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Lists / Most-Selective Colleges for National Merit Finalists 2021

Most-Selective Colleges for National Merit Finalists 2021

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Created by College Confidential
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Colleges and universities provide approximated 4,100 National Merit Scholarship awards each year for National Merit Finalists who attend their institutions. College-sponsored awards range from $500 and $2,000 per year, and may be renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study at the sponsor institution.

Each sponsor college has a max number of National Merit scholarships to award each year, but they are not committed to awarding all of them. To be considered for a college-sponsored award, Finalists must notify the National Merit Scholarship Committee that they plan to attend a sponsor institution.

The minimum number of awards offered is three per college. All of the colleges on this list offer at least ten National Merit Scholarships a year, and are known as high-quality institutions offering an exceptional education and student experience.

1. University of Chicago

University of Chicago offers 60 National Merit Scholarships each year.

  • 1st
    University of Chicago
    Chicago, IL • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $60,963
    Out-of-State
    $60,963
    Acceptance Rate6%

    • 2. Harvey Mudd College

    Harvey Mudd offers 30 National Merit Scholarships a year.

  • 2nd
    Harvey Mudd College
    Claremont, CA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $60,703
    Out-of-State
    $60,703
    Acceptance Rate10%

    • 3. University of Southern California

    USC offers 35 National Merit Scholarships a year.

  • 3rd
    University of Southern California
    Los Angeles, CA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $61,461
    Out-of-State
    $61,461
    Acceptance Rate13%

    • 4. Vanderbilt University

    Vanderbilt offer 18 National Merit Scholarships a year.

  • 4th
    Vanderbilt University
    Nashville, TN • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $56,966
    Out-of-State
    $56,966
    Acceptance Rate7%

    • 5. Emory University

    Emory offers 20 National Merit Scholarships a year.

  • 5th
    Emory University
    Atlanta, GA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $57,948
    Out-of-State
    $57,948
    Acceptance Rate13%

    • 6. Tulane University

    Tulane offers 20 National Merit Scholarships a year.

  • 6th
    Tulane University
    New Orleans, LA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $60,814
    Out-of-State
    $60,814
    Acceptance Rate10%

    • 7. Tufts University

    Tufts offers 10 National Merit Scholarships a year.

  • 7th
    Tufts University
    Medford, MA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $63,000
    Out-of-State
    $63,000
    Acceptance Rate11%

    • 8. Davidson College

    Davidson offers 10 National Merit Scholarships a year.

  • 8th
    Davidson College
    Davidson, NC • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $57,690
    Out-of-State
    $57,690
    Acceptance Rate18%

    • 9. Boston University

    BU offers 15 National Merit Scholarships a year.

  • 9th
    Boston University
    Boston, MA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $62,360
    Out-of-State
    $62,360
    Acceptance Rate19%

    • 10. Carleton College

  • 10th
    Carleton College
    Northfield, MN • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $62,634
    Out-of-State
    $62,634
    Acceptance Rate18%

    • 11. Oberlin College

  • 11th
    Oberlin College
    Oberlin, OH • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $60,284
    Out-of-State
    $60,284
    Acceptance Rate34%

    • 12. Brandeis University

  • 12th
    Brandeis University
    Waltham, MA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $62,322
    Out-of-State
    $62,322
    Acceptance RateN.A.

    • 13. Case Western Reserve University

  • 13th
    Case Western Reserve University
    Cleveland, OH • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $54,532
    Out-of-State
    $54,532
    Acceptance Rate30%

    • 14. Clemson University

  • 14th
    Clemson University
    Clemson, SC • 4-Year, Public
    In-State
    $15,120
    Out-of-State
    $38,112
    Acceptance Rate49%

    • 15. Macalester College

  • 15th
    Macalester College
    St. Paul, MN • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $62,270
    Out-of-State
    $62,270
    Acceptance Rate27%

    • 16. Purdue University

  • 16th
    Purdue University
    West Lafayette, IN • 4-Year, Public
    In-State
    $9,992
    Out-of-State
    $28,794
    Acceptance Rate69%

    • 17. Southern Methodist University

  • 17th
    Southern Methodist University
    Dallas, TX • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $61,980
    Out-of-State
    $61,980
    Acceptance Rate53%

    • 18. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

    RPI offer 15 National Merit Scholarships a year, and has an acceptance rate of 47 percent.

  • 18th
    Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
    Troy, NY • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    Unknown
    Out-of-State
    Unknown
    Acceptance Rate57%

    • 19. Texas A&M University

    Texas A&M offers 110 National Merit Scholarships a year and has an acceptance rate of 58 percent.

  • 19th
    Texas A&M University
    College Station, TX • 4-Year, Public
    In-State
    $13,178
    Out-of-State
    $40,087
    Acceptance Rate64%

    • 20. Washington and Lee University

  • 20th
    Washington and Lee University
    Lexington, VA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $61,750
    Out-of-State
    $61,750
    Acceptance Rate19%

    • 21. Grinnell College

  • 21st
    Grinnell College
    Grinnell, IA • 4-Year, Private
    In-State
    $61,480
    Out-of-State
    $61,480
    Acceptance Rate11%

    • 22. University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • 22nd
    University of Wisconsin-Madison
    Madison, WI • 4-Year, Public
    In-State
    $12,211
    Out-of-State
    $40,099
    Acceptance Rate60%

    • 23. University of Nebraska-Lincoln

  • 23rd
    University of Nebraska-Lincoln
    Lincoln, NE • 4-Year, Public
    In-State
    $9,872
    Out-of-State
    $27,002
    Acceptance Rate81%

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