RENO — The University of Nevada, Reno has been officially notified of its approval for sponsorship status by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. The university’s most prestigious scholarship awards entering freshmen students who are National Merit Finalists.

Following a two-year effort to recruit these highly qualified and academically well-prepared students, Nevada now joins the sponsor schools included as part of recruitment materials sent to students across the country who are contending for National Merit Scholarships. Currently, nearly 300 corporations, company foundations and businesses and about 200 colleges and universities provide National Merit scholarships.

“Really bright students lift the level of the educational experience for everyone,” UNR president Milton Glick said. “As you achieve a critical mass of these students, teachers begin to teach differently. They have higher expectations and students respond accordingly.”

UNR’s student body currently includes 17 National Merit Scholars, the largest number ever enrolled at Nevada. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation requires each sponsoring school to award at least three National Merit Scholarships each year.

The scholarship is $15,000 per year for four years of undergraduate study which covers tuition, fees, automatic entry into the Honors Program, room and board in the honors wing of Argenta Hall, and books. Undergraduate research and University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC) experiences are also available.

For more information, visit the National Merit Scholarship Program Web site at www.nationalmerit.org or the university’s Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships Web site at www.finaid.unr.edu.