Four Columbia High School seniors have been named National Merit Finalists, meaning they remain eligible for National Merit Scholarships given out nationwide this spring.
- Sophia Culver
- Simon O’Connor
- Joseph Vitali
- Clara Xin
Ms. Culver, Mr. O’Connor, Mr. Vitali and Ms. Xin were named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists in the fall after scoring in the top 1 percent of the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
Only approximately 15,000 students from across the country were named finalists, and half of those students will become Merit Scholarship winners.
Congratulations to Columbia High School seniors Sophia Culver, Simon O’Connor, Joseph Vitali and Clara Xin who were named National Merit Finalists! @Columbia_HS_BD pic.twitter.com/srtfMvVY87
— East Greenbush CSD (@EGreenbushCSD) March 1, 2021
Types of Merit Scholarships
- Merit Scholarships: 2,500 National Merit $2500 Scholarships
- Corporate-sponsored Scholarships: Each year about 220 corporations, company foundations, and professional associations finance approximately 2,100 scholarships for National Merit Program (1,000 which go to finalists)
- College-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards: About 180 four-year regionally accredited U.S. colleges and universities annually support about 4,100 National Merit Scholarships that can be used only at the respective sponsor institution. A sponsor college may decide to offer a Merit Scholarship award to every eligible Finalist who is admitted to the institution or choose to limit the number of awards it provides. A college-sponsored Merit Scholarship award is renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study at the sponsor institution.