National Merit Scholarship Program, USA

September 8, 2010

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Job Description: 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 2010 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®) is the qualifying test for entry to the 2012 National Merit Program. The competition will span about 18 months from entry in October 2010 until the spring of 2012 when scholarships for college undergraduate study will be awarded. It is expected that about 3.5 million students will take the PSAT/NMSQT in 2010, and over 1.5 million of them will meet requirements to enter this program.
Entry Requirements
To enter the 2012 National Merit Program, a student must meet all of the following requirements. He or she must:
1. be enrolled as a high school student, progressing normally toward graduation or completion of
high school by 2012, and planning to enter college no later than the fall of 2012;
2. be a citizen of the United States; or be a U.S. lawful permanent resident (or have applied for permanent residence,
the application for which has not been denied) and intend to become a U.S. citizen at the earliest opportunity
allowed by law (see below for documentation required from scholarship candidates who have not yet become
U.S. citizens); and Not
3. take the 2010 PSAT/NMSQT in the specified year of the high school program and no later than the third year
in grades 9 through 12, regardless of grade classification or educational pattern (explained in the next section). A student’s responses to items “a” through “d” in Section 13 of the 2010 PSAT/NMSQT Answer Sheet (see below) are used to determine whether he or she meets these requirements.

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 2010 PSAT/NMSQT but plan to spend four years in grades 9 through 12 will not meet entry requirements for the 2012
National Merit Program. They must take the PSAT/ NMSQT again in 2011 (when they are juniors) to enter the competition that will end when scholarships are awarded in 2013, 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 2012 competition, these students must be in either the next-to-last or the last year of high school when they take the 2010 PSAT/NMSQT:
a) if they are in the next-to-last year of high school when they take the 2010 PSAT/NMSQT, they will be finishing their last high school year when awards are offered in 2012; or
b) if they are in their last year of high school when they take the 2010 PSAT/NMSQT, they will be completing their first year of college when scholarships are awarded in 2012.
3. 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 2012, these students must be in their third year of high school when they take the 2010 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 postsecondary enrollment options program and certifies the student’s status.
Note: If your high school standing and enrollment do not fit one of the preceding descriptions (1, 2, or 3) because you plan to spend more than four years in grades 9 through 12, or for any other reason, contact NMSC immediately about entry to the National Merit Program.

Your letter must be postmarked on or before March 1, 2011 for your request to be considered.

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Scholarship Tags: College scholarship, Merit-based, USA