The National Hispanic Recognition Program recognizes outstanding Latino and Hispanic high school students. The NHRP is not a scholarship program, but it provides students with a certificate of recognition that ca be shared with colleges or scholarship granting organizations. NHRP is the oldest of College Board’s recognition programs. The organization has more recently added separate recognition programs for Black, Indigenous, and rural students. The NHRP is distinct from the National Merit Scholarship Program, which is administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
NHRP used to be based exclusively on PSAT/NMSQT score, but College Board has now opened the program to reflect a wider range of academic achievements. It no longer caps the number of students who can qualify for recognition (it had previously been limited to the top 2.5% of scorers). Students can qualify in sophomore or junior year.
PSAT scores vary greatly by state, so there is not a single national cutoff. Instead, College Board looks at the top 10% of scorers by state on the PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10. It has not released state-by-state cutoffs. If you see sites that have posted regional score cutoffs, those are from the prior version of the program.
In addition to qualifying via the PSAT, you can also qualify with at least 2 AP scores of 3 or better. If you have listed your Latino or Hispanic background in your College Board account, you will automatically be invited to apply for recognition based on your PSAT and AP scores. If you believe that you have been overlooked, you can apply here on your own.
For the class of 2025 and 2026, NHRP applications will open in Winter 2024. College Board has not yet announced the application deadline. Students who receive recognition will be notified in August 2024. Students can also see their status in the My Profile section of Big Future. This is also where students can print a certificate of recognition.
The qualifying standards for sophomore and juniors are largely the same. They differ as to what exams count toward the program.
Sophomores
- Must have a 3.5 GPA or higher at the time they are applying. Weighted and unweighted GPAs are considered.
- Must have a permanent address in the United States, a U.S. territory or U.S. military base, or attend a Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) school. U.S. citizenship is not required.
- Must identify as Latino or Hispanic
- Must have taken the PSAT/NMSQT in fall 2022 OR at least 2 distinct AP Exams in 8th or 9th grade.
Juniors
- Must have a 3.5 GPA or higher at the time they are applying. Weighted and unweighted GPAs are considered.
- Must have a permanent address in the United States, a U.S. territory or U.S. military base, or attend a DoDEA school. U.S. citizenship is not required.
- Must identify as Latino or Hispanic
- Must have taken the PSAT 10 in spring 2022 OR the PSAT/NMSQT in fall 2022 OR at least 2 distinct AP Exams in 8th, 9th, or 10th grade.
Art,
Wanted to pass along that our son in TX received his NHRP certificate yesterday. Other boards have noted that the certificates went out end of last week.
Thank you for the update, George! I’ll edit the post so that folks see it.
Art,
I’m a student from Puerto Rico, which doesn’t really have any statistics, that I’m aware of, for me to know if my PSAT score (1340) is good enough for me to even be considered for the semi-finalists. By any chance, do you know if every student that filed the invitation for the recognition will be informed whether, or not, they qualify for the recognition?
Carolina,
I believe your 1340 was high enough to qualify. If you completed the NHRP application and eligibility form, you should receive a letter if you are recognized or an email notification if you are not.
Art,
Thank you so much for your time! These answers truly help 🙂
I was notified in February that I was invited to be apart of the National Hispanic Recognition Program, I also filled out the eligibility form and submitted it to the college board. I have not received a certificate nor an email saying that I was not invited. Do you know when I should expect to receive any information in Arizona? Thank you!
Amanda,
I believe that notifications are made at the same time throughout the country, but I don’t know why you have not heard either way. You might try contacting Scholarship America.
Hello Art, I scored a 1390 on the PSAT in Georgia. I’m just curious as to why the cutoff for the South is much higher than other states? Thank you for your time
Benjamin,
College Board release little information about the breakdown of recognized students, but it’s presumably similar to what we see with the National Merit Scholarship Program and the varying cutoffs by state. The number of students recognized is allocated by population, but regions are not uniform. The Hispanic students in the South may come from families with higher incomes or educational backgrounds, both of which are correlated with PSAT scores. More Hispanic students in the South may take the PSAT, which would also make things more competitive.
Mr. Sawyer:
How would I check to enure that my application for NHMS was submitted? I believe I submitted all of the documents required but I have not heard either way.
Alex,
You can find the contact information here. I would call; it’s too easy for people to ignore emails.
Hello Art,
I just came across this program while looking through my PSAT Student Guide. I just wanted to know if I could qualify for this program My mother is from Mexico and my father is from the U.S. Please let me know when you get the chance. Thank you.
Mia,
Students must have one-quarter Hispanic/Latino ancestry in order to qualify. You would qualify, but you need to list your ethnicity as Hispanic/Latino when answering the relevant question on the PSAT answer sheet.
