National Merit Finalists

National Merit Finalists Criteria

The National Merit Scholarship competition begins with the PSAT in October of your junior year of high school and ends in spring of your senior year. Students must pass several qualifying stages to receive a National Merit Scholarship:

Program Recognition Students. The 50,000 top scorers on the PSAT are selected out of about 1.5 million entrants. These students are notified in April of their junior year.

Semifinalists. Chosen from the Program Recognition Students, the Semifinalists are the highest PSAT scorers from each state. Only they can apply for National Merit Scholarships.

Commended Students. In late September, about two thirds of the entrants who were not selected to be semifinalists receive Letters of Commendation. They are now out of the running for the National Merit Scholarships, but some may receive merit scholarships sponsored by corporations.

Finalists. In February, about 15,000 finalists are named. Their high schools are notified and so are two colleges they've selected. Reaching this level of recognition is noteworthy.

Merit Scholars. Finally, about half of the finalists are named "Merit Scholars" and receive National Merit Scholarships. These winners are notified beginning in March.