National Merit Finalist Scholarship

This is a real program, but some details for the current cycle are not published or not yet confirmed. Check the official source before you plan around it.

Award

Fall 2026 package. Non-residents: total $153,450 (non-resident tuition waiver $90,600; resident tuition waiver $26,850; OU cash $22,000 at $5,500 per year; National Merit cash stipend $5,000; first-year housing scholarship $6,000; First-Year Associates $1,000; research and study abroad stipend $2,000). Residents: total $146,850. Tuition waiver can extend to five years.

Deadline

Specific package pages publish Fall 2026 dates: OU application December 15, 2025 and OU first choice April 30, 2026. The general process page also describes an undated April 30 OU-or-undecided stage and May 31 final OU choice for undecided/corporate/national recipients. The 2027 NMSC final first-choice receipt deadline is May 31, 2027; OU’s own Fall 2027 priority stages are not confirmed.

How to apply

Be a National Merit Finalist, apply to OU by its scholarship deadline, and name OU as first choice with NMSC by the NMSC deadline.

What you'll need

• No separate application: you are considered when you apply for admission

Who can apply

Admitted National Merit Finalists entering OU. Students attending high school outside the US must satisfy NMSC citizenship or permanent-residence rules.

Good to know

Both specific package pages still show fall 2026; fall 2027 package not found on official alternatives. Tuition waivers and National Merit cash require 2.0 cumulative GPA; OU cash, Oklahoma Rising Scholars and resident President's cash require 3.25. Full-time enrollment and 24 OU credits each year apply. Housing funding requires first-year residence halls; graduate use varies by component. Package does not cover full cost of attendance.

Details

Before Early Action