172 high school seniors named semifinalists in 2011 National Merit Scholarship Program

CHARLESTON, SC – September 15, 2010 – One hundred seventy-twostudents in 56 public high schools across South Carolina are among the16,000 semifinalists announced today in the 56th annual National MeritScholarship program. They will vie for 8,400 scholarships worth morethan $36 million that will be offered next spring.

About 90 percent of semifinalists are expected to advance to thefinalist level, and approximately half of those will eventually earn ascholarship, according to the non-profit National Merit Scholarship Corporation. 

The Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics in Hartsville had the largest number of students attaining semifinalist status – 18. Charleston County’s Academic Magnet High School in North Charleston had 17 students make the grade.

“I congratulate all of our semifinalists for their pursuit of academicexcellence,” said State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex.“Semifinalist status puts them in the top one percent of our nation’shigh school seniors and proves they are truly scholastic champions.” 

Nine home-schooled students in the state also qualified assemifinalists, along with 37 students from 23 private schools.  Morethan 1.5 million juniors in over 22,000 high schools entered the 2011National Merit Program by taking the 2009 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which serves as an initial screening.

The number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’spercentage of the national total of graduating seniors.  To advance tothe finalist stage, a semifinalist must have an outstanding academicrecord throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the highschool principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’searlier  performance on the qualifying test. 

A detailed scholarship application – including an essay and informationabout the student’s participation and leadership in school and communityactivities – also is required.  Merit Scholars will be selected fromthe finalist pool on the basis of their skills, accomplishments andpotential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard togender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.

Scholarship awards will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning next April and concluding in July.