Three IUSD students received the prestigious college-sponsored National Merit Scholarships. These awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship.
Each college sponsor selected their scholarship winners from among the Finalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program who plan to attend their institution. Each finalist was determined based on an examination of academic records, including course rigor and grades, 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test scores, leadership roles, extracurricular involvement, personal essays and letters of recommendation.
This year, 138 higher education institutions are underwriting Merit Scholarship awards through the National Merit Scholarship Program. Sponsor colleges and universities include 69 private and 69 public institutions located in 42 states and the District of Columbia.
This is the first of two college-sponsored scholarships to be announced, with the second announcement occurring in July. These college-sponsored announcements are the final for the 2026 National Merit Scholarship season.
2026 College-Sponsored Merit Scholars
Xiao Jiang, University High School
Probable career field: Clinical Psychology
National Merit University of Southern California Scholarship
Pragnya Ramkumar, Northwood High School
Probable career field: Biomedical Engineering
National Merit University of Southern California Scholarship
Nicole Ye, Northwood High School
Probable career field: Healthcare
National Merit Vanderbilt University Scholarship