Evanston, Illinois- Officials from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC®) announced the names of more than 16,000 Semifinalists in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Daviess County High School senior Alexa Salamaeh and Apollo High School senior Xander Berry were named semifinalists and will continue competing for approximately 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million to be awarded next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship®, Semifinalists must meet several requirements to advance to the Finalist round. About 95 percent of Semifinalists are expected to become Finalists, and roughly half of these Finalists will earn a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title. NMSC, a nonprofit organization that operates without government aid, was founded in 1955 specifically to oversee the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Scholarships are funded by NMSC's own resources and supported by about 300 business organizations, higher education institutions, and individual donors who share NMSC’s mission to honor the nation’s academic leaders and promote academic excellence.
Steps in the 2026 Competition
Over 1.3 million juniors from around 20,000 high schools entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screening process. The national pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the top scorers from each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to that state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors. To become a Finalist, a Semifinalist, along with a high school official, must submit a detailed scholarship application with information about the student’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, leadership qualities, employment, and honors received. A Semifinalist 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 verify earlier performance on the qualifying test. From the initial group of over 16,000 Semifinalists, more than 15,000 are expected to advance to the Finalist stage, with notifications beginning in February. All winners will be selected from this Finalist group. Merit Scholar® designation is awarded based on skills, achievements, and potential for success in demanding college coursework, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, or religion.
National Merit Scholarships
Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be available in spring 2026. Every Finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit® $2,500 Scholarships, awarded on a state-representational basis. About 830 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarships will be funded by roughly 150 companies and organizations for Finalists who meet specific criteria, such as being children of employees or residents near the sponsor’s locations. Additionally, about 150 colleges and universities are expected to fund approximately 3,600 college-sponsored Merit Scholarships for Finalists planning to attend their institutions. The winners of the 2026 National Merit Scholarship will be announced through four nationwide news releases, starting in April and ending in July. These recipients will join approximately 389,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar® title.