3 Eagle County seniors are among the 16,000 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists
Tyler Hopkins, Elias Grimsley and William Zurbay are in the running for the 7,140 merit scholarships worth nearly $28 million
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation has announced the 16,000 semifinalists for the 69th annual program. Among this group are three Eagle County high school seniors: Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy’s Tyler Hopkins as well as Vail Mountain School’s Elias Grimsley and William Zurbay.
Hopkins, Grimsley and Zurbay will now have an opportunity to continue to compete for the 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next spring. According to the scholarship program, around 95% of the semifinalists are expected to advance as finalists, and only half of the finalists will earn a National Merit Scholarship. Finalists will be named in February, and scholarships will be awarded in the spring.
The 16,000 semifinalists are selected from the over 1.3 million juniors from 21,000 high schools that entered the 2024 National Merit Scholarship by taking the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The semifinalists represent less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors and the highest-scoring entrants in each state.
There are several requirements that these students must fulfill to advance as a finalist. All semifinalists and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application that includes information about the student’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, leadership abilities, employment and other honors and awards received.
In addition, to become a finalist, all 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 match their scores on an earlier qualifying test.
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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.
Three types of merit scholarships will be awarded to these designees in the spring of 2024.
This includes 2,500 scholarships worth $2,500 represented on a state-representational basis. An additional 840 corporate-sponsored scholarships will be awarded by 160 corporations and business organizations that meet their specific criteria. And 3,8000 college-sponsored scholarships will be awarded by 160 colleges and universities to finalists who attend their institution.
