National Merit Scholars Program Policies

Graduate Usage

National Merit Finalist Scholarship recipients who are admitted into a degree-seeking graduate program at UT Dallas may be allowed to apply their scholarship toward graduate-level courses. Students must be in good academic standing; enrollment must be continuous after undergraduate graduation, and students must receive approval from the UT Dallas National Merit Scholarship Program prior to enrolling in graduate courses.

Study Abroad

Each National Merit Scholar in good academic standing is eligible for a one-time award of up to $6,000 for an international study abroad experience. The student must receive approval from the UT Dallas Education Abroad Office to receive any funding and cannot take non-UTD courses abroad during their last two long semesters. After receiving approval from the EA Office, the NMSP Study Abroad Stipend Application will appear in their EA Portal. The final award amount is based on the cost of attendance of the program as determined by the Education Abroad Office.

Summer Usage

National Merit Finalist Scholarship recipients at UT Dallas may be allowed to apply their scholarship toward summer courses. Students must be in good academic standing with their National Merit Finalist Scholarship program requirements. Please note: the summer semester will count as one of the eight semesters of scholarship eligibility. Students will receive their semester stipend in addition to tuition and mandatory fees for the summer term.

Enrollment Requirement

National Merit Finalist Scholarship recipients are expected to complete a timely graduation from UT Dallas. The following semester credit hours requirements establish a default enrollment expectation.

National Merit Scholars regularly enroll at UT Dallas with college credit from other institutions. Exceptions to the above requirements are consistently granted if a student demonstrates they can maintain progress to a timely graduation and are in good academic and scholarship standing.

Program Requirements

Students receiving the National Merit Finalist Scholarship must maintain timely progress toward graduation, earn a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) as well as meet the semester and academic year requirements listed below to continue receiving their scholarship.

• End of Semester Survey: Complete a semester survey at the end of each semester to renew your scholarship for the next semester.
• Semester Requirements: Earn a 3.0 GPA or higher each semester and complete a minimum of 15 unique UT Dallas credit hours.
• Academic Year Requirements: Earn a cumulative 3.0 GPA or higher and complete a minimum of 30 unique UT Dallas credit hours.

Recipients will be placed on probation for failing to achieve the above requirements. Probation requires students to meet with an Academic Success Advisor to create an individual probation plan for the semester and meet periodically with their Honors College Advisor.

Full-Time Status

National Merit Finalist Scholarship recipients are required to maintain full-time student status while receiving their scholarship. Full-time status requires 12 semester credit hours for undergraduate students at UT Dallas. The Office of Student AccessAbility can adjust the full-time requirements on a case-by-case basis for university and scholarship standing.

Deferral Before Freshman Year

Incoming freshmen who accept a National Merit Finalist Scholarship may seek to defer their scholarship for a maximum of two semesters if they do not attend an institution of higher education prior to enrolling at UT Dallas. Incoming freshman attending another institution of higher learning prior to enrolling in UT Dallas will have their scholarship offer revoked.

Deferral Steps

1. Recipients must accept their award and receive approval for a deferral from the UT Dallas Office of Admissions and Enrollment Services prior to the first day of classes.
2. Then email scholar@nmerit.net with full name, scholar ID#, date they plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate coursework, brief description of their plans during the leave of absence, and written statement confirming that they have accepted admittance to a regionally accredited college or university within the United States, which has approved their deferment.
3. Complete the Deferral Request form below for NMSP records.

Deferral for Current Scholars

National Merit Finalist Scholarship recipients may defer their scholarship for a maximum of two semesters for extenuating circumstances or for study abroad or internship opportunities. Students must receive approval from the National Merit Scholars Program prior to the first day of classes.