Five students from Roslyn High School have been named finalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program, a nationwide academic competition that recognizes high-performing high school seniors.
The finalists are Benjamin Davidson, Caitlin Lee, Matthew Lin, Amy Yang Wu and Micah Zarin.
As finalists, the students are now eligible to compete for National Merit Scholarships, which will be awarded later this spring. The scholarships are funded by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and are provided by the organization itself, corporate sponsors and participating colleges and universities.
The National Merit Scholarship Program is one of the nation’s most prestigious academic competitions for high school students. About 1.3 million students enter the program every year by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test during their junior year.
From that group, roughly 16,000 students are named semifinalists, representing the highest scorers in each state. To become finalists, students must submit a detailed scholarship application that includes academic records, leadership activities, a personal essay and a recommendation from a school official, while also confirming strong academic performance throughout high school.
About 15,000 semifinalists advance to finalist standing, and approximately half of those finalists ultimately receive National Merit Scholarships, which may include one-time awards from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, corporate-sponsored scholarships or renewable college-sponsored scholarships.
Scholarship winners are typically announced in several rounds between April and July.
