College Board National Recognition Program
The College Board National Recognition Program awards academic honors to high-performing students to help them stand out to colleges and celebrate their hard work. Students of all backgrounds from schools nationwide are eligible to claim an award based on their achievement on PSAT/NMSQT (10th or 11th grade), PSAT 10 (10th), or AP Exams (8th, 9th or 10th).
Awardees are among the highest achieving students in their communities, including those from lesser-known high schools, and as a result, many colleges are eager to recruit them.
By claiming a National Recognition Program award(s), eligible students have a tangible way to share their academic achievements with colleges and their communities.
Eligible students can claim their awards now by logging into BigFuture.org with their College Board accounts. The deadline to verify eligibility is June 27, 2025.
Which of Your Students Are Eligible?
Current sophomores in the class of 2027 and current juniors in the class of 2026 may be eligible. Students nationwide can claim one or more award designations from the National Recognition Program:
New! School Recognition Award
First-Generation Recognition Award
Rural and Small-Town Recognition Award
Students are eligible in the 10th and 11th for their exceptional academic performance. Students are eligible for awards, based on the following criteria:
Score in the top 10% of PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10 test takers in their high school, state's first generation test takers, and/or state's rural and small town test takers. OR Earn a 3+ on 2 or more distinct AP exams in the 8th, 9th and/or 10th grade.
Earn a cumulative GPA of B+ (at least 3.3 or 87%-89%) by the time of submission.
How Do Students Claim Their Award?
It takes five minutes to claim an award! Email invitations will come from BigFuture. To claim their award(s), students need to verify their eligibility on BigFuture.org/NRP by June 27, 2025. This includes qualifying scores for eligible exams taken by the fall 2024 and cumulative GPA by the time of verifying. Students can nominate themselves for the First Generation and Rural and Small Town Awards, but not the School Recognition Award.
Every student who meets the criteria will receive an award. Students will be notified of their award(s) via email by September 2025 and can download their certificate on BigFuture,org under My Profile.
Colleges and universities use these honors to identify and contact high-achieving students who participate in Student Search Service™. When students opt in, they hear from colleges and universities that want to recruit awardees like them.
How can I stay updated on my eligible students?
Any educators with Detailed Reporting access can access a full list of students in their school who are eligible for the National Recognition Program. This report is posted in the Individual Student Reports section in the K–12 Reporting Portal. For questions about who can access your school’s information, please contact your administrators.
When they claim their awards this spring on BigFuture.org, students may also provide their high school counselor’s name and email to alert them about their submission.
For questions about National Recognition Program, please connect with customer service.
The College Board National Recognition Program is neither affliated nor endorsed by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation or the National Merit Scholarship Program.