According to the 2025 National Merit® Scholarship Program, Noah and Erin are amongst more than 16,000 Semifinalists across the country who were notified that they had qualified. They were selected out of the 1.3 million students in about 21,000 high schools entered in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program.
They will now submit an application for Finalist consideration in which they provide their academic records, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment and honors and awards received and a personal essay. Additionally, they need to be endorsed and recommended by a high school official and have an outstanding academic record throughout high school.
NMSC, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by approximately 410 business organizations and higher education institutions that share NMSC’s goals of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.