The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced the names of more than 16,000 Semifinalists and 34,000 Commended Students in the 69th annual National Merit Scholarship Competition. The Semifinalists have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,870 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered in the spring.
To be considered for a National Merit Scholarship award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 95% of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.
High school juniors entered the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Competition by taking the 2023 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. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.
Bravo to our 13 semifinalists announced from MICDS:
- Mac Froedge ’25
- Katherine Hunter ’25
- Joe Intagliata ’25
- Ric Jain ’25
- Jeremy Kalishman ’25
- Abhinav Katyal ’25
- Zack Krivonak ’25
- Diya Makkapati ’25
- Yash Malhotra ’25
- James Morey ’25
- Arjun Puri ’25
- Jason Song ’25
- Bowen Zhao ’25
Congratulations to the following five seniors who have received Letters of Commendation:
- Ian Boon ’25
- Saivi Gadi ’25
- Sanjana Gandhi ’25
- Alex Shamsham ’25
- Joseph Walsh ’25
Matt Essman, Director of College Counseling, said, “The accomplishment of these students is a testament to the rigorous, well-rounded education offered at MICDS. We are proud to have these seniors represented among other high-achieving peers nationwide. We can only imagine the bright future for these young scholars.”
Way to shine, Rams!