The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced the National Merit Award semifinalists on Thursday, with IUSD students taking top honors in Southern California. IUSD had 109 students, the most in the region, advance to the semifinals round.
Each year, the NMSC awards millions of dollars in scholarships to academically talented students who participate in this rigorous academic competition. As reported in the Orange County Register, “The semifinalists were chosen based on their scores on the 2016 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which they took as juniors. The semifinalists comprise less than 1 percent of high school seniors in the United States and received the highest scores in their states.”
To be named finalists, the student candidates and their high schools will submit detailed scholarship applications, which will include student academic records, participation in school and community activities, examples of leadership, employment, and honors and awards. Finalists will be announced in February 2018. The NMSC will award 2,500 students nationwide with the $2,500 National Merit Award.
To read the Orange County Register’s coverage, click here. For more information about the NMSC and the scholarship program, visit nationalmerit.org.
Congrats to our IUSD students and best wishes moving forward!