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FAIRFIELD, CT — Eight students from Fairfield have been named semifinalists in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced this week.
The eight students who were named semifinalists:
Fairfield Prep
James Demers
Arnav Sharma
Ryan Sheppard
Fairfield Ludlowe High School
Nishka Desai
Nianhan Kwok
Caroline Louie
Fairfield Warde High School
Anshika Sinha
Anshul Sinha
Nationwide, more than 16,000 semifinalists have been named, and these academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring.
The more than 16,000 semifinalists represent less than 1 percent of the more than 1.3 million students who took the 2024 PSAT/NMSQT qualifying exam.
To be considered for a scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition, and about 95 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing.
Of that 95 percent, approximately half of those finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title.
According to the National Merit corporation, three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2026.
All the finalists will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit® $2500 Scholarships that will be awarded on a state-representational basis.
About 830 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 150 corporations and business organizations for finalists who meet their specified criteria, such as children of the grantor’s employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants or offices are located.
And finally, about 150 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 3,600 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.
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