What does Texas State offer National Merit Finalists?

A $40,000 National Distinction Scholarship, paid $10,000 per year. To get it you must be a National Merit Finalist and name Texas State as your first college choice with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation on or before May 31 prior to your first semester.

How do I keep my scholarship each year?

Maintain a 3.25 cumulative Texas State GPA and complete 28 passing Texas State hours per year across fall and spring. Both conditions apply to the assured tiers; fall short and the award is at risk.

Texas State· Renewal Rules

Keeping Texas State’s Merit Aid for Four Years

What the financial-aid office actually requires after freshman year: minimum GPA, credit-hour pace, and the cliffs that quietly downgrade families mid-degree.

Verified May 20268 days ago· B2-1

At a glance

Renewable tiers: 4 of 4
One-time tiers: 0
Tiers with published renewal terms: 4
Renewal risk profile: moderate

Renewal risk profile

Texas State's renewal bar is achievable for steady students but isn't generous. Most awards require a cumulative GPA in the 3.0–3.4 band plus full-time enrollment. Audit the strictest tier on this school's list before assuming the four-year value is locked in.

President's Honor Scholarship: See notes
Texas State Achievement Scholarship: See notes
Texas State Distinguished Scholarship: See notes
National Distinction Scholarship (National Merit Finalists): 3.25 GPA

Renewal terms by tier

President's Honor Scholarship
$12,000 per year ($48,000 over 4 years)
Entry requirements: 1420 SAT · 32 ACT
To keep it: Maintain a 3.25 cumulative Texas State GPA and complete 28 passing Texas State hours per year (fall/spring).
Source: https://onestop.txst.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/freshman.html
Texas State Achievement Scholarship
$6,000–$8,000 per year ($24,000–$32,000 over 4 years)
Entry requirements: 1160 SAT · 24 ACT
To keep it: Maintain a 3.25 cumulative Texas State GPA and complete 28 passing Texas State hours per year (fall/spring).
Source: https://onestop.txst.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/freshman.html
Texas State Distinguished Scholarship
$4,000–$5,000 per year ($16,000–$20,000 over 4 years)
Entry requirements: 1060 SAT · 21 ACT
To keep it: Maintain a 3.25 cumulative Texas State GPA and complete 28 passing Texas State hours per year (fall/spring).
Source: https://onestop.txst.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/freshman.html
National Distinction Scholarship (National Merit Finalists)
$10,000 per year ($40,000 over 4 years)
To keep it: Continuing eligibility per the official offer; standard assured-scholarship renewal (3.25 GPA, 28 hours/year) applies to the assured awards a Finalist also receives.
Source: https://onestop.txst.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/freshman.html

How families lose this aid

National Merit Finalists forgetting the May 31 NMSC designation deadline.
The $40,000 National Distinction Scholarship requires you to select Texas State as your first college of choice with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation on or before May 31 prior to your first semester. Miss that NMSC step and the Finalist award does not attach, even if you enroll.

Renewal questions families ask

What does Texas State offer National Merit Finalists?: A $40,000 National Distinction Scholarship, paid $10,000 per year. To get it you must be a National Merit Finalist and name Texas State as your first college choice with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation on or before May 31 prior to your first semester.
How do I keep my scholarship each year?: Maintain a 3.25 cumulative Texas State GPA and complete 28 passing Texas State hours per year across fall and spring. Both conditions apply to the assured tiers; fall short and the award is at risk.

How Texas State compares across our verified dataset

178 of 203 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Texas State is one of them. The cohort minority (25 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.
61 of 203 verified schools publish a dedicated National Merit Finalist package.
Texas State is one of them. NMF packages typically carry their own stacking and renewal carve-outs separate from the standard automatic merit ladder; confirm those before assuming the headline NMF value is final.

Sources used on this page

Every renewal claim is checked against Texas State’s own published materials.