Oswego East High School students named 2021-2022 National Merit Scholarship competition semifinalists

Oswego School District 308 recently announced that Oswego East High School students Aryav Bothra and Zayd A. Khan have been named as semifinalists in the 67th annual 2021-2022 National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) Program.

Approximately 1.5 million high schools across the country enter the National Merit Scholarship Program each year. To qualify for the program, students must take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which serves as an initial screening of program entrants. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

These academically talented national semifinalists have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million that will be offered next spring.

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. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of finalists. 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.

Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by approximately 400 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.

Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2022. Every Finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit® $2,500 Scholarships that will be awarded on a state-representational basis. About 1,000 corporate-sponsored merit scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 220 corporations and business organizations for finalists who meet their specified criteria, such as children of the grantor’s employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants or offices are located. In addition, about 180 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 4,100 college-sponsored merit scholarship awards for finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.

In a statement, the school district extended congratulations to Aryav Bothra and Zayd Khan on their outstanding accomplishment.