On September 13, 2023, officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced the names of more than 16,000 Semifinalists in the 69th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Among the semifinalists are four Ithaca High School students:
- Mukund Gaur
- Ella Kramer
- Athena Nie
- Jan K. Vanek-Raphaelidis
The semifinalists achieved impressive scores on the 2022 PSAT / NMSQT (Practice Scholastic Assessment Test / National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test), and now have an opportunity to continue in the competition for 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be awarded next spring.
To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 95% of the Semifinalists are expected to obtain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.