Best Schools for National Merit Award Scholars

Every year, it is estimated that 1.5 million high school students enter the National Merit Scholarship Program — around 7,500 high school junior students receive a National Merit Scholarship each time.

Other than tuition, National Merit Scholars can also win awards that take care of books, room and board and others.

Of course, it’s important for any awardee to choose the right college or university to attend to make the most out of the opportunity.

The good news is that many institutions of higher education participate in the National Merit Scholarship.

But the bad news is that most prestigious and selective schools choose to not partake in this merit-based scholarship.

Here’s a preview of the top 12 best schools for National Merit awards, alphabetically arranged:

UNIVERSITYRANKINGBEST FOR
Arizona State University#121 in National UniversitiesStudent life
Florida A&M University#202 in National UniversitiesHBCU
Florida International University#151 in National UniversitiesResearch
Mississippi State University#194 in National UniversitiesFood
New Jersey Institute of Technology#97 in National UniversitiesStarting salary
Oklahoma State University#182 in National UniversitiesHealth conscious
Southern Arkansas University#94 in Regional Universities SouthGreek Life
Texas Tech University#219 in National UniversitiesParty school
University of Alabama at Birmingham#137 in National UniversitiesNursing
University of Idaho#26 in Best Value SchoolsAgricultural sciences
University of Mississippi#151 in National UniversitiesAccounting and finance
University of Texas at Dallas#151 in National UniversitiesSTEM
Best Schools for National Merit Awards
arizona state university

Arizona State University

  • Best for: Student life
  • Location: Tempe, Arizona
  • School type: Public research university
  • Campus type: Urban
  • Campus size: 1,989 acres
  • Tuition and fees: $11,618 (in-state) and $30,592 (out-of-state)
  • Acceptance rate: 88%
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Graduation rate: 52%
  • Student body: 77,881
  • Students per class: Fewer than 20 in 40% of classes
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: 18:1
  • Alumni average starting salary: $40,300 per year

In the US, one of the largest postsecondary institutions in terms of enrollment is Arizona State University.

There are more than 350 majors undergraduates can choose from.

Some of the most popular ones include business support services, biology, psychology, liberal arts and humanities, computer science, communications, political science and government, marketing, and management sciences and information systems.

Although it’s true that first-time, first-year students are not required to live on campus, ASU expects them to do so according to their chosen major, which will help them live in a supportive, close-knit residential college community.

National Merit Scholars can also receive college-sponsored or corporate-sponsored scholarships if they qualify. The amount of money they receive may vary based on which ASU campus they enroll in.

Since it has a big and diverse campus, ASU is ideal for National Merit Scholars and everyone else who is looking to have an excellent campus life.

As a matter of fact, Niche ranks the massive public research university #37 in Colleges with the Best Student Life in America and #1 in Colleges with the Best Student Life in Arizona.

Undergraduate students can choose from more than 1,000 on-campus clubs and organizations to join.

Florida A&M University

  • Best for: HBCU
  • Location: Tallahassee, Florida
  • School type: Public historically black land-grant university
  • Campus type: City
  • Campus size: 422 acres
  • Tuition and fees: $5,785 (in-state) and $17,725 (out-of-state)
  • Acceptance rate: 35%
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Graduation rate: 27%
  • Student body: 9,000
  • Students per class: Fewer than 20 in 42% of classes
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: 14:1
  • Alumni average starting salary: $31,600 per year

Besides being the third largest historically black university in the US, Florida A&M University is also the only historically black university in the state of Florida.

Officially known as Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), it offers a total of 54 bachelor’s degree programs.

Some of the most popular majors among undergraduate students are health service preparatory studies, liberal arts and humanities, business, criminal justice and safety studies, psychology, nursing, biology, and social work and youth services.

At FAMU, National Merit Scholars receive awards that cover fees associated with tuition.

Being a public historically black land-grant university, it isn’t surprising that 89% of the population of FAMU consists of black students. Meanwhile, 5% are Hispanics and only 3% are whites.

