Governor Scott Announces Florida

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Governor's Press Office 850-717-9282

Governor Scott Announces Florida's Top Students Win National Merit Scholarships

Tallahassee, Fla., - Florida's top 130 scholars have earned $2,500 National Merit Scholarships, one of the nation's highest academic honors. The winners were selected from a pool of more than 15,000 finalists for the $2,500 scholarship. The announcement was made today by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Governor Rick Scott said, "Congratulations to all of Florida's top scholars for winning National Merit Scholarships. Florida students success is directly linked to our state's great teachers. That is why I we committed $480 million in our budget for a well deserved pay raise for all Florida teachers. It's important that we reward our teachers for the success in Florida classrooms."

Florida's students are among the nation's best in pursuing rigorous goals, ranking first in Advance Placement test participation and third nationally in overall grades on the AP tests.

"These Florida students have worked hard to earn this prestigious scholarship," said Commissioner of Education Dr. Tony Bennett. "They have proven their readiness to move to the next level and I look forward to continued great success."

National Merit Scholarship $2,500 winners are finalists from each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college courses. The scholarships are single-payment awards sponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Students may use the scholarship at any regionally-accredited college or university in the nation.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation is a not-for-profit organization established in 1955 to conduct the National Merit Scholarship Program. The scholarships honor the nation's scholastic champions and encourage the pursuit of academic excellence. For more information, visit National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

The list of winners is available here: 2013 National Merit Scholarship Winners (PDF, 101KB)