Semifinalists in the 2026 National Merit® Scholarship Program

Today, officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC®) announced the names of more than 16,000 Semifinalists in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

Moravian Academy is proud to share that Aveer Chadha ’26, Laura Li ’26, Charlene Liu ’26, Nathaniel Schmidt ’26, and Iosif Zavilevich ’26 have been named Semifinalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Competition.

These outstanding students, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, now have the opportunity to continue in the competition for nearly 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth almost $26 million to be awarded next spring. To advance to the Finalist level, Semifinalists must meet several academic and program requirements. About 95 percent are expected to become Finalists, and roughly half of those will earn a National Merit Scholarship and the distinguished title of Merit Scholar®.

Founded in 1955, NMSC is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence. The program is supported by NMSC’s own funds as well as nearly 280 business organizations and higher education institutions.

We are incredibly proud of Aveer, Laura, Charlene, Nathaniel, and Iosif for this remarkable accomplishment and for representing Moravian Academy with academic excellence.