Anonymous
Post 05/11/2025 14:37     Subject: Which University did the National Merit finalists go to
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Only 45% of applicants submitted an SAT score to UVA. And of those 45% applicants, only 25% scored above 1520.

So only 1,770 UVA enrolled freshman bother to submit an SAT score and of that amount only 442 scored above 1520.

Keep in mind that NMSF cut off (selection index) for Virginia was 221 so only approximately 400-450 Virginians qualified for NMSF. A selection index of 221 is 1550 (+/-10 points).

Your NMSF will not get rejected from UVA assuming the GPA is in accord with the SAT score.

The chances that


Does applicant = enrolled freshman?


Based on common data set and SCHEV, those SAT scores are for enrolled freshmen, not just applicants.
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2025 14:36     Subject: Which University did the National Merit finalists go to
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Only 45% of applicants submitted an SAT score to UVA. And of those 45% applicants, only 25% scored above 1520.

So only 1,770 UVA enrolled freshman bother to submit an SAT score and of that amount only 442 scored above 1520.

Keep in mind that NMSF cut off (selection index) for Virginia was 221 so only approximately 400-450 Virginians qualified for NMSF. A selection index of 221 is 1550 (+/-10 points).

Your NMSF will not get rejected from UVA assuming the GPA is in accord with the SAT score.

The chances that


What are you talking about? You don't get NMSF based on SAT scores.


Are you dense? The poster provided the NMSF selection index for Virginia (which is based off of the PSAT) with what a corresponding SAT score is based on that PSAT score.
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2025 14:34     Subject: Which University did the National Merit finalists go to
Mine committed to UVA-we are instate
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2025 14:31     Subject: Which University did the National Merit finalists go to
What would be more interesting to see is where National Merit Scholars go, ones who get direct scholarship from National Merit Foundation and don't need a college or parent's employer to give them a scholarship to qualify to become a scholar.
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2025 14:26     Subject: Which University did the National Merit finalists go to
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Which university did the National Merit finalists go to and why


Where they don't get scholarships because if they got scholarships, they don't stay NM finalists, they become NM scholars.


I don't think people pay that much attention to the distinction between NMF and NMS. That is, I would expect a more finely-tuned question from someone trying to actually ask "where did the people who are NMFs but not NMSs go?", and I don't think there's any real way to get that data.
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2025 14:26     Subject: Which University did the National Merit finalists go to
Anonymous wrote:Alabama - also accepted to the Blount Scholars program. 5 years paid!

Other schools we strongly considered for NMF packages:

Oklahoma
UT Dallas
U Tulsa


Mine wanted better peer quality so none of these were on their list.
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2025 14:23     Subject: Which University did the National Merit finalists go to
Anonymous wrote:There are about 16,000 NMSF (semi-finalists) per year.



Out of 4 million graduating American high school per year.
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2025 14:14     Subject: Which University did the National Merit finalists go to
Anonymous wrote:We know a kid is going to UT Dallas for engineering. Got an amazing financial package they should cover tuition, room and board through a Masters. They heavily recruit NMF kids and have special dorms, programs, study abroad, etc.


Mine declined their offer as he had better options but they do offer good money as otherwise no NMS would go there.
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2025 14:11     Subject: Which University did the National Merit finalists go to
Anonymous wrote:Which university did the National Merit finalists go to and why


Where they don't get scholarships because if they got scholarships, they don't stay NM finalists, they become NM scholars.
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2025 14:10     Subject: Which University did the National Merit finalists go to
Anonymous wrote:Only 45% of applicants submitted an SAT score to UVA. And of those 45% applicants, only 25% scored above 1520.

So only 1,770 UVA enrolled freshman bother to submit an SAT score and of that amount only 442 scored above 1520.

Keep in mind that NMSF cut off (selection index) for Virginia was 221 so only approximately 400-450 Virginians qualified for NMSF. A selection index of 221 is 1550 (+/-10 points).

Your NMSF will not get rejected from UVA assuming the GPA is in accord with the SAT score.

The chances that


What are you talking about? You don't get NMSF based on SAT scores.
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2025 14:09     Subject: Which University did the National Merit finalists go to
Anonymous wrote:Only 45% of applicants submitted an SAT score to UVA. And of those 45% applicants, only 25% scored above 1520.

So only 1,770 UVA enrolled freshman bother to submit an SAT score and of that amount only 442 scored above 1520.

Keep in mind that NMSF cut off (selection index) for Virginia was 221 so only approximately 400-450 Virginians qualified for NMSF. A selection index of 221 is 1550 (+/-10 points).

Your NMSF will not get rejected from UVA assuming the GPA is in accord with the SAT score.

The chances that


Does applicant = enrolled freshman?
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2025 14:08     Subject: Which University did the National Merit finalists go to
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Oh is that what gets the ladies hot and bothered now. Barf.


And you believe that poster because they said “legit”? Really?


I can certainly believe this happened at parties with a high concentration of autism and limited social skills yes.


