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25 BVSD students make it into the scholarship competition
On Wednesday, September 14, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names of over 16,000 semifinalists in the 68th Annual National Merit Scholarship Program. 25 of them were from the Boulder Valley School District. They are listed below in city and school order:
FELSBLOCK Boulder Gymnasium
Sebastian James
Zachary Larter
Kai Parker
Ian Soledad
Fairview-Highschool
Olivia Anderson
Pavan Gudavalli
Kevin Huang
Isabel Hunt
Pranav Kadekodi
daniel lin
Angelina Mackay
Elliot Pavillard-Pitts
Natalie Pujet
Sebastian Pujet
Edith Simek
Jack Smith
Heinrich Westfall
Meilen Zheng
BESENFELD
Broomfield High School
Avery Jones
LAFAYETTE
Centaurus-Gymnasium
Allison Martin
Peak-to-Peak-Charterschule
Alexandra Flintstone
Aneesh Movva
Louisville
Monarch High School
Yasmine Felfli
Max Luo
Eliza Maxfield
These academically talented high school seniors have the opportunity to advance in the competition for approximately 7,250 National Merit Scholarships, valued at nearly $28 million, to be offered next spring.
To be considered for a merit scholarship, semi-finalists must meet several requirements in order to advance to the finalist level of the competition. About 95 percent of the semifinalists are expected to achieve the rank of finalist, and about half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship and receive the title of Merit Scholar.
NMSC, a non-profit, non-governmental organization, was established in 1955 specifically to administer the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Scholarships are awarded by NMSC from its own funds and by approximately 340 business organizations and higher education institutions that share NMSC's goals of honoring the nation's scholastic champions and promoting the pursuit of academic excellence.
Caution: Using the number of semifinalists to compare high schools, educational systems or countries leads to incorrect conclusions. The National Merit® Scholarship Program honors individual students who demonstrate exceptional academic ability and potential for success in a rigorous college program. The program does not measure the quality or effectiveness of education within any school, system or state. For more information about the competition, visit www.nationalmerit.org.
Steps in the 2023 competition
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 the initial screening for program participants. The statewide pool of semifinalists, which represents less than 1 percent of US high school graduates, includes the highest-scoring participants in each state.
The number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state's percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.
To become a finalist, the semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application detailing the semifinalist's academic achievements, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership skills, employment, and honors and awards received. A semifinalist must demonstrate academic excellence throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and receive SAT® or ACT® scores that validate the student's prior performance on the qualifying test.
From over 16,000 semi-finalists, more than 15,000 are expected to advance to finalists and they will be notified of this appointment in February. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of finalists. Designated merit grantees are selected based on their ability, achievement, and potential for success in rigorous college studies without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.
National Merit Stipendiary
Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in Spring 2023. Each finalist is competing for one of 2,500 National Merit® $2500 scholarships, awarded on a state representative basis. Approximately 950 company-sponsored merit grants are awarded by approximately 180 companies and corporate organizations to finalists who meet their established criteria, e.g. B. Children of grantee employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants or offices are located. In addition, approximately 160 colleges and universities are expected to fund approximately 3,800 college-sponsored merit scholarships for finalists who will attend the sponsoring institution.
The 2023 National Merit Scholarship winners will be announced in four statewide press releases beginning in April and ending in July. These scholars will join nearly 368,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.
National Merit semifinalists named for 2022
25 BVSD students are shortlisted in a scholarship competition
On Wednesday, September 14, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names of more than 16,000 semifinalists in the 68th National Merit Scholarship Program. 25 of them were from the Boulder Valley School District.
FELSBLOCK Boulder Gymnasium
Sebastian James
Zachary Larter
Kai Parker
Ian Soledad
Fairview-Highschool
Olivia Anderson
Pavan Gudavalli
Kevin Huang
Isabel Hunt
Pranav Kadekodi
daniel lin
Angelina Mackay
Elliot Pavillard-Pitts
Natalie Pujet
Sebastian Pujet
Edith Simek
Jack Smith
Heinrich Westfall
Meilen Zheng
BESENFELD
Broomfield Preparatory School
Avery Jones
LAFAYETTE
Centaurus-Gymnasium
Allison Martin
Peak to Peak High School
Alexandra Flintstone
Aneesh Movva
Louisville
Monarch Highschool
Yasmine Felfli
Max Luo
Eliza Maxfield
These academically talented high school seniors have the opportunity to continue to apply for approximately 7,250 National Merit Scholarships, valued at nearly $28 million, to be offered next spring.
