Marlboro & Colts Neck Students Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists – Patch
MARLBORO-COLTS NECK, NJ — Five Marlboro and Colts Neck students have been named semifinalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Over 16,000 high school seniors across the country were named semifinalists for the prestigious honor, with a chance to continue in the competition for the 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million.
The Marlboro and Colts Neck students who made the list are as follows:
Marlboro High School
Colts Neck High School
To advance to the finalist level of the competition, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements, including those that provide information about the semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, employment and more.
About 95% of semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and about half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, officials said, earning the Merit Scholar title.
Over 1.3 million juniors in about 20,000 high schools entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which serves as an initial screening of program entrants.
The nationwide pool of semifinalists, which represents less than 1% of current high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring students in each state.
To reach the finals, the semifinalist and high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application about the student’s academic record, school and community activities, leadership qualities, employment, and honors and awards received.
This year’s National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring. Every finalist will compete for one of 2,500 scholarships worth $2,500.
To learn more about the National Merit Scholarship, you can visit their website.
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