The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the college-sponsored scholarship winners on June 3 in Los Angeles County.<\/p>\n
National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced over 2,500 winners of National Merit Scholarships financed by U.S. colleges and universities. Officials of each sponsor college selected their scholarship winners from among the finalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program who plan to attend their institution.<\/p>\n
These awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship.<\/p>\n
An additional group of scholars will be announced in July, bringing the total number of college-sponsored Merit Scholarship recipients in the 2026 competition to approximately 3,500.<\/p>\n
This year, 138 higher education institutions are underwriting Merit Scholarship awards through the National Merit Scholarship Program. Sponsor colleges and universities include 69 private and 69 public institutions located in 42 states and the District of Columbia.<\/p>\n
College-sponsored Merit Scholarship winners announced today are a part of the distinguished group of about 6,700 high school seniors who will receive National Merit Scholarships for college undergraduate study worth nearly $24 million.<\/p>\n
Here is the list of winners in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program in Los Angeles County by their high school location, the high school name, and the college-sponsored scholarship they were awarded:<\/p>\n
Cerritos<\/p>\n
Gretchen Whitney HS<\/p>\n
Vivasvat Binny, University of Southern California scholarship<\/p>\n
Chatsworth<\/p>\n
Sierra Canyon School<\/p>\n
Aiden Slava Gofnung, University of Southern California scholarship<\/p>\n
Culver City<\/p>\n
Culver City HS<\/p>\n
Rhys E. Johnson, Tufts University scholarship<\/p>\n
Diamond Bar<\/p>\n
Diamond Bar HS<\/p>\n
Cristina Lin, University of Southern California scholarship<\/p>\n
La Ca\u00f1ada Flintridge<\/p>\n
La Ca\u00f1ada HS<\/p>\n
Madison Lee, University of Southern California scholarship<\/p>\n
North Hollywood<\/p>\n
North Hollywood HS<\/p>\n
Natalie N. Olinger, Michigan State University scholarship<\/p>\n
Redondo Beach<\/p>\n
Redondo Union HS<\/p>\n
Katelyn S. Kang, University of Southern California scholarship<\/p>\n
Mackenzie Thomson, University of Southern California scholarship<\/p>\n
Santa Clarita<\/p>\n
Academy of the Canyons<\/p>\n
Aiden Chung, Case Western Reserve University scholarship<\/p>\n
San Marino<\/p>\n
San Marino HS<\/p>\n
Winston L. Chou, University of Southern California scholarship<\/p>\n
Ryan Hun Lee, University of Southern California scholarship<\/p>\n
Sherman Oaks<\/p>\n
Notre Dame HS<\/p>\n
Alexander Braithwaite, Auburn University scholarship<\/p>\n
Benedict H. Cruz, University of Southern California scholarship<\/p>\n
South Pasadena<\/p>\n
South Pasadena HS<\/p>\n
Rose Vandevelde, Tufts University scholarship<\/p>\n
Studio City<\/p>\n
Harvard-Westlake School<\/p>\n
Hudson T. Lake, Vanderbilt University scholarship<\/p>\n
William L. Rosen, Vanderbilt University scholarship<\/p>\n
Westlake Village<\/p>\n
Westlake HS<\/p>\n
Khushi Gowda, University of Texas at Dallas scholarship<\/p>\n
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Background of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation<\/p>\n
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation was established in 1955 and is an independent, not-for-profit group that does not operate with government assistance.<\/p>\n
The goals of the organization are to reward academically-dedicated students, encourage academic excellence at all levels of education, promote a deeper respect for learning in general and to encourage individuals and organizations to sponsor scholarships.<\/p>\n