All of us at National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) hope that your academic year is off to a good start despite these challenging times that we are all facing due to the global pandemic.  We hope for the continued safety and good health of all students, faculty, and staff at your institution.

We understand that high school officials may have questions regarding entry to the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program, especially if your school may not be able to offer the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®) this academic year.  Please refer to the following information when advising your students about the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program.

National Merit Scholarship Program

The National Merit Scholarship Program, conducted by NMSC, is an annual academic competition for recognition and college undergraduate scholarships.  Established in 1955, NMSC is a privately financed not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance.  The competition is open to all U.S. high school students who meet published participation requirements.  Approximately 1.5 million high school students enter the program each year.

The 2020 PSAT/NMSQT (offered in October 2020 and January 2021) is the qualifying test for entry to the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program.  The PSAT™ 10 and PSAT™ 8/9 are NOT used for entry to the National Merit Scholarship Program.

Entry Requirements

To enter the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program, a student must meet all of the following requirements. A student must:

Please refer to the PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide for detailed information about the competition.

PSAT/NMSQT Administrations

The PSAT/NMSQT will be offered on four dates during the 2020-2021 academic year.  NMSC encourages all schools to provide the PSAT/NMSQT to their students and to homeschooled students in their communities.  By doing so, high schools enable students to take advantage of various opportunities made available through the co-sponsorship of the PSAT/NMSQT by NMSC and College Board.

Test Administration Dates for 2020-2021:

IMPORTANT: A student may take the PSAT/NMSQT only once per academic year.

Schools that are part of district or state supported administrations should refer to their district or state department of education prior to placing an order to ensure that a test day will be covered.  

For more information about registration for the PSAT/NMSQT and flexible ordering and administration policies in place for this year, please visit the College Board’s website at https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10/k12-educators.

Students Who Are Unable to Take the PSAT/NMSQT

A student who does not take the PSAT/NMSQT in October 2020 or January 2021 because of illness, an emergency, or other extenuating circumstance (including school closures), but meets all other requirements for NMSC program participation, may still be able to enter the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program by submitting scores from an administration of the SAT.  The student or a school official must visit www.nationalmerit.org/resources after the missed PSAT/NMSQT administration to download information about procedures for Alternate Entry to the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program.  To be considered, a student must complete certain requirements before April 1, 2021.

IMPORTANT: Alternate Entry is only for students who do not take the October 2020 PSAT/NMSQT or January 2021 PSAT/NMSQT.  Students who are uncertain about whether they will take the January PSAT/NMSQT are welcome to download and complete Alternate Entry requirements beginning in late October; however, NMSC will not consider a student’s SAT scores for entry to the program if it receives an official PSAT/NMSQT Selection Index score from College Board.

NOTE: The procedure described above for requesting Alternate Entry differs from information that is published in the PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide.  For the 2022 competition only, students and school officials will be able to download Alternate Entry instructions from NMSC’s website instead of submitting an individual written request to NMSC for approval.

Additional Information

For more details about entry to the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program, please refer to the PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide or visit www.nationalmerit.org.

You are welcome to share the content of this email with your students and their families.

National Merit Scholarship Corporation

1560 Sherman Avenue, Suite 200

Evanston, IL 60201-4897

(847) 866-5100

www.nationalmerit.org