More than 16,000 high school seniors have been named semifinalists in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program, with six students from Middle Georgia included on the list. The announcement was made Wednesday by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
These students are now eligible to compete for nearly 7,000 college scholarships worth almost $26 million, which will be awarded in the spring. The selection of semifinalists came from a pool of over 1.3 million high school juniors who took the 2024 PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, “The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.”
To advance to finalist status and be considered for a scholarship award, semifinalists must meet additional requirements set by the program. About 15,000 students across the country are expected to move forward as finalists and will receive notification in February.
Finalists will then be considered for $2,500 National Merit scholarships as well as other awards sponsored by corporations and colleges or universities that will be announced later in the academic year.
The six Middle Georgia semifinalists represent local schools and join their peers nationwide in this competitive process.
