National Achievement Scholarship Program

Black students who achieve high scores on the PSAT can also compete in a separate NMSC competition known as the National Achievement Scholarship Program. The subsequent designations are similar to that in the National Merit Scholarship Program.

Of 130,000 entrants, 3,000 students are referred to colleges for academic achievement. The 1,600 highest scorers in this group are designated as Semifinalists and are eligible for scholarships. Around 1,300 go on to be named Finalists and nearly 800 receive scholarships. These, like the National Merit Scholarship program, include $2500 scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and corporate-sponsored scholarships. Required scores for participation in the National Achievement Scholarship Program are selected on a regional basis.