i also received a finalist email on july 21st and from my discussions with current scholars, sounds like finalist = awardee as long as the paperwork all goes through / they make sure you don't have any outstanding service agreements, etc. from my research (on the forums) looks like they send out finalist notifications in waves throughout july and august, and can notify as late as september. also according to my financial aid office, the funds usually don't get distributed until november/december. good luck everyone! there's still hope!