To be considered for a Merit Scholarship, semi-finalists must meet several requirements in order to advance to the finalist tier of the competition. Approximately 95 percent of the semifinalists are expected to advance to the finalist position, and approximately half of the finalists will receive a National Merit Scholarship, which earns the title of Merit Scholar.
NMSC, a non-profit, non-governmental organization, was established in 1955 specifically to administer the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. The scholarships are awarded by NMSC from its own funds and by approximately 340 companies and colleges that share NMSC's goals of honoring the nation's school champions and motivating the pursuit of academic excellence.
Caution: Using semi-finalistic numbers to compare high schools, educational systems, or countries leads to incorrect conclusions. The National Merit® Scholarship Program honors individual students who demonstrate exceptional academic ability and potential for success in a rigorous college program. The program does not measure the quality or effectiveness of education within any school, system or state. For more information about the competition, visit www.nationalmerit.org.
Competitive Steps 2023
High school students entered the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2021 National Merit Scholarship/SAT Preliminary Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as the first screen for program participants. The national semifinalist pool, which represents less than 1 percent of US high school graduates, includes the highest-scoring participants from each state.
The number of semifinalists from a state is proportional to the state's percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.
To become a finalist, the semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application that includes information about the semifinalist's academic achievement, participation in school and community activities, proven leadership skills, employment, and honors and awards received. A semifinalist must demonstrate academic excellence throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and receive SAT® or ACT® scores that validate the student's past performance on the qualifying test.
Out of more than 16,000 semi-finalists, more than 15,000 are expected to reach the level
finalist, and in February they will be notified of this designation. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this pool of finalists. Designated Merit Scholar scholars are selected based on their ability, achievement, and potential for success in a rigorous university study, without regard to gender, race, ethnicity, or religious preference.
National Merit Stipendiary
Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in Spring 2023. Each finalist competes for one of 2,500 $2,500 National Merit® Scholarships awarded representative of the state. Approximately 180 companies and business organizations will sponsor approximately 950 merit grants to finalists who meet certain criteria, such as children of grantee employees or residents of the communities where the sponsoring plants or offices are located. In addition, approximately 160 colleges and universities are expected to fund approximately 3,800 merit scholarships for finalists who will attend the sponsoring institution.
The recipients of the 2023 National Merit Scholarship will be announced in four national news releases beginning in April and ending in July. These scholars will join nearly 368,000 distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar designation.
FAQs
What PSAT score qualifies for National Merit 2022? ›
Out of 50,000 recognized students, around 34,000 fall into this category. For the 2022 scholarship cycle, the national minimum qualifying score was 207.
What percent of people get National Merit Semifinalist? ›National Merit Semifinalists
Test takers who score in the top 1% of the PSAT become Semifinalists, a significant achievement. Each year the NMSC awards semifinalist status to around 16,000 high school students.
While Semifinalist status is a nice award to list on your application, you should not expect it alone to have a significant impact on your admission chances at most colleges. The recognition tells college that you did well on the PSAT.
How many semifinalists do you need for the National Merit Scholarship? ›NMSC is excited to announce the names of more than 16,000 Semifinalists in the 2023 National Merit® Scholarship Program.
Does a 1400 PSAT qualify for National Merit? ›3. Does a 1400 PSAT Qualify for National Merit? Based on the scores of real grade 11 students who took the PSAT, a score of 1400 puts you in the 97th percentile. You may not qualify for the National Merit Scholarship with this score: it also depends on the cut-off scores of your state.
How do you know if you are a National Merit semifinalist? ›Semifinalists are notified through their schools in early September. Semifinalists who are homeschooled are notified at their home addresses. See the National Merit® Scholarship Program page for additional information about the program.
How rare is a National Merit Scholar? ›Out of the roughly 1.5 million students taking the exam in 2021, only 50,000 will qualify for National Merit Program recognition.
How hard is it to be a National Merit semifinalist? ›In general, students who score in the top 3-4% are named Commended Scholars, while students who score in the top 1% are deemed Semifinalists. Students are compared on a state-by-state basis. The NMSC's Selection Index ranges from 48 to 228 and is based on PSAT section scores.
How impressive is National Merit? ›Being part of the National Merit Scholarship Program justifiably is a point of great pride. It means you have scored in the top 1 percentile of test takers nationwide.
Do Ivy Leagues care about National Merit? ›Universities have the option to sponsor a National Merit Scholarship in an effort to net freshmen who have earned this impressive distinction. However, many highly-selective schools like those in the Ivy League or Ivy-equivalent colleges choose not to participate in this merit-based scholarship program.
