Research · Scholarships · October 2026

The Colleges That Publish a Merit Scholarship You Can Read Off a Chart

Name: The Colleges That Publish a Merit Scholarship You Can Read Off a Chart
Creator: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach)
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

As of October 2026: 63 colleges publish a merit scholarship grid that ties the award to an SAT or ACT score and a GPA, and those grids hold 340 separate tiers. At the automatic ones the score and the GPA decide the money, not a committee.

The tables give the top tier and the lowest scoring tier of each automatic grid, plus the largest award at each college that makes you apply. They do not hold all 340 tiers, and a grid can change for the next class.

Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach, highschoolreach.com), October 2026. Figures and the table may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.

The findings, in plain English

At an automatic grid, the chart decides the award. Texas Tech prints a tier for every pairing of GPA and score. A 3.96 GPA with a 1500 SAT or a 34 ACT pays $9,000 a year. A 3.0 GPA with an 1100 SAT or a 22 ACT pays $1,000. Alabama in Huntsville runs the same way: its Jupiter C tier pays $2,000 at an 1060 SAT with a 3.5 GPA, and its Juno I tier covers full in-state tuition at a 1390 SAT with a 4.0.

The same scores often pay more to an out-of-state student. Missouri's top tier pays $21,500 a year to an out-of-state student at a 1400 SAT or a 30 ACT. The in-state tier at those same scores pays $7,200. West Virginia's Climb Higher Level 1 pays $17,000 out of state and $5,000 in state, both at a 1360 SAT. Alabama at Birmingham pays $28,500 to an out-of-state student with a 1420 SAT and a 4.0 GPA.

The biggest named scholarships are not automatic. Duke's Robertson, Emory's Woodruff and USC's Trustee all cover tuition or more, and all of them take an application and a committee. USC asks a 1500 SAT or a 34 ACT just to be in the running. On those grids a score is a bar to clear, not a promise.

The top tier of each automatic grid

One row per college: the largest automatic award its own grid publishes.

College	State	Scholarship	Tier	Who it is for	SAT needed	ACT needed	GPA needed	GPA scale	A year	What it covers	The college's grid
Arizona State University Campus Immersion	AZ	New American University Scholarship -- Provost (OOS)	Provost	out_of_state	1,300	29	3.5	unweighted	$16,500	—	Source
Auburn University	AL	Spirit of Auburn -- Presidential	Presidential	any	1,430	32	3.5	unweighted	—	Full in-state tuition (in-state) / OOS tuition differential covered (OOS)	Source
Florida Gulf Coast University	FL	Blue and Green Scholars	Scholars (OOS)	out_of_state	1,320	28	3.9	unweighted	$15,000	—	Source
Jacksonville State University	AL	Gamecock Prestige	Top tier	any	1,390	31	2.0	unweighted	$10,500	—	Source
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College	LA	Louisiana Tiger Legacy	ACT 28+	any	1,300	28	3.0	unweighted	$1,000	—	Source
Louisiana Tech University	LA	Presidential Scholarship	Top tier	any	1,450	33	3.0	unweighted	$9,500	—	Source
Michigan Technological University	MI	Presidential Scholars Program	Range	any	1,110	22	3.5	unweighted	$5,500	—	Source
