Westfield Student Named Semifinalist In National Awards Program

WESTFIELD, NJ — A senior at Westfield High School was named a semifinalist for the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Grace Matus advanced out of a group of more than 1.3 million students from 20,000 high schools nationwide after passing the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). After this initial round of screening, the pool is narrowed down to just 16,000, less than one percent of all high school seniors in the United States.

The students will now advance to the "Finalists" round by meeting certain academic standards and submitting a scholarship application along with an official from their school. Each student will then be advanced based on academic record, extracurricular activities, demonstrations of leadership, an essay, and their SAT or ACT scores.

According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), more than 15,000 of these applicants are estimated to move forward. Around half of them will then be named winners of one of three different types of awards totaling $26 million and selected based on skills, accomplishments, and potential for future success as determined by the NMSC.

Finalists will be notified in February. Award winners will then be announced over different stages beginning in April 2026.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation is a nonprofit organization that is independent from any government assistance. It was established in 1955 on the goal of carrying out a nationwide merit program. Scholarships are underwritten by the NMSC with its own funds, and with the help of 300 business organizations, higher education facilities, and individual donors.

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