How Do Colleges Rank Awards for High School Students?
By selection. An admissions reader asks how many students could have earned the award and who decided. The name of the award matters less than the answer to those two questions.
| Level | How the award is earned | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| National selection | Judges or a committee choose a small number of students from a national field | Regeneron Science Talent Search finalist, U.S. Presidential Scholar, Coolidge or Cameron scholar, a national award at the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium |
| State or regional selection | The student is chosen or ranks at the top within a state or region | National Merit Semifinalist, regional finalist at the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, district winner in the Congressional App Challenge |
| School or community selection | A school or a local organization puts the student forward | National Honor Society, junior year election to the Cum Laude Society, Boys State or Girls State delegate |
| Threshold | Every student who reaches a score, a GPA, or a number of hours qualifies | AP Scholar, National Recognition Program, subject honor society membership |
| Paid | The family pays to attend or to join | Fee-based leadership conferences and memberships sold by mail |
The Common App honors section holds five entries. Our guides to the Common App honors section and extracurricular activity tiers explain how to choose and order them.
Which Awards Come From Test Scores?
Four programs recognize students from scores they have already earned. None requires a separate competition.
| Award | Grade | How it is earned |
|---|---|---|
| National Merit recognition | 11 | The Selection Index from the PSAT/NMSQT, measured against a cutoff for the student’s state |
| AP Scholar awards | 10 to 12 | Scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams, with two higher levels for more exams and higher averages |
| College Board National Recognition Program | 10 and 11 | A B+ GPA and a top 10% PSAT score in the comparison group, or two AP scores of 3 or higher |
| U.S. Presidential Scholars | 12 | By invitation only, mainly from SAT or ACT scores. Up to 161 are named each year |
National Merit carries the most weight of the four for an applicant, because Semifinalist status is decided in the fall of senior year and is limited by state. Our guides to Commended Scholar and Finalist status cover the other levels.
Which Awards Come From Competitions?
Competitions give the clearest evidence of ability, because a result is ranked against other students.
| Competition | Field | What a result shows |
|---|---|---|
| AMC 10 | Mathematics, through grade 10 | A score on a national contest, with top scorers qualifying for the next round |
| AMC 12 | Mathematics, through grade 12 | The same for older students |
| USACO | Computer programming | Promotion through four divisions, from Bronze to Platinum |
| USAAIO | Artificial intelligence | A place in the national olympiad |
| Regeneron Science Talent Search | Research, for seniors | Scholar or finalist status decided by judges |
| Junior Science and Humanities Symposium | Research | A regional finalist place or a national award. The top five from each regional symposium reach the national event |
| Scholastic Art and Writing Awards | Art and writing | Regional and national recognition for submitted work |
| John Locke Essay Competition | Essays in the humanities and social sciences | A shortlist place or a prize |
| Conrad Challenge | Innovation, in teams | Advancement through the rounds |
| Congressional App Challenge | Software | A win in the student’s congressional district |
A student does not need many of these. One competition in the student’s main field, entered two years in a row, usually produces a better result than five entered once.
Which Awards Recognize Service and Leadership?
These programs choose students for what they have done outside class, or record what they do.
| Program | Grade or age | How a student gets in |
|---|---|---|
| Congressional Award | From age 14 | Hours in four areas. The Gold Medal requires 800 hours over at least two years. Non-competitive |
| Boys State | 11 | Selected by American Legion posts. Two delegates from each state program go on to Boys Nation |
| Girls State | 11 | Selected by American Legion Auxiliary units. Two delegates from each state program go on to ALA Girls Nation |
| HOBY State Leadership Seminar | 10 | Nominated by the school. More than 8,500 students attend each year |
Two programs are missing from the table. The President’s Volunteer Service Award has been paused since May 27, 2025, with no date announced for its return, so a student cannot earn it now. Bank of America Student Leaders moved past high school in 2026: applicants must now hold a diploma and 12 to 18 college credits, so it is no longer an award a high school student can earn.
Which Merit Scholarships Count as National Awards?
