9 Things You Need to Know About the National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP)

Minority groups are underrepresented in most American universities and colleges. Despite a growing number of college scholarships for minority groups, Hispanic students are significantly underrepresented.

Specifically, only 19.5% of the overall student representation in American colleges are Hispanic. Additionally, only 16% of Hispanic Americans graduated from an undergraduate program, compared to 33% of white Americans. 

That’s why the College Board established National Recognition Programs. These programs help national hispanic recognition program scholars find a pathway to higher education. 

What is the National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP)?

The NHRP is one of the College Board’s National Recognition Programs. The College Board invites Hispanic students to apply for academic recognition through the program.  

Every year, nearly 250,000 Hispanic/Latino students take the PSAT/NMSQT. Out of those 250,000, 7,000 are recognized and are invited to apply for the program.

Students that are successful in their NHRP application can obtain academic honors that they can showcase on their college and scholarship applications. Overall, the NHRP distinction helps a student’s college application and increases their chance of admission. 

It’s important to note that the program isn’t a scholarship itself. Successful admittance doesn’t equal financial aid, but it does increase one’s chance of obtaining financial aid later. 

What is the NHRP Program Deadline For 2021-2022?

The NHRP Program Deadline for 2021-2022 is May 28 for both sophomore and junior students. The timeline for the application process varies depending on your year of study, however. You can find more information in the timeline section of this article. 

Eligibility Criteria for NHRP

In order to be eligible to receive the recognition from the National Hispanic Recognition Program, a student must:

• have taken the PSAT/NMQST in their Junior year;
• be at least one quarter Hispanic;
• have at least a 3.5 GPA or higher;
• have attended a school in an eligible location based on the information available from the National Center for Education Statistics; and
• have at least the minimum cut score for a particular region in PSAT/NMSQT.

 

The following table has the NHRP Cutoffs of the score for the class of 2021 for regional location.

Regions in the U.S.	Cutoff Scores
Region 1- New England	1290
Region 2- Middle States	1320
Region 3- South	1370
Region 4- Southwest	1270
Region 5- Midwest	1310
Region 6- West	1280

Documents Required for the NHRP Application

You will need certain documents to apply for the NHRP, and you’ll be required to upload them to your application before the deadline. 

• Eligibility Verification Form, including signatures from school officials and parents
• Copy of your PSAT NMSQT score report

 

What is the NHRP Application Process?

In order to be eligible for the NHRP, you will have to fill out an application. The application process is detailed out below:

• Begin the application via email. Make sure you provide a valid email address to the College Board when they invite you to apply for the program. 
• Create a username and password, and log in to complete the form. 
• Make sure you complete the form with proper punctuation and standard capitalization. 

• Answer all questions and review your answers before you move forward. After submitting your application, you cannot change your answers. 
• Print a hard copy of your application for your records. 
• Click the lock and submit button at the bottom of the page. 

Application Timeline

 

The timeline for NHRP applications varies depending on your year of study. 

For Sophomores:

May/October: Students take two or more AP exams (May), or the PSAT/NMSQT (October) and provide their ethnicity information on the answer sheet. 

April 16: The College Board invites eligible Hispanic students to apply for the program. 

May 28: Deadline to apply for the program. 

For Juniors:

Spring/May/October: Students take the PSAT 10 (Spring), two or more AP exams (May), or the PSAT/NMSQT (October) and provide their ethnicity information on the answer sheet. 

April 16: The College Board invites eligible Hispanic students to apply for the program. 

May 28: Deadline to apply for the program. 

How Can You Nominate Yourself for the NHRP?

The easiest way to nominate yourself for the NHRP is to identify yourself as Hispanic when you write the PSAT/NMSQT. If a candidate wrote the PSAT/NMSQT but did not indicate their Hispanic identity on the answer sheet can still apply for recognition.

The aforementioned candidates can email the College Board to request self-nomination instructions.

Benefits of NHRP

The NHRP does not provide any financial aid such as scholarships or grants to national hispanic recognition program scholars. 

Instead, the recognition is considered an award of honor. The names of the selected students are mailed to colleges and universities. After that, students might receive scholarship information and special admissions incentives to apply to those universities.

The organizations contributing to the program are: 

• Rural and Small Town Recognition–Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
• African American Recognition–Jackie Robinson Foundation
• Indigenous Recognition–Indigenous Education, Inc
• Hispanic Recognition–Hispanic Scholarship Fund

In summary, the NHRP offers students a step up on their college applications, rather than financial aid. 

Hispanic students interested in financial aid should consider exploring national Hispanic scholar scholarships. Some of them are national Hispanic merit scholarships, where students have a better chance of succeeding in their application if they have strong grades. 

Additionally, some of these national Hispanic scholar scholarships offer full tuition coverage, while others offer partial tuition coverage. 

Another financial aid opportunity for hispanic students is the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. 

Conclusion

The National Hispanic Recognition Program is a grand opportunity for national Hispanic recognition program scholars to pursue higher education. It efficiently caters to the needs and interests of the Hispanic demographic and contributes to better representation of minority groups in universities and colleges in the United States.