Are you a high school student seeking financial aid? Are you a resident of the United States? Are you a black American?
Do you desire to acquire a higher education but do not have the finances needed? College finances can be excruciatingly cumbersome.
I bring to you the National Achievement Scholarship program. You can also read THE KENTUCKY FREID CHICKEN – KFC FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP 2024
OVERVIEW OF THE NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
The National Achievement Scholarship Program is a program created specifically for African-Americans who desire to attain higher educational excellence.
It was established in 1964, the same year the Civil Rights Act was passed, to create opportunities and encourage outstanding Black American high school students of all ages who need financial aid.
The students chosen for the scholarship are chosen based on their performance on the PSAT or NMSQT, which is a necessary criterion for consideration for the scholarship.
Since its inception, it has awarded thousands of qualified, academically excellent students as a means of encouraging and supporting these students.
The National Achievement Scholarship Program is conducted by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
There are three stages of screening for students who qualify for the scholarship. Over 4.6 million African American students have applied for the scholarship by taking the compulsory PSAT and about two hundred and twenty-eight thousand students have gained recognition through this program.
Out of these honored students, only about 34 thousand have received the scholarship and earned the title of Achievement Scholar.
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Due to the National Achievement Award being sponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Competition (NMSC), students who met the criteria could apply for both the National Achievement Award and the National Merit Scholarship Competition.
Just like the NMSC, eligible students go through processes to become finalists and be awarded scholarships.
To be considered for the scholarship, thousands of high school students in their junior year or sophomore year are expected to take the preliminary SAT/NMSQT, a standardized test compulsory for the selection of candidates who move on to the next stage of the competition.
The screening of students who take the PSAT or NMSQT is usually done by the National Merit Scholarship Co-operation.
During the existence of the National Achievement Scholarship Award, students who scored 200 out of 240 points pass the first stage and are then considered for recognition.
This usually takes months, as the students are expected to be in their senior year at the time of the semi-finals of the competition.
The selection of the students who will advance to the next stage is done in line with the approved cut-off mark of 200 and other criteria, such as the scores of the highest-scoring students as well as the population of students who meet the cut-off mark criteria.
After these “talented” Black-American students are identified through the initial screening, they are notified of their status as either commended students or semifinalists.
The students identified as commendable students receive a letter of commendation for their relentless efforts but do not proceed to the next stage.
The semi-finalists, on the other hand, who are the participants with the highest scores in each state, make up about one percent (1%) of the population of black American high school seniors.
The students who make it to the semifinals are asked to submit a detailed scholarship application, which includes an essay along with information on extracurricular activities, leadership positions held and the awards these students have received.
Out of these students, about a thousand of them are chosen as finalists to compete in the National Achievement Scholars Awards.
Unfortunately, in 2015, the National Achievement Scholarship program was concluded.
And with it came the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), a scholarship program created to honor high-achieving college graduates.
Consequently, black American high school students were in need of a scholarship program and were welcomed by the National Merit Scholarship Program, whose criteria are similar to those of the National Achievement Awards but not in terms of race or religion, as the NMSP is open to all high school students, irrespective of their race or religion.
SUMMARY OF THE NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
The NASP was a scholarship program run by the National Merit Scholarship Program, a non-profit scholarship program created specifically for black American high school students who need financial aid.
The award is merit-based, as participants are chosen based on their qualifications and academic excellence.
Over time, the program has awarded over 34,000 Black-American students, creating for them better opportunities and rooms for the attainment of academic excellence.
It awarded annual funds of not less than two thousand, five hundred dollars ($2,500) to students who met the criteria.
Students are notified of the status of their scholarships from their respective high schools. Due to the abrupt end of the National Achievement Scholarship Program, black American high school students now take part in the National Merit Scholarship Program, where they stand to be awarded funds ranging from two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) to eight thousand dollars ($8,000).
The program aimed to provide black American students with educational awards as well as honor them with the Achievement Scholarship award.
This gives them the title of achievement scholars, which opens them to further opportunities and recognition
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COVERAGE OF THE NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
- Scholarship awards with funds of not less than two thousand, five hundred dollars ($2,500)
- Students awarded the scholarship get recognition from other corporations,, which creates future opportunities for them.
- Awarded students are qualified to apply for any college scholarship of their choice.
- Students are honored with the National Achievement Award and the National Achievement Scholars Title.
REQUIREMENTS, ELIGIBILITY, AND CRITERIA FOR FIRTHE NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
- Participants must be African Americans.
- Students who wish to participate in the scholarship must be high school juniors or high school students in their sophomore year.
- The students must be lawful residents of the United States.
- The students must take the preliminary SAT/NMSQT exams and obtain a score of at least 200 out of the 240 overscores.
- They must submit an essay as well as information about their achievements in their semifinals to qualify as finalists.
APPLICATION FOR THE NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Students register for the scholarship program by registering and partaking in the preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).
This test is a standardized one co-sponsored in the United States by the NMSC and is used as a means of identifying qualified students. Applications usually begin in April.
The registration for this exam is not done individually but is done by high schools,, which are members of the College Board. High schools are expected to register via the website: www.collegeboard.org
Note: Students are notified by their schools of their status in the scholarship program. But submission of essays and other documents are to be done using the NMSC’s Online Scholarship Application (OSA) via http://osa.nationalmerit.org
Deadline: All applications should be done before October of the year of registration.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, YOU CAN VISIT THE NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP AWARD’S OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.nationalmerit.org
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What score do I need for the national merit scholarships?
Following the end of the National Achievement Scholarship Program, the National Merit Scholarship Program took over.
Despite this, it has an almost similar score requirement as the National Achievement program.
For the NMSC, the average cut-off mark is accurately 215, although certain areas of America, such as Massachusetts and New Jersey, may require a higher score.
What is the National Achievement Scholarship Program?
The NASP was a scholarship program made specifically for black-American high school students who neededed financial aid.
These students must meet certain criteria as well as take certain compulsory exams to qualify for the scholarship.
The scholarship was sponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. The program was created to give extraordinary black-American students opportunities as well as honorary status.
How do I apply for the National Achievement Scholarship Program?
Students who sought to apply for the scholarship had to take the Preliminary SAT exams,, which are done by their respective high schools and subsequently apply by using NMSC’s Online Scholarship Application via http://osa.nationalmerit.org
CONCLUSION
The National Merit Scholarship Program is a program that has greatly influenced the lives of hundreds of thousands of black-American students.
It provided opportunities, paved the way for many high school students and contributed to achieving academic excellence.
