See which Macon students won prestigious National Merit Scholarships
More than 95 high school seniors in Georgia have earned college-sponsored 2025 National Merit Scholarships so far this year, including two students from the Macon area.
Alexander Jordan and Matthew Lee, recent graduates at the Academy for Classical Education, were the only Macon-Bibb County recipients named in the latest round of awards. Each will receive annual scholarships ranging from $500 to $2,000 for up to four years of undergraduate study, funded by the colleges they plan to attend.
Jordan plans to study computer science at Vanderbilt University, while Lee is set to attend the University of Georgia with plans to pursue pharmacy, according to a June 4 news release from the National Merit Scholarship Corp.
Last fall, Jordan and Lee were the only students in Macon-Bibb named 2025 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists.
Carra Floyd, college counselor for the Academy of Classical Education, said having National Merit Scholars reflects both the academic potential and achievement of ACE students.
“We are extremely proud of the number of ACE scholars who have been named National Merit Scholars and have also been awarded scholarship monies to help them further their academic pursuits,” Floyd said in an email.
Eligibility for the scholarships begins with high school juniors taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which serves as an initial screen of program entrants for semifinalists.
In September 2024, more than 16,000 semifinalists were named nationwide. Students chosen as semifinalists typically represent less than 1% of the United States’ high school graduating seniors.
An additional round of college-sponsored winners will be announced on July 14.
NMSC named recipients of corporate-sponsored awards on April 23 and winners of National Merit $2500 Scholarships on May 7.
By the end of this year’s competition, 6,930 graduating seniors will have received National Merit Scholarships totaling nearly $26 million.