IOW, you’re ignorant on many levels.
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2025 14:08     Subject: Which University did the National Merit finalists go to
Only 45% of applicants submitted an SAT score to UVA. And of those 45% applicants, only 25% scored above 1520.

So only 1,770 UVA enrolled freshman bother to submit an SAT score and of that amount only 442 scored above 1520.

Keep in mind that NMSF cut off (selection index) for Virginia was 221 so only approximately 400-450 Virginians qualified for NMSF. A selection index of 221 is 1550 (+/-10 points).

Your NMSF will not get rejected from UVA assuming the GPA is in accord with the SAT score.

The chances that
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2025 14:04     Subject: Which University did the National Merit finalists go to
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The top schools don’t have a monopoly on talent.


No one denies that there is a small number of sharp cookies who enroll - to their own detriment? - at public universities but that would be a needle in the haystack situation (UVA , for example , has less than 1% NMSF students)….

Environment matters a lot and plethora of mediocrity can pull the top ones down….


Do you have data to back up that assertion? UVA has less than 1% receiving a National Merit Scholarship, because they don't give out National Merit Scholarships. That doesn't mean they have less than 1% NMSF's.



You have to separate the schools that give scholarships to NMF students vs. those that don't.
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2025 13:35     Subject: Which University did the National Merit finalists go to
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:1. Alabama 323 [8,279 Freshmen, 3.9%]
2. Florida 297 [6,612 Freshmen 4.4%]
3. USC 262 [3,402 Freshmen, 7.7%]
4. Purdue 260 [9,353 Freshmen, 2.7%]
5. UT Dallas 232 [4,218 Freshmen, 5.5%]
6. Texas A&M 219 [12,419 Freshmen, 1.7%]
7. Vanderbilt 185 [1,624 Freshmen, 11.3%]
8. Harvard 160 [1,644 Freshmen, 9.7%]
9. MIT 154 [1,136 Freshmen, 13.5%]
10. Penn 147 [2,415 Freshmen, 6%]
11. UMD 144 [5,821 Freshmen, 2.5%]
12. Stanford 129 [1,733 Freshmen, 7.4%]
13. Yale 127 [1,554 Freshmen, 8%]
14. Princeton 116 [1,497 Freshmen, 7.7%]
15. Northeastern 97 [2,519 Freshmen, 3.9%]
16. Duke 94 [1,744 Freshmen, 5.3%]
17. UC Berkeley 93 [6,707 Freshmen, 1.4%]
18. Georgia Tech 90 [3,646 Freshmen, 2.5%]
19. UCF 85 [7,512 Freshmen, 1.1%]
20. UT Austin 85 [9,109 Freshmen, .9%]
21. Oklahoma 84
22. Minnesota 79
23. BU 77 [3,635 Freshmen, 2.1%]
24. UCLA 77 [6,461 Freshmen, 1.2%]
25. USF 77 [6,773 Freshmen, 1.1%]
26. Michigan 76 [7,050 Freshmen, 1%]
27. Columbia 75 [1,522 Freshmen, 4.9%]
28. Northwestern 75 [2,038 Freshmen, 3.7%]
29. Brown 69 [1,717 Freshmen, 4%]
30. Emory 67 [1,424 Freshmen, 4.7%]
31. Indiana 67 [9,736 Freshmen, .7%]
32. Arizona 65 [9,069 Freshmen, .7%]
33. Tufts 63 [1,694 Freshmen, 3.7%]
34. ASU 62 [10,022 Freshmen, .6%]
35. Georgia 60 [6,250 Freshmen, 1%]
36. BYU 59 [5,567 Freshmen, 1%]
37. Georgetown 56 [1,603 Freshmen, 3.5%]
38. Case Western 55 [1,553 Freshmen, 3.5%]
39. Cornell 54 [3,491 Freshmen, 1.5%]
40. Rice 51 [1,201 Freshmen, 4.3%]
41. Dartmouth 49 [1,124 Freshmen, 4.4%]
42. Michigan State 49 [9,829 Freshmen .5%]
43. Johns Hopkins 48 [1,406 Freshmen 3.4%]
44. UChicago 48 [2,053 Freshmen, 2.3%]
45. Carnegie Mellon 47 [1,716 Freshmen, 2.7%]
46. Clemson 45 [4,588 Freshmen, .99%]
47. Missouri 45 [4,983 Freshmen, .9%]
48. NYU 44 [6,184 Freshmen, .7%]
49. Miss State 43 [3,367 Freshmen, 1.2%]
50. Rutgers 43 [7,780 Freshmen, .5%]
51. UNC 40 [4,689 Freshmen, .8%]
52. Illinois 39 [8,297 Freshmen, .5%]
53. Oklahoma State 36 [4,643 Freshmen, .7%]
54. Iowa State 35
55. UVA 35 [4,020 Freshmen, .9%]


So much for only finding “intellectual equals” at expensive, selective privates.


Smartest kids are spread out not concentrated in a handful of schools anymore.


It’s not even “anymore,” it’s always been that way. Just NE wealth begat wealth, so it seemed like they cornered the smartest kid market. Not knocking all the smart hardworking kids! Just acknowledging there are so many more.