The following Moorestown High School students were named semifinalists for the National Merit Scholarship Program: Olivia Barnes, Jonathan Chang, Zayb Khan, Iniya Malaikani, Zoya Shaikh, Neeka Vojdani and Colin Webster.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced more than 16,000 semifinalists nationwide in the 71st annual merit scholarship program. The finalists – who are seniors – will have the opportunity to compete for approximately 6,930 scholarships worth a total of nearly $26 million that will awarded next spring, according to TAPinto Middletown.
The scholarship program is an annual academic competition among high-school students that began in 1955, according to the NMSC. U.S. students enter the program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test ((PSAT/NMSQT), which serves as an initial screen of more than 1.3 million entrants each year, and by meeting published program entry and participation requirements.
Juniors at roughly 20,000 high schools entered the 2026 competition by taking the 2024 PSAT/NMSQT. From all the semifinalists, more than 15,000 students are expected to advance to finalist standing and will be notified in February. National Merit Scholarship winners will be announced from April through July 2026.
