National Merit and National Recognition Program scholarships

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

For 2027–28: National Merit Finalists $4,000 per year; National Recognition Program Scholars $2,500 per year. Students receive only one national/designation award, at the highest amount.

Deadline

For Fall 2027 scholarship consideration, apply by January 15, 2027 in-state or May 1, 2027 out-of-state. The in-state scholarship page also lists an extension to February 23, 2027, which differs from admissions. Recognition applicants must submit the BSMART general application by April 1, 2027. NMSC's final first-choice receipt deadline is May 31, 2027; check any earlier UAB requirement.

How to apply

National Merit Finalists: name UAB first choice with NMSC. National Recognition Program Scholars: apply in BSMART and complete the National Scholarship Questions section with your notification letter and certificate.

Who can apply

Incoming first-year students, in-state or out-of-state, who are National Merit Finalists or College Board National Recognition Program Scholars. UAB's 2027–28 scholarship pages require U.S. citizenship, permanent residence, refugee/asylee status or other lawful U.S. presence.

Good to know

2027–28 resident and nonresident pages confirm national-award values and stacking on admissions merit. Published general policies remain 2026–27: eight semesters, 12 UAB undergraduate credits per term, 24 fall/spring UAB credits and 3.0 cumulative UAB GPA; AP, transfer and transient credits do not count. Confirm the applicable 2027–28 renewal policy. In-state pages differ on the January 15 deadline and February 23 extension.