What percent of people qualify for National Merit? ›
The top 3-4% of scorers are named Commended Scholar. The top 1%, usually about 16,000 students, are named National Merit Semifinalists. Semifinalists may go on to apply for Finalist status and potentially win scholarship money. As I mentioned above, NMSC uses its own Selection Index along with state percentiles.
What is a commended National Merit Scholar? ›Commended Students are named based on a nationally applied Selection Index score that may vary from year to year and is typically below the level required for participants to be named Semifinalists in their respective states.
How many National Merit Finalists become scholars? ›Of the 15,000 Finalists, about 8,000 receive Merit Scholarship awards. All Finalists are considered for one of the 2,500 National Merit $2,500 Scholarships.
Which college has the most National Merit Scholars? ›Enrollment at the University of Alabama reached a record this fall. It includes some of the most academically talented students and a record number of National Merit Scholars. The 38,645 students enrolled tops the previous record of 38,563 set in 2017.
What is a good PSAT score for Ivy League? ›If your ultimate goal is to attend an elite university, then you should know that a good PSAT score for Ivy League admission is to be in the 99th percentile or higher. In other words, if your main priority is getting into the Ivy League, you should aim for a composite PSAT score anywhere between 1280 and 1520.
Is 1350 a good PSAT score for a junior? ›A VERY GOOD PSAT SCORE:
This is about the 95th percentile, or a 1350 on the PSAT for juniors or 1250 for sophomores.
PSAT NMSQT Qualifying Scores for 2022
Selection Index cutoffs compare the scores of test takers in each state. You'll probably get national percentiles on your PSAT score report, but state percentiles are the ones NMSC uses to award students. The average of all the PSAT NMSQT qualifying scores is 215.
The Selection Committee members work in teams to evaluate the applications of more than 15,000 National Merit Scholarship Program Finalists, and in the span of five days, they select 2,500 scholarship winners.
Are National Merit Scholars geniuses? ›But how do you help your child prepare to achieve scores that lead to National Merit® qualification? National Merit® scholarships are not reserved for geniuses and academic whiz kids.
Does National Merit look good? ›While these letters don't include a scholarship check, they look good to admissions offices and can be listed on your college application. The remaining 16,000 students or so—those whose scores put them in the top 99th percentile in their state—become National Merit Semifinalists.
Is National Merit Finalist prestigious? ›
Many folks, in fact, believe that being named a National Merit Finalist means that a welcome mat will be rolled out at every college in the country ... and with a full scholarship to go with it! But, in reality, National Merit honors provide only a minimal admissions-odds boost and, often, little or no money.
Should you put National Merit Scholar on resume? ›Yes, you can put all sorts of honors on a resume or CV if you feel it's something that will impress hiring mangers, recruiters, and employers. Or if those honors are something you feel are important for them to know.
Does GPA matter for National Merit Scholarship? ›National Merit Semi-Finalist and Finalist students take their academics seriously. You must maintain a 3.5 or higher GPA to qualify for the application process and maintain that GPA throughout your four years of high school.
Should I tell colleges I am a National Merit finalist? ›However if a college offers you an award and NMSC goes out with an announcement of that award on May 1, then you are no longer able to transfer the college sponsorship, and you will be ineligible at the new institution. Therefore to be safe, make sure you report your new first choice to NMSC by April 30 at the latest.
Do National Merit finalists get full rides? ›They also offer a generous full ride scholarship for National Merit Finalists: full tuition, fees, room and board, up to the cost of attendance.
Should I put National Merit Commended on common app? ›If it is a common award such as National Merit Scholar, you won't need to elaborate any further on the application, since colleges will be familiar with the distinction. You should designate which type of award you received, though (i.e., Commended Student, Semifinalist, Finalist, or Scholar).
What percentile is a commended scholar? ›If your PSAT scores qualify you as a National Merit semifinalist (top 1% of test-takers) or a commended student (top 3-4%), that recognition should be included in your college application and can make you a more competitive applicant.
How many nms semifinalists become finalists? ›Semifinalists are invited to complete the National Merit Scholarship Application, which includes writing an essay. Of the 16,000 Semifinalists, about 15,000 will be considered Finalists. About half of the Finalists will eventually be chosen as Merit Scholarship winners.
