An Alexandria student was named one of the final winners of the 2025 National Merit Scholarship program

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the last round of scholarship recipients for 2025. Nearly 800 students received college-sponsored awards, joining more than 2,900 winners named earlier. In addition, 2,500 students earned $2,500 National Merit Scholarships, and about 830 were awarded corporate-sponsored scholarships.

In total, more than 7,100 students nationwide have received National Merit Scholarships this year, amounting to nearly $26 million in awards.

Among the latest winners is Zachary Baker-Heil, a student at Alexandria City High School. He was one of 15 students recognized in the final round, earning a scholarship from Purdue University, where he plans to study aerospace engineering.

Students qualify for the National Merit Scholarship competition by taking the PSAT as juniors. Roughly 16,000 semifinalists were named based on state-by-state proportions of graduating seniors, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors.

To advance to finalist standing, semifinalists submitted applications that included essays, extracurriculars, awards, leadership roles, academic records, and a recommendation from a school official. They also had to earn SAT or ACT scores consistent with their PSAT performance.

Around 15,000 students achieved finalist status, making them eligible for corporate-sponsored, National Merit Scholarship Corporation-sponsored, and college-sponsored awards. Since its founding more than 70 years ago, the National Merit Scholarship Program has recognized about 389,000 students with awards totaling nearly $1.4 billion.