First-time, first-year students and/or undergraduates with fewer than 30 credit hours graduating from a high school that’s more than 35 miles from campus are required to live in university-owned or operated residential facilities.

At FAMU, living on campus is considered a rite of passage, and many choose to do so even after their freshman year.

There’s no denying that FAMU is suited for degree-seeking students who wish to attend a great HBCU — the institution is ranked by Niche #1 in Best HBCU Schools in America.

florida international university

Florida International University

  • Best for: Research
  • Location: Miami, Florida
  • School type: Public research university
  • Campus type: Urban
  • Campus size: 344 acres
  • Tuition and fees: $6,566 (in-state) and $18,964 (out-of-state)
  • Acceptance rate: 64%
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Graduation rate: 42%
  • Student body: 56,732
  • Students per class: Fewer than 20 in 39% of classes
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: 22:1
  • Alumni average starting salary: $38,500 per year

A member of the State University System of Florida, which consists of 12 public institutions of higher education in the Sunshine State, Florida International University has a lot of Hispanic students.

So much so that up to 67% of its population consists of Hispanics.

On the other hand, about 12% are blacks and 9% are whites.

FIU offers more than 190 degree program options, which include bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees and doctoral degrees as well as online options, which amount to more than 100 choices.

Undergraduate students can choose from nearly 70 majors.

Some of the most popular ones at FIU include psychology, liberal arts and humanities, biology, hospitality and tourism management, finance, criminal justice and safety studies, communications, international business, business and marketing.

What’s so nice about the public research university is that National Merit Scholars receive full tuition coverage.

In addition, they also get books and room and board as well as guaranteed admission into the Honors College.

FIU takes pride in the fact that research is a major component of its mission.

Some of the numerous colleges, schools and centers of it that actively enhance its ability to set new standards through research initiatives include the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences’ Discovery Lab.

And that is why FIU has a Carnegie R1 designation for very high research activity.

Mississippi State University

  • Best for: Food
  • Location: Mississippi State, Mississippi
  • School type: Public land-grant research university
  • Campus type: Rural
  • Campus size: 4,200 acres
  • Tuition and fees: $9,398 (in-state) and $25,444 (out-of-state)
  • Acceptance rate: 76%
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Graduation rate: 36%
  • Student body: 23,086
  • Students per class: Fewer than 20 in 46% of classes
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: 17:1
  • Alumni average starting salary: $36,600 per year

Officially, it’s Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science because it was made to offer training in agriculture, horticulture and the mechanical arts. But most people refer to it as Mississippi State University.

There are over 175 degree programs available at MSU.

Among the more than 80 majors available for undergraduate students to choose from, some of the most popular include liberal arts and humanities, business, kinesiology and exercise science, mechanical engineering, marketing, psychology, elementary education and biology. Its undergraduate engineering programs are some of the most highly ranked.

It goes without saying that MSU is great for students who are interested in majoring in engineering.

But since full-time freshmen students are required to live on campus, it’s also perfect for those who want nothing but top-notch food — it’s ranked by Niche both #37 in Best College Food in America and #1 Best College Food in Mississippi.

MSU also takes pride in the fact that it’s one of the select colleges and universities in the US, which amount to only 24, as of this writing, designated as land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant institutions.

Over 4 years, approximately, National Merit Scholars attending MSU as in-state students receive $40,000. Meanwhile, out-of-state National Merit Scholars may also receive scholarships to cover 100% of tuition.

national merit award winner

New Jersey Institute of Technology

  • Best for: Starting salary
  • Location: Newark, New Jersey
  • School type: Public research university
  • Campus type: Urban
  • Campus size: 48 acres
  • Tuition and fees: $18,016 (in-state) and $34,034 (out-of-state)
  • Acceptance rate: 69%
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Graduation rate: 38%
  • Student body: 11,901
  • Students per class: Fewer than 20 in 31% of classes
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: 15:1
  • Alumni average starting salary: $51,100 per year

Some of the most highly ranked undergraduate degree programs at New Jersey Institute of Technology are engineering. But its computer science and business programs do not go unnoticed by college rankers, either.

