put together your National Merit Scholarship application have been told to immediately inform NMSC if a student’s academic performance noticeably declines.
Additionally, make sure you have your first-choice college named in your OSA account. If you indicated that your college choice was “undecided,” or if your first-choice college has changed, update this as soon as possible! Finalists will only be eligible for a College-sponsored Merit Scholarship at the college they have named as their first choice. Students can only be awarded one National Merit Scholarship, and College-sponsored awards are not transferable to other institutions. (*Important note: If you are offered a College-sponsored Merit Scholarship and then change your college choice after receiving the award offer, it will be cancelled.)
Important timeline dates to consider when indicating your first-choice college:
- March 1st: Finalists who name a sponsor college as their first choice before March 1st will be included in the first group sent to that college for scholarship consideration. Finalists who are uncertain of their college choice may change it to “undecided” to prevent receiving an offer from a school they might not attend.
- March 1st–May 31st: NMSC will periodically update sponsor colleges of Finalists who have named that college as their first choice.
- May 1st: NMSC will begin sending out College-sponsored Merit Scholarship offer notifications. No college change requests will be processed once a scholarship offer has been posted to a student’s OSA dashboard. Finalists should ensure their first-choice college is updated well before May 1st.
- May 31st: Final deadline for indicating a sponsor college as your first choice. Your college choice must be reported by May 31st to be considered in the final group of candidates for a College-sponsored Merit Scholarship.
Should I update colleges about my National Merit Finalist status?
Depending on when you submitted your college applications, you have likely already disclosed your Semifinalist status to your list of schools. Since the difference between Semifinalist and Finalist status is almost solely based on your thorough meeting of application requirements and deadlines, you won’t be giving schools much information they don’t already have about you.
If, however, you were planning to send a Letter of Continued Interest (LOCI) to a particular school, positive updates to your resume—including your National Merit Finalist status—would be an important thing to include alongside your enthusiastic continued interest in attending that school. It’s also worthwhile to note that NMSC will inform your stated first-choice college (and only your first choice) of your eligibility for their College-sponsored Merit Scholarships.
What if I wasn’t named a Finalist, but was given the opportunity to apply for a Special Scholarship?
Students who were awarded Letters of Commendation but weren’t moved forward into the Semifinalist or Finalist rounds won’t be in the running for National Merit Scholarships. However, if you received an invitation to apply to a Special Scholarship back in the fall, and you completed those application materials by the deadline, you can also expect to hear back from NMSC about the results of those Scholarships beginning in March. Winners will be notified on a rolling basis through March and April, and students who have not been awarded a Special Scholarship will be notified in mid-May. Approximately 710 corporate-sponsored Special Scholarships will be awarded to outstanding students who meet their sponsors’ eligibility requirements.
Final Thoughts
The next few weeks and months are going to be a whirlwind of milestones and decision-making, as you continue to hear back from colleges and from independent scholarships like NMSC, and as you wind down your senior year and approach graduation. While that whirlwind can be overwhelming at times, we hope that you can also take some time to pause and reflect on your hard work, your worthy accomplishments, and the excitement and growth that is soon to come!
