What is College Board National Recognition Program?
- getincollegesmaste
- Sep 5, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 8, 2025
In August 2025, College Board awarded over 280,000 students from across the country academic honors through the annual National Recognition Program, available to students on BigFuture.org. The program invites students to claim an award based on their achievement on College Board assessments, including the PSAT/NMSQT®, PSAT™ 10, and AP® Exams, to help them stand out on college and scholarship applications. Many colleges are eager to recruit awardees through the College Board Student Search Service™. In 2025, the program offered three awards to students from all backgrounds and across schools nationwide: First-Generation Recognition Award, Rural and Small-Town Recognition Award, and for the first time, the School Recognition Award, to honor top-performing students in every high school across the country, including lesser-known schools.
Important Notes
No application is required to be considered — eligibility is based on your PSAT and self-reported info from your College Board account.
This is not a scholarship, but it’s a valuable academic honor.
Programs Offered
New! School Recognition Award
First-Generation Recognition Award
Rural and Small-Town Recognition Award
Purpose
The goal is to increase access to college for students from underrepresented backgrounds by:
Recognizing academic excellence.
Helping students stand out in college admissions.
Connecting students with universities and scholarship opportunities.
Eligibility Criteria (as of recent updates)
Students verify their eligibility during their sophomore or junior year by meeting the following criteria:
• Take the PSAT/NMSQT (10th, 11th), PSAT 10 (10th), and/or AP Exams (by the end of 10th).
• Earn a cumulative GPA of B+ or higher (at least 3.3 or 87%-89%) by the time of submission.
• Be one of the top 10% of test takers in their high school, among first-generation college students in their state, and/or among rural and small-town students in their state, OR earn a 3+ on 2 or more distinct AP Exams in the 8th, 9th , and/or 10th grade.
How Students Are Notified
Students who are eligible are invited via email from the College Board, typically in the summer before senior year (around July or August).
Students must opt in to the program to receive the recognition.
Do Colleges Care?
Yes — many colleges view these recognitions positively, especially in holistic admissions. While not as well-known as National Merit, they can still help your application stand out, particularly at schools that value diversity and inclusion.
Disclaimer: All rights to the original content are retained by Common APP.
Refer to https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/2025-national-recognition-program-educator-toolkit.pdf
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