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National Merit Scholarship
The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition among high school students for recognition and college scholarships that began in 1955. The program is conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC®), a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance. United States high school students enter the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which serves as an initial screen of over 1.3 million entrants each year, and by meeting published program entry and participation requirements.
Grade Level/Age
High school students
Deadline
Organization
National Merit Scholarship Corporation
Website
Category
Merit
Award information
$10,000
Eligibility Requirements
- be enrolled as a high school student (traditional or homeschooled), progressing normally toward graduation or completion of high school by 2025, and planning to accept admission to college no later than the fall of 2025;
- attend high school in the United States, District of Columbia, or U.S. commonwealths and territories; or meet the citizenship requirements for students attending high school outside the United States; and
- take the 2023 PSAT/NMSQT in the specified year of the high school program and no later than the third year in grades 9 through 12, regardless of grade classification or educational pattern