It goes without saying that some of the most popular majors at NJIT are mechanical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, and bioengineering and biomedical engineering.

Also sought after by many undergraduates are information science, information technology, biology and business.

There are over 140 student clubs and organizations undergraduates attending NJIT can choose from.

NJIT is a wonderful training ground for degree-seeking students who wish to have high earning potential at the onset because the median salary of alumni after 10 years amounts to $67,200, which is 96% higher than the national median.

Among its graduates, computer engineering majors are among those with the highest starting salary of $71,900 per year.

They are followed by electrical engineering majors, making $68,300 per year. Getting about $62,500 per year, computer and information sciences majors are next. After them are industrial engineering majors, making $61,600 per year.

The amount National Merit Scholars attending NJIT get is restricted to tuition and fees. Also, it’s important to note that the combination of awards received shall not exceed the value of tuition and fees.

Oklahoma State University

  • Best for: Health conscious
  • Location: Stillwater, Oklahoma
  • School type: Public University
  • Campus type: City
  • Campus size: 1,489 acres
  • Tuition and fees: $9,244 (in-state) and $24,764 (out-of-state)
  • Acceptance rate: 68%
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Graduation rate: 45%
  • Student body: 24,660
  • Students per class: Fewer than 20 in 45% of classes
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: 18:1
  • Alumni average starting salary: $42,100 per year

Established in 1961, Oklahoma State University was originally known as Oklahoma State University Technical Institute.

OSU is known as America’s healthiest campus. That’s because it’s the first postsecondary institution in the country to have a chief wellness officer.

In addition, its campus is tobacco-free. Students also have access to a 250,000 square-foot fitness studio that comes equipped with things such as Olympic lifting, kettlebell training and an indoor running track.

Some notable OSU alumni include country music recording artist Garth Brooks, millionaire business magnate and financier T. Boone Pickens and South Korea’s 12th Prime Minister Nam Duck-woo.

Undergraduate students have over 70 majors to choose from.

Some of the most popular include business, marketing, liberal arts and humanities, mechanical engineering, animal sciences and husbandry, finance, accounting, psychology, agricultural business, and human development.

Many of its undergraduate engineering programs are highly ranked, too.

They can also select from more than 500 official clubs and organizations.

National Merit Scholars at OSU receive a 5-year full tuition waiver as well as a combination of state, university and National Merit funding, the value of which can be up to $70,000.

Southern Arkansas University

  • Best for: Greek Life
  • Location: Magnolia, Arkansas
  • School type: Public University
  • Campus type: Rural
  • Campus size: 1,491 acres
  • Tuition and fees: $8,300 (in-state) and $13,730 (out-of-state)
  • Acceptance rate: 63%
  • Retention rate: 64%
  • Graduation rate: 36%
  • Student body: 4,434
  • Students per class: Fewer than 20 in 52% of classes
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: 17:1
  • Alumni average starting salary: $30,800 per year

When it was founded in 1909, Southern Arkansas University was originally known as Third District Agricultural School (TDAS) and served as a district agricultural high school for southwest Arkansas.

There are more than 100-degree programs and certifications SAU offers. Undergraduates can choose from 32 majors.

Most of them are majoring in liberal arts and humanities, business, agricultural business, early childhood education, nursing, biology, psychology, kinesiology and exercise science, physics, and criminal justice and safety studies.

Niche ranks SAU #5 in Best Greek Life Colleges in Arkansas 2023. The popular college ranking site also ranks the public university #8 in Top Party Schools in Arkansas.

According to a poll, the majority of SAU attendees agree that sports are a big part of campus life.

In 2020, around 77% of first-time, first-year students at SAU received financial aid, each got an average of $5,234.

National Merit Scholars get to enjoy an active honors community in SAU’s beautiful honors housing facilities like Hotz Honors Hall and Gearhart Hall as well as rich academic experience.

