Semifinalist positions are determined by comparing the best PSAT in every state, which total up to be approximately 16,000 semifinalists nationwide.

“When my scores came back, I was like ‘Oh! This is actually high enough,’’” Erin Heidrick said. “I could actually be National Merit.”

Levels of preparation varied among the semifinalists. Heidrick did not choose to pursue extracurricular test preparation, while Iyengar took a school-funded prep course.

“There was a class the councilors set up from Kaplan,” Svaksha Iyengar said. “[It was] given for free to the sophomores that scored very high on the PSAT their sophomore year so that they do well their junior year too.”

Additional scholarships from colleges have been offered to semifinalists, which can total up to a full ride for the seniors.

“They kind of treat you like a princess,” Heidrick said. “I’ve been invited to dinners and stuff for different colleges.”

These seniors will also compete for some of the 7,500 National Merit Scholarships next spring. The scholarships are worth about $33 million.

“It definitely eases up the financial burden of college,” Iyengar said. “I’d be really appreciative if I got the scholarship.”

Having been recognized for the National Merit program, semifinalists and their families are delighted for their student.

“My parents were really, really excited [for me],” Iyengar said. “They thought it was really, really cool.”

The names of the 2017 National Merit semifinalists were released Sept. 14. Application to be a National Merit finalist is currently ongoing. Advancing semifinalists will be notified in February of their progression within the National Merit program.

“It’s a really big honor,” Iyengar said. “The fact that I was able to get that score, and that high of a score. It’s a big deal to me.”

To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 90 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and about 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 420 business organizations and higher education institutions that share NMSC’s goals of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.

About 1.6 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2015 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSATINMSQT®), 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 his or her high school 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 through-out high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT® scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

From the approximately 16,000 Semifinalists, about 15,000 are expected to advance to the Finalist level, and in February they will be notified of this designation.

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.

10 Commended National Merit Scholars — Allie Alford, Hannah Andersen, Aubrey Davenport, Meghan Davis, Ben Grawe, Alex Howe, Bryden Jones, Elliot Mayer, Richard Nguyen, and Luke Tucke