National Merit Awards

National Merit^® Scholarship Program

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition among high school students for recognition and college undergraduate 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.