A national merit scholarship is both money and an honor, and the largest are among the most selective awards a student can win.
| Scholarship | When to apply | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Cameron Impact Scholarship | Spring of 11th grade | Full tuition for 15 students a year, merit-based, with a 3.7 unweighted GPA minimum |
| Coolidge Scholarship | Fall of 11th grade | A full ride at any accredited U.S. college. One hundred top applicants are also named Coolidge Senators |
| National Merit Scholarship | PSAT/NMSQT in 11th grade | Finalists compete for scholarships awarded in 12th grade |
Both the Cameron and the Coolidge are decided without regard to family income, which is unusual among large national scholarships. Our merit aid finder lists the scholarships that individual universities award.
Do Honor Societies Count as Awards?
Some do. The National Honor Society selects through a faculty council, and the Cum Laude Society limits election to 20% of the senior class, so both can be listed as honors. Subject societies such as Mu Alpha Theta admit every student who meets a GPA in the subject, and they belong in the activities list when the student held a role.
Our guide to high school honor societies compares twelve of them.
Which Awards for High School Students Carry Little Weight?
Two kinds. The first is the certificate from a program the family paid for, such as a leadership or career conference. Our guides to the National Student Leadership Conference, the National Youth Leadership Forum, and the Congress of Future Medical Leaders describe what those programs offer. The second is a membership sold by invitation, which our guide to NSHSS covers.
These programs are real, and some students enjoy them. In the experience of Oriel Admissions, admissions readers at selective colleges do not count them as honors, and listing one in the honors section uses a place that a stronger entry could fill.
Which Awards Should a 10th or 11th Grader Aim For?
Oriel Admissions advises choosing two or three awards with real selection that fit the student’s main interest, and letting the threshold awards arrive on their own.
In 10th grade, a student can enter a competition in the main field for the first time, register for the Congressional Award, ask the counselor about a HOBY nomination, and take the PSAT for practice. In 11th grade, the student takes the PSAT/NMSQT that counts for National Merit, enters the same competition again, asks about Boys State or Girls State, and applies for the Coolidge Scholarship in the fall and the Cameron Impact Scholarship in the spring.
Awards support an application and do not carry it. For Ivy League admission, a student needs nearly all As in the hardest classes the school offers, and honors are read after that standard is met.
Frequently Asked Questions About Awards for High School Students
Awards fall into five groups: recognition from test scores, competition results, service and leadership programs, merit scholarships, and honor societies.
Awards in which judges or a committee choose a small number of students from a national field, such as Regeneron Science Talent Search finalist or U.S. Presidential Scholar.
A sophomore can earn an AP Scholar award, a National Recognition Program award, a HOBY nomination, competition results, and the early levels of the Congressional Award.
A junior can earn National Merit recognition from the PSAT/NMSQT, selection for Boys State or Girls State, a junior year election to the Cum Laude Society, and research competition results.
No. Oriel Admissions advises listing a fee-based conference as an activity at most, and not as an honor.
The honors section holds five entries, so a student should list the five with the most selection behind them.
No. Some are earned by meeting a threshold, such as AP Scholar, and some by completing hours, such as the Congressional Award.
In 9th or 10th grade. Many of the strongest awards depend on work done before the fall of senior year.
Sources: College Board: AP awards and recognitions, College Board Newsroom: National Recognition Program 2026, National Merit Scholarship Corporation, U.S. Department of Education: U.S. Presidential Scholars, Junior Science and Humanities Symposium: awards, The Congressional Award: The Program, The American Legion: Boys State and Boys Nation, American Legion Auxiliary: ALA Girls State, Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership: FAQ, Bryan Cameron Education Foundation: Cameron Impact Scholarship, Coolidge Scholars Program: Eligibility
About Oriel Admissions
Oriel Admissions is a Princeton-based college admissions consulting firm advising families nationwide on elite university admissions strategy. Our team brings deep expertise across every dimension of the application, and our distinctive 360 approach develops strategy, positioning, activities, essays, and interviews as one coherent whole. To discuss your family’s admissions strategy, schedule a consultation.