Middle Tennessee State University	TN	Centennial Scholarship	Centennial	any	1,490	34	3.5	unweighted	$8,000	—	Source
Mississippi State University	MS	Non-Resident Tuition + Excellence	GPA 4.10+	out_of_state	—	—	4.1	unweighted	$19,000	—	Source
Oklahoma State University-Main Campus	OK	Out-of-State Achievement	GPA 3.75+	out_of_state	—	—	3.75	unweighted	$9,000	—	Source
Texas State University	TX	President's Honor Scholarship	President's Honor	any	1,420	32	—	unweighted	$12,000	—	Source
Texas Tech University	TX	Presidential Merit	GPA 4.0-3.96, SAT 1500-1600/ACT 34-36	any	1,500	34	3.96	unweighted	$9,000	—	Source
The University of Alabama	AL	Presidential Elite	Presidential Elite	in_state	1,600	36	4.0	unweighted	—	Full tuition + $1,500/year supplemental stipend	Source
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	TN	Volunteer Scholarship (non-resident)	Non-resident	out_of_state	1,300	28	—	unweighted	$18,000	—	Source
The University of Texas at Arlington	TX	Presidential Honors Scholarship	Honors	any	—	—	—	unweighted	$13,000	—	Source
The University of Texas at Dallas	TX	National Merit Finalist Package	NMF	any	—	—	—	unweighted	$50,000	Full tuition + fees + $5,000/yr stipend + $6,000 study abroad + on-campus housing first year	Source
Tuskegee University	AL	Distinguished Presidential Scholarship	Distinguished Presidential	any	1,300	28	3.7	unweighted	—	Full tuition + room/board + $300 books	Source
University of Alabama at Birmingham	AL	Presidential Elite	Presidential Elite	out_of_state	1,420	32	4.0	unweighted	$28,500	—	Source
University of Alabama in Huntsville	AL	Juno I	GPA 4.0+ ACT 31-36 (Full Tuition)	in_state	1,390	31	4.0	unweighted	—	Full in-state tuition	Source
University of Arizona	AZ	National Scholars Tuition Award	Base	any	—	—	—	unweighted	—	Full tuition (varies by residency)	Source
University of Arkansas	AR	New Arkansan NRTA	New Arkansan NRTA	out_of_state	—	—	3.2	unweighted	—	$14,700-$18,900	Source
University of Chicago	IL	College Achievement Scholars	College Achievement	any	—	—	3.5	unweighted	$5,000	—	Source
University of Kentucky	KY	Bluegrass Spirit	Bluegrass Spirit Tier 4	out_of_state	1,360	30	3.5	unweighted	$12,500	—	Source
University of Louisiana at Monroe	LA	President's Distinguished Scholarship	President's Distinguished	any	—	33	3.7	unweighted	$6,000	$6,000 academic + $5,000 housing + $4,500 study abroad + laptop	Source
University of Louisville	KY	National Merit Finalist/Semifinalist	NMF/NMSF	in_state	—	—	3.5	weighted	—	Full in-state tuition	Source
University of Mississippi	MS	Academic Merit (Non-Resident)	Range	out_of_state	1,160	24	3.0	unweighted	—	$3,000-$20,160	Source
University of Missouri-Columbia	MO	Top tier (out-of-state)	Top (OOS)	out_of_state	1,400	30	—	unweighted	$21,500	—	Source
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus	OK	Top tier merit	Top	any	1,160	24	3.25	unweighted	$17,000	—	Source
University of South Carolina-Columbia	SC	Alumni Scholars	Alumni	out_of_state	1,550	35	—	weighted	$8,000	—	Source
University of Wyoming	WY	Brown and Gold Commitment	OOS	out_of_state	1,060	21	3.0	unweighted	$12,000	—	Source
Utah State University	UT	Resident Scholarship	Resident	in_state	960	18	2.7	unweighted	—	Up to full tuition/fees	Source
West Virginia University	WV	Climb Higher	Level 1 (Morgantown OOS)	out_of_state	1,360	30	3.8	unweighted	$17,000	—	Source

