National Merit Semifinalist 2024 Illinois State. The 2,500 national merit $2500 scholarship winners were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding finalists in the 2024 national merit scholarship program. Eligible students who have a selection index at or above the cutoffs will be named semifinalists.

Students at or above their state’s semifinalist selection index cutoff will be among the 17,000 national merit semifinalists and move to the next step in the program. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,140 national merit scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next spring.