Arlington Student Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist

ARLINGTON, MA — Arlington High School senior Ethan Phan was announced Wednesday as a national semifinalist in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Hundreds of students from Massachusetts and more than 16,000 students nationwide were named semifinalists in the scholarship program, now in its 69th year.

These high school seniors now look to advance to the next round of competition and ultimately will hope to share in more than 7,000 scholarships collectively worth nearly $28 million, which will be offered in the spring.

Students qualifying as semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level. About 95 percent of semifinalists will fulfill those requirements and become finalists with about half of the finalists winning a National Merit Scholarship.

The semifinalist pool represents less than one percent of all high school seniors across the country, and the number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state's percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

To become a finalist, the semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, including information about the semifinalist's academic record, school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, honors and awards.

A semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT or ACT scores that are in line with their PSAT scores from the previous year.

National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2024 in three categories: 2,500 National Merit $2,500 Scholarships, 840 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarships from 160 corporations and business organizations nationwide, and 3,800 college-sponsored National Merit Scholarships.