Osbourn High School senior Victoria Ingram has been named a Semifinalist in the prestigious National Merit Scholarship Program, placing her among the nation’s top high school scholars. She was recognized during a surprise celebration at Osbourn High School, attended by administrators, Superintendent Dr. Kevin Newman, members of the School Board, and her family.
“Victoria is by far one of the hardest working and future focused students at Osbourn,” said Principal Dr. Jennifer Chapman. “It is very rewarding to see that the hard work she has put in and the example she has set for her peers has earned her the National Merit Semifinalist commendation.”
The National Merit Scholarship Program, established in 1955, is an annual academic competition for recognition and college undergraduate scholarships administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. More than 1.3 million high school students from 20,000 U.S. high schools entered the 2026 competition by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) as juniors.
More than 16,000 scholars—representing less than one percent of the nation’s high school graduating seniors—qualify as Semifinalists each year.
Semifinalists advance by submitting a scholarship application in which they provide information about their academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT® or ACT® scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.
About 95% of Semifinalists are expected to become Finalists and receive a Certificate of Merit attesting to their distinguished performance. Finalists will be announced in February 2026.
Scholarship winners will be chosen from approximately 15,000 Finalists in spring 2026. In total, 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million will be awarded in 2026, including 2,500 National Merit $2,500 Scholarships, 830 corporate-sponsored scholarships, and 3,600 college-sponsored scholarships.
Victoria is one of 10 students from the Prince William County region recognized as Semifinalists in this year’s program.
For more information about the National Merit Scholarship Program, visit www.nationalmerit.org.