June 4, 2025—The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced over 2,900 winners of National Merit Scholarships financed by U.S. colleges and universities. These awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship.
In Cobb, 14 graduates were named as recipients. These students represent Hillgrove, Lassiter, North Cobb, Pope, Walton, and Wheeler. These students join the other Cobb graduates announced earlier in the Spring.
Congratulations to the following 2025 Cobb graduates for winning scholarships at eight different universities, including six at the University of Georgia (UGA):
Ella Arnett, Lassiter, UGA Scholarship
Maksymilian Bardwell, North Cobb, UGA Scholarship
Adam W. Bethea, Walton, University of Alabama Scholarship
Samuel J. Garrow, Lassiter, American University Scholarship
Jack Hansen, Lassiter, Brigham Young Scholarship
John Hovsepian, Wheeler, Texas A&M Scholarship
Sean Shangrui Jiao, Walton, Indiana University Scholarship
Caleb Thomas Kimbrough, Hillgrove, UGA Scholarship
Owen Murphy, Walton, Florida State Scholarship
Connor Park, Walton, UGA Scholarship
Carter Ray, Walton, UGA Scholarship
Ella Tse, Walton, UGA Scholarship
Anna Claire Wright, Pope, Auburn Scholarship
Caroline Young, Lassiter, UGA Scholarship
This year, 146 higher education institutions are underwriting Merit Scholarship awards through the National Merit Scholarship Program. Sponsor colleges and universities include 74 private and 72 public institutions in 42 states and the District of Columbia. Nearly 7000 high school seniors will receive National Merit Scholarships for undergraduate college study worth almost $26 million.
The 2025 National Merit Scholarship Competition
High school juniors entered the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program when they took the 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. Last fall, more than 16,000 Semifinalists were named on a state-representational basis in numbers proportional to each state’s percentage of the national total of graduating high school seniors. Semifinalists were the highest-scoring program entrants in each state and represented less than one percent of the nation’s seniors.
To compete for Merit Scholarship awards, Semifinalists first had to advance to the Finalist level of the competition by fulfilling additional requirements. Each Semifinalist was asked to submit a detailed scholarship application, which included writing an essay and providing information about extracurricular activities, awards, and leadership positions. Semifinalists also had to have an outstanding academic record, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, and earn SAT® or ACT® scores that confirmed the qualifying test performance. From the Semifinalist group, over 15,000 met requirements for Finalist standing, and about half of the Finalists will be Merit Scholarship winners in 2025.
NMSC, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was established in 1955 to conduct the National Merit Scholarship Program. The majority of National Merit Scholarships provided each year are made possible by the support of approximately 280 independent corporate and college sponsors. These sponsors join NMSC in its efforts to enhance educational opportunities for America’s scholastically talented youth and to encourage the pursuit of academic excellence.