Automatic means the college states the award follows from the score and the GPA. Amounts are per year unless the label says otherwise, and a blank amount means the college publishes words instead of a number. A blank SAT, ACT or GPA means that tier has no published bar for it. The GPA is on the college's own scale, named in the table. Each row carries the date it was read, and a grid can change for the next entering class.

The lowest scoring tier of each automatic grid

One row per college: the lowest SAT its grid still pays for.

College	State	Scholarship	Tier	Who it is for	SAT needed	ACT needed	GPA needed	GPA scale	A year	What it covers	The college's grid
Arizona State University Campus Immersion	AZ	New American University Scholarship -- University Award (OOS)	University Award	out_of_state	1,180	23	3.2	unweighted	$6,500	—	Source
Auburn University	AL	Spirit of Auburn -- University	University	any	1,300	28	3.5	unweighted	$13,000	—	Source
Florida Gulf Coast University	FL	President's Silver	Silver (resident)	in_state	1,220	25	3.5	unweighted	$3,000	—	Source
Jacksonville State University	AL	Gamecock Prestige	Top tier	any	1,390	31	2.0	unweighted	$10,500	—	Source
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College	LA	Louisiana Tiger Legacy	ACT 24-25	any	1,160	24	3.0	unweighted	$500	—	Source
Louisiana Tech University	LA	Presidential Scholarship	Top tier	any	1,450	33	3.0	unweighted	$9,500	—	Source
Michigan Technological University	MI	Presidential Scholars Program	Range	any	1,110	22	3.5	unweighted	$5,500	—	Source
Middle Tennessee State University	TN	True Blue Scholarship	True Blue	any	1,100	22	3.5	unweighted	$3,500	—	Source
Mississippi State University	MS	Resident Academic	GPA 3.0-3.29, ACT 21-24	in_state	1,060	21	3.0	unweighted	$1,000	—	Source
Oklahoma State University-Main Campus	OK	University Assured Academic Excellence	In-State Range	in_state	1,090	24	3.0	unweighted	—	$750-$3,000 (varies by GPA x ACT combination)	Source
Texas State University	TX	Texas State Distinguished Scholarship	Distinguished	any	1,160	24	—	unweighted	$4,500	—	Source
Texas Tech University	TX	Presidential Merit	GPA 3.49-3.0, SAT 1100-1190/ACT 22-24	any	1,100	22	3.0	unweighted	$1,000	—	Source
The University of Alabama	AL	UA Recognition	UA Recognition (3.50+ GPA)	in_state	1,160	24	3.5	unweighted	$4,000	—	Source
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	TN	Volunteer Scholarship (in-state)	In-state	in_state	1,300	28	—	unweighted	$9,000	—	Source
Tuskegee University	AL	University Achievement	Achievement	any	1,100	22	3.3	unweighted	$10,000	—	Source
University of Alabama at Birmingham	AL	Blazer	Blazer (3.5+ GPA)	in_state	1,100	22	3.5	unweighted	$4,000	—	Source
University of Alabama in Huntsville	AL	Jupiter C	GPA 3.5-3.74 ACT 21-23	in_state	1,060	21	3.5	unweighted	$2,000	—	Source
University of Kentucky	KY	Bluegrass Spirit	Bluegrass Spirit Tier 2	out_of_state	1,200	25	3.0	unweighted	$8,000	—	Source
University of Louisville	KY	Out-of-State Admission Merit	Base	out_of_state	1,160	24	3.0	weighted	—	$5,000-$15,000	Source
University of Mississippi	MS	Academic Merit	ACT 23 (3.0+ GPA)	in_state	1,130	23	3.0	unweighted	$1,000	—	Source
University of Missouri-Columbia	MO	Top tier (in-state)	Top (resident)	in_state	1,400	30	—	unweighted	$7,200	—	Source
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus	OK	Top tier merit	Top	any	1,160	24	3.25	unweighted	$17,000	—	Source
University of South Carolina-Columbia	SC	Academic Scholars	Recognition	out_of_state	1,240	29	—	weighted	$500	—	Source
University of Wyoming	WY	Cowboy Commitment	In-state	in_state	1,060	21	3.0	unweighted	$6,500	—	Source
Utah State University	UT	Resident Scholarship	Resident	in_state	960	18	2.7	unweighted	—	Up to full tuition/fees	Source
West Virginia University	WV	Climb Higher	Level 1 (Morgantown)	in_state	1,360	30	3.8	unweighted	$5,000	—	Source

The lowest tier on each college's automatic grid that publishes an SAT floor. Colleges whose automatic awards publish no score bar at all are not in this table. An SAT floor usually sits beside an ACT floor at the same tier, and a grid can hold a test-optional tier too.

The largest award that makes you apply

One row per college: the biggest competitive award, where a score or GPA bar is published.

