Mass Academy Students Selected as Semifinalists in National Merit Scholarship Program
Mass Academy of Math and Science at WPI (Mass Academy) is pleased to announce that eight seniors have been named Semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program. Recently, officials of National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced the names of more than 16,000 Semifinalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program.
The eight seniors from Mass Academy, Cecilia Carbonell (Dunstable), Erica Dong (Worcester), Massimo Grisanti (Mendon), Rishab Nair (Westborough), Armaan Priyadarshan (Upton), Abhinav Sharma (Westford), Daniel Shi (Westborough), and Samantha Wang (Westborough), along with the other semifinalists, have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,870 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $26 million that will be offered next spring.
“We continue to be extraordinarily proud of the accomplishments of these and all Mass Academy students. Their drive, curiosity, perseverance, passion for learning, and willingness to face challenges head-on are truly inspiring. This recognition of the students’ scholastic achievement is a testament to the support and education provided to our students by their families, their sending schools, Mass Academy, and WPI,” states Mass Academy Director Anne Ludes.
To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 95 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title. NMSC, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by approximately 280 business organizations, higher education institutions, and individual donors that share NMSC’s goals of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.
Steps in the 2025 Competition
High school juniors entered the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. 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, in which they provide information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. 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 confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.
From over 16,000 Semifinalists, about 15,000 are expected to advance to the Finalist level, and in February they will be notified of this designation. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of Finalists. Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.
National Merit Scholarships
Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2025. Every Finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $2500 Scholarships that will be awarded on a state-representational basis. About 770 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 130 corporations and business organizations for Finalists who meet their specified criteria, such as children of the grantor’s employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants or offices are located. In addition, about 150 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 3,600 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for Finalists who will attend the sponsor institution. National Merit Scholarship winners of 2025 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join nearly 382,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.
Congratulations to our Semifinalists!
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