Three Hunterdon Central seniors have been named as finalists in the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Program: Alicia Lee, Ethan France and Clarissa Towle.

As National Merit Finalists, these students are now eligible to earn one of 8,300 National Merit Scholarships, worth more than $34 million, which will be awarded in the Spring of 2012.

Approximately 1.5 million juniors in 22,000 high schools nationwide entered the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT), which serves as an initial screen of program entrants. The program then selects Semifinalists, who represent less than one percent of US high school seniors, and who are the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

To become a Finalist in the National Merit Program, the students were required to have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the Principal, earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier qualifying test performance and complete a detailed scholarship application.

Final scholarship winners will be selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments and potential for success in rigorous college studies.