East Brunswick High School Senior Wins Corporate-Sponsored National Merit Scholarship

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — April Jiating Yu, a senior at East Brunswick High School, has been named a 2026 National Merit Scholar, one of approximately 700 students nationwide to receive a corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship in this year's competition.

Yu's award is sponsored by Johnson & Johnson, which finances scholarships for students planning careers the company wishes to encourage. Yu plans to pursue a career in medicine. The scholarship is renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study, with annual stipends ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. Recipients may use the award at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university.

Corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarships are awarded to Finalists who meet criteria set by their sponsors — including being children of employees, residents of communities the company serves, or students pursuing majors or careers the sponsor wishes to support. About 115 corporations, company foundations, and other business organizations finance awards in this category.

To reach Finalist standing, students must first score among the highest in their state on the 2024 PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test — a threshold fewer than 1% of U.S. high school seniors meet. Semifinalists then complete a detailed application including an essay, extracurricular activities, and leadership information, and must earn SAT or ACT scores confirming their qualifying performance.

When the 2026 competition concludes, approximately 6,700 Finalists will have received National Merit Scholarships totaling nearly $24 million.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation, a nonprofit founded in 1955, operates the program without government assistance. Since its founding, corporate and college sponsors have committed more than $892 million to support academically talented students nationwide.

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