A total of 22 Florida Atlantic University High School students have been named semifinalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program, and 29 seniors have been recognized as Commended Students. Students were selected from more than 1.3 million juniors from about 21,000 high schools nationwide that participated in the 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. These distinctions celebrate our students’ hard work and academic excellence, underscoring FAU High School’s commitment to fostering an environment of rigor and success. Semifinalists represent less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors in America.

To compete for National Merit Scholarships, Semifinalists must advance to the Finalist level of the competition by submitting a detailed scholarship application, which includes their academic record, extracurricular activities, demonstration of leadership abilities, employment, honors, and awards. They also must be endorsed by a high school official, write an essay, and perform well on the SAT. Finalists will be notified in February 2025, and the 2025 National Merit Scholarship finalists will be announced in the summer of 2025. 

These Semifinalists will progress through the rigorous application process as they work towards Finalist and Scholar status with NMSC. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation expects about 95% of Semifinalists to earn Finalist standing.

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