The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced that roughly 180 high school seniors from San Diego County were selected as semifinalists in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program.
These high school seniors are among 2,140 semifinalists in California, and more than 16,000 throughout the nation. They will have the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,250 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million to be offered next spring.
According to the NMSC, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 95 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and about half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.
High school juniors entered the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2021 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen for program entrants.
The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.
As a Finalists prerequisite, a Semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application that details the semifinalist's academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received.
NMSC officials say semifinalists must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT® or ACT® scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.
“Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference,” the NMSC wrote in a statement.
According to the program, every Finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $2500 Scholarships that are awarded on a state-representational basis. There will be about 950 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 180 corporations and business organizations for Finalists who meet their specified criteria.
In addition, about 160 colleges and universities will finance about 3,800 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for Finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.
National Merit Scholarship winners of 2023 will be announced beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join nearly 368,000 others who have earned the Merit Scholar title.