Thanks for this blog! I found it googling more info about the how and why of the program. My daughter was invited to apply after she took the PSAT Junior Year and we received her certificate this week- the day the PSAT was administered to this years juniors and seniors. I feel the designation has brought a more diverse bunch of mail from colleges to our home. It also boosted her self esteem. The application process was pretty straightforward. We live in Texas and she is 50% Costa Rican.
Claire,
That’s wonderful to hear. You bring up a good point that these programs can serve to broaden students’ awareness of colleges across the country. Thank you for the information on the timing of the certificate — at least at your daughter’s school.
Hi Art.
Do you know what schools are most likely to offer the best scholarships for NHM recognition recipients already accepted? SAT scores 1530, 4.3 gpa, 11 AP with 4’s and 5’s and a few tests pending. Graduating from a top 3 high school (but there’s a lot of kids like this from the school, which is why they rank so high). Deep in college apps already but starting to receive requests from schools saying they will waive common or coalition app if he applies and is considered for a full 4 year scholarship, but it’s important to him to choose a college that will prepare for med schoo with high placement ratesl, so not sure if we should consider them or just steer towards our already narrowed list. His reach schools won’t offer merit scholarships and scores aren’t a standout to other applicants, even with all the leadership and volunteer work (and are just too expensive without scholarships since we won’t qualify for need based grants).
Thanks in advance!
From WA state
Class of 2019
Carin,
Scholarships really fall outside of my expertise, and the landscape can change frequently. The forums at collegeconfidential.com can be a good source of information from other parents in the same situation. I would encourage you not to rule out colleges just because they seem too expensive. Financial aid comes in many forms. Just because a college does not list a specific scholarship does not mean that no financial aid will be available.
Thanks Art!
Hello Art,
We live in Texas, do you think my daughter will be qualified for National Hispanic Recognition with a 1320 score?
Thank you
Class of 2020
Daniela,
Her chances look very good. The Southwest cutoff would not jump 60 points in a single year. Since College Board doesn’t publish the cutoffs publicly, though, I can’t be absolutely certain about the prior cutoffs.
Hi Art,
I scored a 1430 on the PSAT and I put Hispanic on the PSAT as I was born and raised in a Venezuela, but I am not sure if I am one quarter Hispanic as my grandparents immigrated from China to Venezuela, but my parents are both Chinese. Would I not be considered?
Thank you
Fernando,
The NHRP guidelines are not completely clear and I’m not an expert in this area. My interpretation is that you are 100% Latino under the NHRP definition. You were born and raised in Latin America! It does become less clear when one looks at “ancestry,” since your parents immigrated from China.
The practical answer is “What would your counselor say?” Your school will need to provide its recommendation. If they consider you a Venezuelan American, then there should be no problem with your eligibility. College Board’s initial consideration is based on whether you checked off the box on the PSAT. Since you did, you’ll be notified in a month or two that you are eligible to apply for recognition.
Hello Art,
My daughter and I live in MS. She recently got in her PSAT score (Total Score of 1340 and Selection Score 205). Her GPA is above 3.5. Would she be able to apply/receive for/the NHRP? She will be graduation 2020.
Kimberly,
The South region is traditionally the most competitive region for NHRP. Last year’s cutoff was 1370 (unlike National Merit, NHRP does not use the Selection Index). If the cutoff does come down this year, it sounds like her grades would make her eligible.
Art –
My son is in the Midwest and received a 1260 on the PSAT. What are his chances for commendation?
Dan,
We don’t expect the Midwest cutoff (1310 last year) to move down that much this year, I’m afraid.
Hi Art,
Do you think the scores for the Southwest region will change this year?
mCantu,
We don’t have enough information to make a reasonable estimate for this year.
Hoping that a 1390 for my daughter makes it for Arizona. The October 24th PSAT really did score harsh. Missing one math brought her down 50 points.
Kathleen,
I believe that Arizona falls in the West. Her 1390 should easily qualify. Yes, what a mess of a test.
I have a Latino sophomore who took the NMSGT test last October, just to see how ready he is for next year. He got 1300, I am just wondering if he would make it for Colorado.
Claudia,
A student with a 1300 would have qualified in the class of 2019, although it would have been close. We don’t yet know the cutoff for the class of 2020. As a member of the class of 2021, it sounds like he is in an excellent position. Most students continue to improve, with an average improvement 60-70 points.
Hello
I was wondering how DoDEA students are considered for the NHRP. Actually for National Merit as well. Are they part of a certain region or considered separately. We are at a base school in Europe.
Thank You
M.,
I don’t know the answer to this one. While I would think it fits U.S. students studying abroad (the highest cutoff), it might be an exception. I would recommend contacting NMSC for details. If you find the answer, I’d love to hear from you.
