What is the cutoff to be a National Merit Semi-Finalist or Winner?
Only juniors are considered, and the cutoff is determined each year on a state-by-state basis. The qualifying score in past years has been around 210 in most states for semi-finalist status. Juniors will receive letters of commendation in April if they are being considered as semi-finalists, and approximately 15,000 will move to that category in September of senior year. About 8,400 finalists are then selected to receive a $2500 scholarship or larger corporate or college-based scholarships.
