National Merit Cutoff 2026: What Students and Parents Need to Know For the Class of 2026, state Semifinalist cutoffs ranged from roughly 208 to 225 , with Massachusetts and New Jersey sitting at the top at a Selection Index of 225. The national Commended Student threshold landed at a Selection Index of 210, recognizing a substantial number of students. Official state cutoffs and school notifications typically arrive in September of junior year (the fall of senior year), published by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) and distributed through school counselors. Know your Selection Index now. Pull your PSAT/NMSQT score report from College Board and calculate your Selection Index before September (the formula is in the next section). Identify your state’s recent cutoff trend. Cutoffs shift slightly year to year; knowing whether your state trended up or down in 2024 and 2025 tells you where the bar likely sits. Contact your school counselor. They receive official NMSC notifications and can confirm whether your name appears on the Semifinalist list. Pro Tip: Within 48 hours of your PSAT score posting on College Board, calculate your Selection Index and compare it to your s