How competitive is National Merit Scholarship? ›The National Merit Scholarship Program is extremely competitive. Out of around 1.5 million eligible high school students, the program identifies 50,000 top scorers for commendation or a scholarship. That means the program recognizes the top 3% of test-takers nationally.
What level of recognition is National Merit? ›Since you received the commended student award you should list it at the state level. National merit finalists and scholars can be listed at the national level.
What PSAT score do you need for National Merit Semifinalist? ›
The table below lists last year's cutoff scores for National Merit Scholarship semifinalist status in each state. Note that the average cutoff score is 218, but as student performance differs from state to state, the cutoff of scoring in the top 1% may vary by a few points above or below.
Is 980 on PSAT a good score? ›Nationally, the average score for the Math and Reading / Writing sections are about 490, for a total score of 980. This would put you squarely in the 50th percentile of scoring. But those averages can change depending on the college you're hoping to apply to.
Is a 550 PSAT score good? ›We can define a "good" PSAT score as one that's higher than the 75th percentile. This means you scored equal to or higher than 75% of all other test takers. For juniors, 75th percentile scores are around 560 to 590 in each section, or about 1150 in total.
What SAT score will get you a full scholarship? ›So you're probably wondering, What's a good SAT score for scholarships, and how can I find them? The short answer is that you should aim for an SAT score between 1200 and 1600 if you want to secure some scholarships based on merit–and the higher within that range you score the more money you're looking at.
What is a good GPA for merit scholarship? ›Minimum requirements range from around 2.0 on the lower end to 3.75 or higher for competitive academic scholarships. Generally speaking, a 3.0 GPA or higher will give you a decent shot at qualifying for a variety of scholarships.
What is the most prestigious college scholarship? ›| Name of Scholarship | Maximum Award | Deadline Month |
|---|---|---|
| Luce Scholars Program | All Expenses | October |
| Marshall Scholarships | All Expenses | October |
| National Merit Scholarship Program | $2,500 | November |
| Rhodes Scholarships | All Expenses | October |
National Merit is open to U.S. citizens who test in the U.S. in the fall of 11th grade. Only your junior year PSAT counts toward National Merit distinction and scholarships, though taking the PSAT as a sophomore or freshman can be good practice, especially if you're aiming for top scores.
What PSAT score do you need for merit? ›...
What Is the PSAT Score Range for National Merit Scholarships?
| State | Selection Index Cutoff | PSAT |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 219 | 1460 |
| Utah | 211 | 1410 |
| Vermont | 213 | 1420 |
| Virginia | 221 | 1475 |
Excellent PSAT Scores: 1170-1350
10th-grade students who scored between 1170 and 1350 on the PSAT test fall within the top 10% of all test takers.
Is National Merit finalist a big deal? ›
Now, it is pretty insignificant. You can expect an award of anywhere to $2000-8000, with many of the awards being a one-time scholarship of $2500. When a private college education costs in excess of $200,000, National Merit is not enough to make a big dent.
Does commended scholar mean anything? ›Commended Students are named based on a nationally applied Selection Index score that may vary from year to year and is typically below the level required for participants to be named Semifinalists in their respective states.
What is a good PSAT score for a junior? ›Like freshman and sophomore year, a good PSAT score junior year can be defined as a score at or above the 75th percentile. For high school juniors, based on data from test takers during the 2020-2021 school year, a “good” score in the 75th percentile is a 1150.
Does being a National Merit Scholar help you get into college? ›At the very least, doing well in the National Merit Scholarship Program can boost your odds in the college application process. Award amounts are the focus of many frequently asked questions about the scholarship program and its benefits, but dollars aren't the only measure of how Merit Scholars benefit.
Is an 1150 PSAT score good? ›A score in the 75th percentile is considered the benchmark — usually an 1150 overall. The top 1% of junior test-takers become semifinalists for National Merit scholarships.
Is 1420 a good score for PSAT? ›The average PSAT score is around 920 (460 in Math and 460 in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing), while an outstanding PSAT score (one that will qualify you as a National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist) is between 1420 and 1480.
Is 1490 a good PSAT score? ›According to the College Board, the average PSAT score is about 920, while a score between 1210 and 1520 lands you in the top 10% of test takers. This converts to a predicted SAT score between 1310 and 1570.
Is a 1360 PSAT score good? ›Using 2021 statistics from the CollegeBoard, we've listed total score ranges/cutoffs for the top percentiles. For 10th grade students taking the test (either the PSAT 10 or the PSAT/NMSQT): 99th percentile and above (“outstanding”): 1370–1520. 90th percentile (“great”): 1170.