National Merit Scholarship

American  

noun

1. one of some 7,500 college scholarships awarded annually since 1955 by the nonprofit, grant-supported National Merit Scholarship Corporation, to high school students National Merit Scholars on the basis of scholastic record, personal character, and score on a test administered nationally.

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Example Sentences

Each year about 1.5 million students enter the National Merit Scholarship competition by taking the PSAT/NMSQT, a nationwide standardized test.

From Washington Post • Jan. 4, 2023

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which oversees the competition, advises high schools to notify students of this distinction — a process that did not happen until late this fall at Thomas Jefferson, parents said.

From Washington Post • Dec. 29, 2022

Forty-two students at Interlake High School, a public school in Bellevue, are National Merit Scholarship Program semifinalists, more than any other high school in Washington state.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 15, 2022

Out of 212 seniors, between 20 and 30 are finalists for the National Merit Scholarship each year, according to principal Stephen Covert.

From Salon • May 1, 2022

Forty students at Interlake High School, a public school in Bellevue, are National Merit Scholarship Program semifinalists, more than any other high school in Washington state.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 26, 2021