In addition, they can get up to $7,500 in scholarship funding.

Texas Tech

Texas Tech University

  • Best for: Party school
  • Location: Lubbock, Texas
  • School type: Public research university
  • Campus type: City
  • Campus size: 1,839 acres
  • Tuition and fees: $11,852 (in-state) and $24,092 (out-of-state)
  • Acceptance rate: 68%
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Graduation rate: 38%
  • Student body: 40,542
  • Students per class: Fewer than 20 in 30% of classes
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: 21:1
  • Alumni average starting salary: $45,500 per year

Considered the main institution of the Texas Tech University System, which consists of 5 state universities in Texas, Texas Tech University was founded in 1923 and was originally called Texas Technological College.

It’s also the only campus in the state that’s a major university, medical school and law school.

Texas Tech offers over 100 academic programs in 10 colleges, allowing its undergraduate students to have various unique learning experiences.

Some of the top majors at the institution are liberal arts and humanities, mechanical engineering, business, family studies and consumer sciences, kinesiology and exercise science, psychology, marketing, and information science.

Having mediocre campus life should be the least of the worries of students because Texas Tech is a party school. So much so that Niche ranks it #3 in Top Party Schools in Texas and #48 in Top Party Schools in America.

Greek life is also great at the school, and 45% of students agree that it’s a pretty big part of the social scene.

National Merit Scholars rejoice! That’s because those who reach finalist standing and have chosen Texas Tech as their top-choice institution will receive 100% coverage of the cost of attendance.

University of Alabama at Birmingham

  • Best for: Nursing
  • Location: Birmingham, Alabama
  • School type: Public research university
  • Campus type: Urban
  • Campus size: 437 acres
  • Tuition and fees: $11,040 (in-state) and $26,520 (out-of-state)
  • Acceptance rate: 89%
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Graduation rate: 42%
  • Student body: 22,289
  • Students per class: Fewer than 20 in 47% of classes
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: 19:1
  • Alumni average starting salary: $38,300 per year

Heard of the UAB Health System?

Well, the University of Alabama at Birmingham is associated with it, which is one of the largest academic medical centers in the US. It’s also home to some of the top medical programs in the land.

It’s because of this why it’s ideal for students who wish to become nurses.

UAB offers almost 200 degree programs.

Among students who are working on a bachelor’s degree program, some of the most popular majors include nursing, psychology, business, accounting, healthcare management, biology, physical education teaching and coaching, liberal arts and humanities, public health, and criminal justice and corrections.

In graduates, the highest-paid ones are engineering majors, receiving an average starting salary of $89,000 per year. Computer and information sciences majors, on the other hand, get an average starting salary of $56,900 per year.

The National Merit finalist package at UAB consists of the value of tuition for up to 5 years, on-campus housing for up to 4 years and a 1-time allowance for international study or summer research worth $2,000.

U of Idaho, Kibbie Dome practice field
U of Idaho, Kibbie Dome practice field

University of Idaho

  • Best for: Agricultural sciences
  • Location: Moscow, Idaho
  • School type: Public land-grant research university
  • Campus type: Rural
  • Campus size: 810 acres
  • Tuition and fees: $8,396 (in-state) and $27,632 (out-of-state)
  • Acceptance rate: 81%
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Graduation rate: 38%
  • Student body: 11,303
  • Students per class: Fewer than 20 in 62% of classes
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: 16:1
  • Alumni average starting salary: $33,900 per year

The University of Idaho is the state of Idaho’s primary research university. Because of its high research activity, it has Carnegie R1 distinction.

Thanks to its Integrated Research and Innovation Center, the school provides new physical space to encourage collaboration and innovation among its attendees, professors and experts.

There are more than 300 academic programs available at U of I.

Among various majors, some of the most popular among its undergraduate students include psychology, mechanical engineering, marketing, liberal arts and humanities, finance, sociology, business, animal sciences and husbandry, electrical engineering, and elementary education.

