Latest National Merit Scholarship Winners Include Loudoun County Students

ASHBURN, VA — The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced additional scholarship winners on Wednesday, and five students with Loudoun County connections are in the mix.

More than 2,900 scholarships sponsored by colleges and universities have been awarded to students. The winning students were selected from the National Merit Scholarship 2025 finalists and plan to attend the college or university sponsoring the scholarship.

The scholarships provide between $500 and $2,000 each year for up to four years of undergraduate study at the sponsoring institution. There are 146 colleges and universities from 42 states and the District of Columbia sponsoring awards.

The latest winners include 25 students from Virginia.

Siona Bhardwaj, a student at Independence High School, received a University of South Florida scholarship and plans to study medicine.

Eric L. Kendall, a student at Briar Woods High School, is receiving a scholarship from University of Alabama and plans to study finance.

Manvita Kancharla, a student at John Champe High School, got a scholarship from Purdue University and intends to study computer science.

Siddarth R. Kumar, a student from South Riding attending Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, received a scholarship from Purdue University and plans to study aerospace engineering.

Samuel J. Buchanan, a student from Vienna who attends Loudoun School for Advanced Studies, received a scholarship from Purdue University and intends to study mechanical engineering.

Students were entered into the 2025 National Merit Scholarship competition when they took the 2023 PSAT. More than 16,000 students earned semifinalist status, the highest-scoring students based on each state's percentage of graduating seniors. Semifinalists represent less than 1 percent of high school seniors in the U.S.

To earn finalist status and be eligible for scholarships, semifinalists had to submit a detailed application with an essay and information about extracurricular activities, awards, and leadership positions. Students also had to have a proven outstanding academic record, be recommended by a high school official and earn SAT or ACT scores reaffirming their PSAT performance. Over 15,000 students met finalist status requirements, and an estimated half will win National Merit Scholarships in 2025.

More than 6,930 students will receive National Merit Scholarships collectively totaling nearly $26 million in 2025. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced winners of corporate-sponsored scholarships in April and winners of its own National Merit $2500 Scholarships in May. Additional college-sponsored scholarship winners will be announced in July.