National Recognition Programs

BigFuture helps all students take the right first step after high school. The National Recognition Programs award academic honors to sophomores and juniors who take eligible administrations of AP®, PSAT/NMSQT®, or PSAT™ 10 exams and who identify as African American, Black, Hispanic, Latino, or Indigenous, or attend high school in a rural area or small town. These programs help address the systemic barriers to higher education faced by underrepresented students.

In the spring, qualified students are invited to apply for the recognition. Students can also nominate themselves if they’re not invited but believe they’re eligible. Counselors are notified when invitations to apply are sent to students, and both students and their counselors are notified if students are awarded recognition in early fall.

We encourage your eligible students to include this academic honor in their college and scholarship applications to help them to stand out.  Research shows that students who received National Hispanic Recognition awards and joined Student Search Service™ had improved college enrollment behavior and received additional college funding.

New for 2023: Sophomores and juniors will apply for National Recognition Programs directly on BigFuture.

To learn about our eligibility criteria and direct students to apply, visit bigfuture.org/NRP.