Notre Dame senior Sean Higgins learned earlier this month that he is one of only approximately 1,000 distinguished high school seniors across the U.S. who have won corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship awards, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
Higgins earned the $2,500 scholarship from the National Merit National Distillers Distributors Foundation. He was one of more than 1.6 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools who entered the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program during the previous school year.
Most awards are renewable for up to four years of college undergraduate study and provide annual stipends that range from $500 to $10,000 per year, and others provide a single payment between $2,500 and $5,000, according to NMSC.
Recipients can use their awards at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university of their choice.
The scholarships are financed by about 200 corporations, company foundations and other business organizations.
Corporate sponsors provide National Merit Scholarships for finalists who are children of their employees, residents of communities the company serves, or who plan to pursue college majors the sponsor wishes to encourage, said NMSC.
The National Merit® Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®) — which serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.6 million entrants each year — and by meeting published program entry and participation requirements.
This year's merit scholarship awards divided into three types:
National Merit® $2500 Scholarships
Every Finalist competes for these single payment scholarships, which are awarded on a state-representational basis. Winners are selected without consideration of family financial circumstances, college choice, or major and career plans.
Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards
Corporate sponsors designate their awards for children of their employees or members, for residents of a community where a company has operations, or for Finalists with career plans the sponsor wishes to encourage. These scholarships may either be renewable for four years of undergraduate study or one-time awards.
College-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards
Officials of each sponsor college select winners of their awards from Finalists who have been accepted for admission and have informed NMSC by the published deadlines that the sponsor college or university is their first choice. These awards are renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study.
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame's upper school enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.