The National Merit Scholarship Program and the National Hispanic Recognition Program this year recognized 194 Austin ISD seniors for outstanding academic performance.

Students are selected based on their scores on the preliminary SAT, which they take as juniors. Because of their high scores on this assessment, these students are now eligible for scholarship awards from institutions of higher education and other grantors.

The 194 recognized seniors include 49 National Merit Semifinalists, 121 National Merit Commended Students and 31 Scholars for the National Hispanic Recognition Program. Five students received recognition in both programs.

National Merit Semifinalists who become finalists will be announced in the spring and will be eligible for Merit Scholarship Awards.

For more information on the National Merit Scholarship Program, please visit www.nationalmerit.org.