Montgomery, Ala. – Twenty-nine Alabama public school students are among the final group of 2009 scholarship winners announced by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).
Alabama’s winners are among more than 2,000 National Merit Finalists chosen to receive college-sponsored scholarships sponsored by 201 colleges and universities. These students join more than 2,800 other college-sponsored scholarship recipients, including 54 Alabama public school students, who were announced by the NMSC in late May.
College-sponsored scholarships provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study. To be eligible for these scholarships, students must qualify as National Merit Semifinalists, then Finalists. To advance to Finalist standing, each Semifinalist submitted a detailed scholarship application and met the following requirements:
· Outstanding academic record
· Endorsement and recommendation by high school official
· Earned SAT scores that confirmed the qualifying test performance
· Essay describing activities, interests, and goals
Established in 1955, NMSC is a not-for-profit corporation that operates without government assistance. Over the past 54 years, more than 267,000 outstanding young men and women have won National Merit Scholarships worth over $931 million. The majority of awards offered each year are underwritten by approximately 500 independent corporate and college sponsors that support NMSC efforts to recognize scholastically talented youth and encourage them in their pursuit of academic excellence.
Previous National Merit Scholarship winners from Alabama were announced in April and May. Across the nation in 2009, there are approximately 8,300 National Merit Scholars receiving scholarships worth approximately $36 million.
For more information, contact Eileen Artemakis at 847-866-5100 or mediainfo@nmerit.net.
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