But the public land-grant research university is best known for agricultural sciences. As a matter of fact, it’s ranked by Niche #23 in Best Colleges for Agricultural Sciences in America.

National Merit Scholars attending U of I may receive awards that cover tuition and even room and board.

University of Mississippi

  • Best for: Accounting and finance
  • Location: Oxford, Mississippi
  • School type: Public research university
  • Campus type: Rural
  • Campus size: 3,693 acres
  • Tuition and fees: $9,220 (in-state) and $26,440 (out-of-state)
  • Acceptance rate: 90%
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Graduation rate: 52%
  • Student body: 21,203
  • Students per class: Fewer than 20 in 53% of classes
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: 16:1
  • Alumni average starting salary: $41,200 per year

Other than being the oldest public university, the University of Mississippi is also the state of Mississippi’s largest postsecondary institution as far as enrollment is concerned — 76% of its student body consists of undergraduates.

And speaking of which, undergraduate students attending Ole Miss can choose from more than 120 majors.

Some of the most in-demand of which are digital communication and multimedia, liberal arts and humanities, accounting, business, nursing, finance, marketing, psychology, elementary education, and kinesiology and science exercise.

Degree-seeking students who are on the hunt for top-notch accounting and finance programs may consider attending Ole Miss — Niche ranks it #29 in Best Colleges for Accounting and Finance in America and #9 in Best Colleges for Accounting and Finance in Mississippi.

The average starting salary of graduates of the said program is $44,800 per year.

Ole Miss is also known for being a party school, thanks to its prominent Greek life.

National Merit Scholars going to Ole Miss may receive awards that cover the full cost of tuition and the standard cost of a double-occupancy room for on-campus residents.

University of Texas at Dallas

  • Best for: STEM
  • Location: Richardson, Texas
  • School type: Public research university
  • Campus type: Suburban
  • Campus size: 500 acres
  • Tuition and fees: $14,564 (in-state) and $39,776 (out-of-state)
  • Acceptance rate: 87%
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Graduation rate: 54%
  • Student body: 29,696
  • Students per class: Fewer than 20 in 22% of classes
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: 24:1
  • Alumni average starting salary: $45,300 per year

Founded in 1961, the University of Texas at Dallas was originally established to serve as the private research division of Texas Instruments. It’s no wonder why the institution is now known for its various STEM programs.

Some of its most highly-ranked programs are engineering and computer science.

The same is true for UT Dallas’ numerous business programs, including analytics, management information systems, logistics, marketing, operation management, production, and supply chain management.

Undergraduates can choose from more than 40 majors, the most popular of which is information science.

National Merit Scholarships attending UT Dallas can enjoy award packages consisting of complete coverage of tuition and fees for up to 8 semesters as well as $4,000 per semester for books, supplies and other expenses.

Other Universities for National Merit Scholars

It’s true that most prestigious schools that many high schoolers dream of earning a bachelor’s degree from do not participate in the National Merit Scholarship, attending one of which may render your award practically useless.

But there are many good institutions that accept them, some of which even give full-ride scholarships to National Merit Scholars, thereby allowing low-income students to work on their respective degree programs without worrying about college’s financial aspect.

The secret is to head to a school’s website and check out the National Merit Scholarship page or section.

Other than the 12 schools talked about above, here are some others that you might want to check out, too:

  • Abilene Christian University
  • Bryan College
  • Florida Atlantic University
  • Harding University
  • La Sierra University
  • Liberty University
  • Louisiana Tech University
  • Murray State University
  • Northern Arizona University
  • Oakwood University
  • Oklahoma State University
  • Oklahoma Wesleyan University
  • Pacific Union College
  • Regent University
  • Roberts Wesleyan College
  • University of Alabama at Huntsville
  • University of Arizona
  • University of Central Florida
  • University of Houston
  • University of Maine
  • University of New Mexico
  • University of Texas at Arlington
  • Washington Adventist University
  • Washington State University
  • West Virginia University
  • Wichita State University

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the College Reality Check.

Similar Posts