AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than 800 high school students in Texas have been named winners in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the winners in four batches since April. The final list of winners was released this month.
Nationwide, more than 7,100 applicants received a scholarship, meaning Texas students made up about 11% of the winners. In total, the scholarships are worth nearly $26 million.
To be considered, students must take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) in their junior year. The highest-scoring students in each state are named semifinalists, and the number from each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of all graduating students nationwide. More than 1,700 Texas students were named semifinalists.
The semifinalists then had to submit a detailed application, including information about their academic record and participation in school and community activities, as well as any employment, honors and awards and demonstrated leadership abilities. They also had to be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay and take the SAT or ACT, to confirm their earlier performance in the qualifying test.
About 15,000 semifinalists were named finalists across the country, with about half of those chosen to receive a National Merit scholarship.
Scholarship money in the program comes from funds from the National Merit Scholarship Program itself, as well as from around 280 business organizations and higher education institutions.
About 389,000 students have earned the Merit Scholar title since 1955.