Five Canterbury Students Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

High school juniors entered the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2020 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. 

All five will now have a chance to compete for 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $30 million. To become a finalist, the semifinalist and their school must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the semifinalist's academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. 

From the approximately 16,000 semifinalists, about 15,000 are expected to advance to the finalist level, and in February they will be notified of this designation. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of finalists. Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference. 

Three types of scholarships will be awarded in the spring of 2022. There will be 2,500 scholarships worth $2,500 as well as more than 1,000 corporate-sponsored scholarships from 220 corporations. In addition, more than 180 colleges and universities are expected to offer some 4,000 college-sponsored scholarships.
 

Congratulations again to our semifinalists for this incredible achievement!