Requirements and Instructions for Semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program - What You Need to Do - Requirements for Becoming a Finalist

Sep 22, 2026

Uploaded by Aurora

Requirements and instructions for Semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program outline key actions, deadlines, and eligibility steps. The document instructs students to complete applications through the Online Scholarship Application (OSA), submit SAT or ACT scores with specific reporting cutoffs, and provide additional requested materials. It specifies conditions to advance to Finalist standing, including continued academic performance, full endorsement by school officials, participation in testing, enrollment plans for college, and separate citizenship documentation requirements for Semifinalists attending high school outside the United States.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

Deadlines and submission requirements

REQUIREMENTS FOR BECOMING A FINALIST

Semifinalists attending high school outside the United States

Requirements and Instructions for Semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit® Scholarship Program WHAT YOU NEED TO DO 􀂉 Read this document completely and make sure you understand what is required of you. If you have any questions about the information presented here or in the Information about the 2027 National Merit® Scholarship Competition document, please contact the Scholarship Administration department at National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC®) by phone. We are available at (847) 866-5161 Monday–Friday from 8:30 a. m.–4:30 p. m. Central Time. 􀂉 Use NMSC’s Online Scholarship Application (OSA) to submit your National Merit Scholarship Application. Follow all instructions to ensure your application is complete and no information is truncated. B DEADLINE: Your completed National Merit Scholarship Application is due to NMSC on October 7, 2026. Your high school may indicate a different date by which they would like you to complete your part of the application. 􀂉 Send NMSC your SAT® or ACT® scores or sign up to take the SAT or ACT. (See Taking the SAT or ACT and Reporting Your Scores on page 2 . ) B DEADLINE: You will be withdrawn from further consideration in the competition if NMSC does not receive a report of your SAT or ACT scores by January 31, 2027. NMSC must receive your scores no later than December 31, 2026 for full award consideration. 􀂉 Check page 2 to see if you need to complete any additional steps because you attend high school outside the United States and are not a U.S. citizen or you have already left high school and are enrolled full-time in college. IMPORTANT: It is your responsibility to keep your mailing address and email address up to date. Changes can be made throughout the year via your OSA account. REQUIREMENTS FOR BECOMING A FINALIST As a Semifinalist named in the fall of 2026, you must advance to Finalist standing before you can be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award to be offered in 2027. You must meet all specified requirements and deadlines, or you will be withdrawn from the competition. To qualify as a Finalist, you must: 1. Continue to meet the program entry requirements published in the 2025 PSAT/NMSQT® Student Guide. 2. Be enrolled in the last year of high school and be planning to enroll full-time in college in the fall of 2027 or be enrolled in the first year of college, if you completed grades 9 through 12 in three years or less. 3. 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 page 2) . 4. Be fully endorsed for Finalist standing and recommended for a National Merit Scholarship by your high school principal (or school official designated by the principal) . Your high school official will provide their endorsement when they complete your application, but they also reserve the right to revoke their endorsement at any point in the competition. 5. Have a record of consistently very high academic performance in all of grades 9 through 12 and in any college coursework taken. Your school must provide a complete record of high school courses you have taken, grades earned, and course work you will take in grade 12. Your school is instructed to notify NMSC of any noticeable decline in your academic performance during the current year. If you are enrolled full-time in college and are no longer being monitored by your high school, high academic performance must continue and must be documented by an official transcript of your record (see page 2) . 6. Submit the completed application to your high school official as soon as possible using NMSC’s Online Scholarship Application (OSA) . The school official will complete the school’s sections of the application for final transmittal to NMSC by October 7, 2026. 7. Take the SAT or ACT and earn scores that confirm your 2025 PSAT/NMSQT performance (see page 2) .

FAQs

What is required to submit the National Merit Scholarship application?

Semifinalists must submit the National Merit Scholarship Application using NMSC’s Online Scholarship Application (OSA) and follow all instructions to ensure the application is complete and not truncated.

What SAT or ACT score reporting deadlines apply?

NMSC must receive a report of SAT or ACT scores by January 31, 2027 to avoid withdrawal, and for full award consideration scores must be received no later than December 31, 2026.

What requirements must be met to become a Finalist?

To qualify, Semifinalists must continue meeting program entry requirements, plan to enroll full-time in college, meet school/citizenship rules, be fully endorsed and recommended by their high school, maintain consistently very high academic performance, submit the completed application, take the SAT or ACT with confirming scores, and provide any additional requested documentation.

Sep 22, 2026

Uploaded by Aurora