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Competition for National Merit Scholarships has entered the semifinalist round. Students mow will vie for finalist status based on grades, courses taken, recommendation by their school principal and essays.
National Merit scholars are rewarded with an array of scholarships, which can cover up to the entire amount of tuition and other school costs.
Of the 3.1-million high school juniors nationwide who took the PSAT in 2002, 50,000 high scorers were recognized last April and recommended to their top two colleges of choice.
Recently at high schools across the nation, 16,000 of these students found out they are semifinalists. In February, they'll know if they made the top 15,000 finalists, eligible for 8,000 state-alloted $2,500 scholarships.
Finalists are also eligible for 1,100 scholarships sponsored by corporations and 4,400 renewable scholarships from colleges. College-sponsored awards are renewable for up to four years and provide stipends ranging from $500 to $2,000.
The National Merit Scholarship Corp., in its 49th year, has awarded more than $1-billion to 2.4-million students.
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