Art,
I just spoke to the NHRP and they indicated that the scores were set by state and not region. We are in Texas. Any idea what the cutoff would have been for individual states (Texas in particular) for Class of 2019. The NHRP said they did not have any historical data on past scores for each state. This all sounds very strange to me.
P.,
If true, that’s very interesting, as the cutoffs used to be determined regionally. By “if true” I mean that I 100% believe you, but it’s a toss-up as to whether or not the representative gave the correct information. Because of its size, Texas would have been the market maker in the Southwest in previous years, so I’d assume that the cutoff will be in the 1250-1300 range even if College Board has changed to state-by-state cutoffs.
My daughter just got her email inviting her to participate in the NHRP and it says by region in the email – not by state.
Perfect. And congratulations! I don’t suppose they mentioned the cutoff in the letter.
Nope but if it helps she scored 1390 and Arizona – West Region
She cleared the hurdle by a big margin!
I contacted the College Board and they said Texas was set at 1290. They didn’t specify whether it was set by region or state but if it is by region then the Southwest looks to be 1290. Our daughter received her invite on 2/1 and the letter said region.
Thanks, P, that’s very helpful. So it looks like Southwest went up 20 points this year. Congratulations to your daughter!
Hello! I’m curious about trends in the scores. Do you know if the scores necessary have risen over recent years? Are there more high-achieving Hispanic students? Thanks for all the answer you provide people!
Lou,
The change to the new PSAT for the class of 2017 was really a reset point for NHRP scores. Not only did the test content and scoring get overhauled, College Board moved to using just the ERW+Math score rather than the old Reading+Writing+Math score. As of yet, I haven’t seen a clear trend in scores.
My son also got the NHRP letter today. I contacted to find out what the cutoff in our region was, just out of curiosity. (We are in NC). They just responded and told me it was 1370 for this region.
Gina,
Congratulations to your son! Thanks for going the extra mile — very helpful. Not only does it tell us the cutoff for the South, it gives the first data point comparing year-over-year performance. In the case of the South, no change. I’ll try to update the site shortly with a blurb about notifications and a solicitation for cutoffs.
No problem! I know how much I was anticipating finding out my son’s score and thought it’d be helpful for you and parents to know. Thank you so much for all you do!
Daughter also received NHRP invite today. We are in Texas.
Hello Art,
I have been quietly “stalking” your sites for the past 13 months and my son (Georgia) got his E-mail today for national Hispanic he got a 1470 PSAT and a SI of 220 (730 EBRW and 740 Math) for the 10-2018 test, its going to be a nail biter for National Merit Semi here in GA. Just wanted to pass a note of Thanks for all your efforts. Cheers
Frank,
Congratulations to your son! One recognition down, one to go. Thank you for stopping by and for the kind words.
Im currently a junior who took the 10-18 test and scored a 1320 on the psat with a 3.7 unweighted and 4.2 weighted, but still haven’t gotten any information about qualifying, and I have seen information on this site about others receiving news of qualifying… should I have qualified? and if so is it possible it has not been announced to everyone yet?
Sam,
While I believe that the notifications have gone out, I never trust that they’ve all gone out correctly or on time.In some regions a 1320 should certainly qualify. In others, it may be too low. Your GPA won’t come into play until your application at the next stage in the process. Did you make sure to identify your ethnicity on your registration materials? If you are tired of waiting, I would recommend calling College Board to ask about the qualifying score in your area. You can try 866-545-8467.
Hello!
My son is a senior this year (in GA). He took the PSAT last year and scored a 1420. He was invited to apply for NHRP. He filled out the online application and sent in the GPA and ethnicity verification forms on time (before June 30, 2018). He did not receive an email or letter in September commending him for the recognition. Should he have received a letter or an email? Was his school supppsed to do something in addition to signing the GPA forms? We are confused as to why he wasn’t recognized. Any thought?
Kristina,
I am not aware of anything that the school must provide at that point in the process. I recommend contacting Scholarship America, which administers the program for College Board. https://www.scholarsapply.org/nhrp/instructions.php
Hi Art,
Wanted to let you know that for Texas (Southwest region) the cut-off score increased to 1290
Thank you for the update, Mina!
Hi. My grandparents were and were born and raised in Mexico. Their daughter ( my mother) was born in th US. Besides being half Mexican, my father is Caucasian. And I am married to a Caucasian man also. Does this make my children ineligible for consideration for the NHRP?
Liana,
Here is how College Board would break down your children’s eligibility. Your mother is 100% Latina in ethnicity. That means your children are eligible, since they are at least one-quarter Latinx. It sounds like they’d actually be 3/8 Latinx if your father was also half Mexican. Just be sure that they note their ethnicity as Hispanic/Latinx when registering for the PSAT.