National Merit Scholarship Program Names 2027 Semifinalists in Los Angeles County The National Merit Scholarship Corporation has announced the 2027 semifinalists, representing less than 1% of high school seniors, who will compete for over 6,700 scholarships worth nearly $24 million. The winners will be selected based on academic achievements and contributions to their communities, with notifications sent out between April and July next year. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced on Wednesday, Sept. 9, its 2027 list of semifinalist high school students who will now compete for a share of about 6,700 scholarships worth almost $24 million. Winners will be announced nationally between April and July next year. This is the 72nd annual competition. High school juniors - 11th graders - entered the 2027 academic competition by taking the 2025 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. More than 1.2 million juniors, in about 20,000 high schools, entered the competition by taking the qualifying test.The highest-scoring students in each state represent the pool of semifinalists who, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, represent less than 1% of United States high school seniors. The next step for a semifinalist to become a finalist is to complete the required application that includes their SAT or ACT scores, an essay and a letter of recommendation by a high school official.Finalists are then chosen on the basis of academic record, their participation in community and school activities, how they have demonstrated leadership ability, employment, awards and honors received. From the group of about 16,000 Semifinalists, more than 15,000 are expected to advance to the finalist level. Students will be notified in February 2027 if they are Finalists.All National Merit Scholarship winners are selected from this group of finalists, and about half of those are expected to win a scholarship from three categories. In 2027, about 700 corporate-sponsored awards will be given out by about 120 corporations and business organizations for finalists who meet their specified criteria (such as children of the grantor's employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants or offices are located).About 140 colleges and universities finance about 3,500 awards for finalists who will attend the sponsor's institution. The National Merit Scholarship winners, chosen on the basis of accomplishments, skills and potential for college success, are selected from the February finalists group. Winners are notified, on a rolling basis, in 2027 from April to July. The 2027 scholarship winners join the nearly 395,000 past winners who have earned the title of Merit Scholar.Here is the list of semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program in Los Angeles County by school location and the school name:High school students interested in applying in future years need to talk to their school counselor to make arrangements to take the PSAT/NMSQT test. Registration is through the high school and not by the students.For information on the competition,The National Merit Scholarship Corporation was established in 1955 and is an independent, not-for-profit group that does not operate with government assistance. The goals of the organization are to reward academically-dedicated students, encourage academic excellence at all levels of education, promote a deeper respect for learning in general and to encourage individuals and organizations to sponsor scholarships.The National Merit Scholarship Program honors individual students who demonstrate "exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies.