Six Bloomington seniors are semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program. From Jefferson High School: Brynne DeBrule, Justin Kramer, Mia Quynh Nguyen and Zachary Pikus. From Kennedy High School: Emma Jacobson-Dunlop and Sidney Zuchowski.
Very few students make this list. More than 1.2 million students entered the competition by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test as juniors in 2025. The semifinalist pool covers less than 1% of the country's high school seniors and is made up of the highest scorers in each state. Because the cutoff is set state by state, these 6 were competing against other Minnesota juniors, not the whole country.
National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced more than 16,000 semifinalists nationwide on Sept. 9, 2026, in the program's 72nd year. The organization expects more than 15,000 of them to become finalists. To get there, a semifinalist has to submit a detailed scholarship application covering their academic record, school and community activities and leadership. They also need an endorsement and recommendation from a high school official, an essay, and SAT or ACT scores that confirm their qualifying test result.
Making finalist doesn't guarantee money. About 6,700 National Merit Scholarships worth roughly $24 million will be awarded, so about half of finalists are expected to get one. The organization says winners are picked 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."
There are 3 kinds of awards: the National Merit $2,500 Scholarship, corporate-sponsored scholarships and college-sponsored scholarships. Finalists will be announced in February. Winners will be named in 4 national releases that start in April and end in July. Until then, 6 Bloomington families have essays to nag about.
