Many universities offer scholarships to students who are named National Merit Finalists. Most also require students to list said university as their first choice—look out for each individual university’s deadline and specific rules for doing so!
Some of the most popular—and most generous—National Merit Scholarships are listed below. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and some award amounts vary from year-to-year.
| School | Annual Award |
|---|---|
| Abilene Christian University | Full Tuition |
| Arizona State University | Full Tuition |
| Auburn University | $22,000 |
| Baylor University | $22,000 |
| Brigham Young University | Full Tuition |
| Faulkner University | Full Tuition |
| Florida A&M University | Full Tuition |
| Florida Atlantic University | Full Tuition |
| Florida International University | Full Tuition |
| Florida State University | Full Tuition |
| Fordham University | Full Tuition |
| Harding University | Full Tuition |
| Iowa State University | Full Tuition |
| Liberty University | Full Tuition |
| Lousiana Tech University | Full Tuition |
| Loyola University – Chicago | Full Tuition |
| Mississippi State University | Full Tuition |
| Murray State University | Full Tuition |
| New College of Florida | Full Tuition |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | Full Tuition |
| North Dakota State University | Full Tuition |
| Northeastern University | $30,000 |
| Northern Arizona University | Full Tuition |
| Oklahoma State University | Full Tuition |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | $18,000 |
| South Carolina State University | Full Tuition |
| Spring Arbor University | Full Tuition |
| Texas A&M University | Full Tuition |
| Texas State University | $10,000 |
| Texas Tech University | Full Tuition |
| Troy University | Full Tuition |
| University of Alabama | Full Tuition |
| University of Alabama – Birmingham | Full Tuition |
| University of Arizona | $18,000 |
| University of Arkansas | Full Tuition |
| University of Arkansas – Little Rock | Full Tuition |
| University of Central Florida | Full Tuition |
| University of Cincinnati | Full Tuition |
| University of Conneticut | Full Tuition |
| University of Dallas | Full Tuition |
| University of Houston | Full Tuition |
| University of Idaho | Full Tuition |
| University of Kansas | $10,000 |
| University of Kentucky | Full Tuition |
| University of Louisville | Full Tuition |
| University of Maine | Full Tuition |
| University of Massachusetts – Amherst | Full Tuition |
| University of Minnesotta – Twin Cities | $11,000 |
| University of Mississippi | Full Tuition |
| University of Nebraska | Full Tuition |
| University of Nevada – Las Vegas | Full Tuition |
| University of Nevada – Reno | $16,000 |
| University of New Mexico | Full Tuition |
| University of North Texas | Full Tuition |
| University of Oklahoma | Full Tuition |
| University of South Carolina | $10,000 |
| University of South Florida | Full Tuition |
| University of Southern California | $28,000 |
| University of Southern Mississippi | Full Tuition |
| University of Texas at Arlington | Full Tuition |
| University of Texas at Dallas | Full Tuition |
| University of Tulsa | Full Tuition |
| University of Vermont | Full Tuition |
| University of West Virginia | Full Tuition |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | Full Tuition |
| Washington State University | Full Tuition |
| Wayne State University | $17,000 |
| Western Kentucky University | Full Tuition |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | $20,000 |