College	State	Scholarship	Tier	Who it is for	SAT needed	ACT needed	GPA needed	GPA scale	A year	What it covers	The college's grid
Alabama State University	AL	Academic Incentive Scholarship	Tier 3	any	1,020	20	3.0	unweighted	—	Full tuition + $500	Source
American University	DC	AU Presidential Scholarship	Presidential	any	1,400	31	—	unweighted	$28,000	—	Source
Boston College	MA	Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program	Gabelli Presidential (full tuition + summer programs)	any	—	—	—	unweighted	$70,000	Full tuition + fully funded GPSP-sponsored summer programs	Source
Boston University	MA	Trustee Scholarship	Trustee	any	1,500	34	—	unweighted	$67,000	Full tuition (~$67k/yr)	Source
Brandeis University	MA	Justice Brandeis Scholarship	Justice Brandeis	any	1,450	33	—	unweighted	$35,000	—	Source
Cornell University	NY	Cornell Tradition Fellowship	Cornell Tradition (loan replacement)	any	—	—	—	unweighted	$4,000	Up to $4,000/year loan replacement + $3,500 support account + wage subsidy and other benefits	Source
Davidson College	NC	John M. Belk Scholarship	Belk Scholars (full COA + $6k stipend)	any	1,450	33	—	unweighted	$87,400	Full COA (tuition, fees, food, housing) + $6,000 in special opportunity stipends	Source
Duke University	NC	Robertson Scholars Leadership Program	Robertson (full COA + enrichment)	any	—	—	—	unweighted	$90,000	Full COA (tuition, room, board, fees) + funded summer experiences + 2 semesters of study abroad	Source
Emory University	GA	Robert W. Woodruff Scholarship	Woodruff (full COA + stipend)	any	—	—	—	unweighted	$88,000	Full tuition, fees, room & board + summer funding for international experiences/unpaid internships	Source
George Washington University	DC	Trachtenberg Scholarship	Trachtenberg	any	1,500	34	—	unweighted	$65,000	Full tuition	Source
Indiana University-Bloomington	IN	Wells Scholars	Wells	any	1,500	34	—	unweighted	$75,000	Full cost of attendance + $5,000 summer enrichment + travel grant	Source
Johns Hopkins University	MD	Westgate Scholarship	Westgate (full tuition, engineering)	any	—	—	—	unweighted	$67,000	Full tuition for four years of undergraduate study in engineering	Source
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College	LA	Stamps Scholarship	Stamps (Non-Resident)	out_of_state	—	—	—	unweighted	—	Full COA (~$50,000/yr) + $14,000 enrichment + $1,550/yr research + $1,100 laptop	Source
Mississippi State University	MS	Presidential Endowed	Base	any	—	—	—	unweighted	—	Full tuition + meal plan + housing + $12,000 enrichment (approx $107,000 over 4 years)	Source
New York University	NY	AnBryce Scholarship	AnBryce (full tuition)	any	—	—	—	unweighted	$62,000	Full tuition + mentoring, networking, and career support	Source
Ohio State University-Main Campus	OH	National Buckeye Scholarship	National Buckeye	out_of_state	—	—	—	unweighted	$13,500	—	Source
Oklahoma State University-Main Campus	OK	National Merit Finalist Package	NMF	any	—	—	—	unweighted	—	Up to $149,500 total package (tuition waiver up to 5 years + cash components)	Source
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus	PA	Schreyer Honors Scholarship	Schreyer Honors	any	—	—	—	unweighted	$5,000	Typically $5,000/year + scholar honors designation	Source
Rice University	TX	Century Scholarship	Century (full tuition)	any	—	—	—	unweighted	$60,000	Full tuition + mentoring, leadership development, networking	Source
Syracuse University	NY	Coronat Scholar	Coronat	any	1,500	34	—	unweighted	$65,000	Full tuition + study abroad + research stipend + summer experience	Source
Texas Tech University	TX	National Merit Finalist	NMF	any	—	—	—	unweighted	—	100% cost of attendance	Source
The University of Alabama	AL	UA Competitive Admissions Scholarship	Base	out_of_state	—	—	—	unweighted	—	$6,000 up to full tuition	Source
The University of Texas at Dallas	TX	Eugene McDermott Scholars Program	McDermott	any	1,500	34	—	unweighted	$85,000	Full cost of attendance + travel + research stipend + leadership development	Source
Tulane University of Louisiana	LA	Stamps Scholarship	Stamps (full COA + enrichment)	any	1,500	33	3.7	unweighted	$90,000	Full cost of attendance (tuition, fees, housing, meals) + enrichment fund	Source
University of Alabama at Birmingham	AL	Test-Optional Merit Range	Base	out_of_state	—	—	3.25	unweighted	—	$7,500-$28,500	Source
University of Arizona	AZ	Arizona Tuition Award (Wildcat Excellence/Distinction)	Range	out_of_state	1,110	24	3.25	unweighted	—	$4,000-$20,000	Source
University of Arkansas	AR	Chancellor's Merit	Chancellor's Merit	in_state	—	—	—	unweighted	$12,000	—	Source
University of Chicago	IL	Stamps Scholars	Stamps	any	1,500	34	—	unweighted	$89,000	Full cost of attendance + enrichment funds	Source
University of Florida	FL	Stamps Scholarship	Stamps (full COA + enrichment)	any	—	—	—	unweighted	$45,000	Full cost of attendance for up to 4 years + $10,000 experiential funding	Source
University of Georgia	GA	Foundation Fellowship	Foundation Fellowship (out-of-state)	out_of_state	—	—	3.9	unweighted	$44,940	$25,900/yr stipend + Presidential out-of-state tuition waiver (~$19,040/yr) + Oxford Maymester + 3 travel-study trips + first-year housing supplement	Source
University of Illinois Chicago	IL	Chancellor's Fellows	Chancellor's Fellows	in_state	1,450	33	3.7	unweighted	$7,500	—	Source
University of Kentucky	KY	Otis A. Singletary	Singletary	in_state	1,450	33	3.8	unweighted	—	Full in-state tuition + $10K housing stipend	Source
University of Louisville	KY	MLK Scholars	MLK	in_state	1,160	24	3.5	weighted	—	Full in-state tuition + $10,000 program funds	Source
University of Miami	FL	Stamps Scholars	Stamps	any	1,500	34	—	unweighted	$87,000	Full cost of attendance + enrichment grant	Source
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	MI	Shipman Society Scholarship	Shipman Society ($30k/yr)	any	—	—	—	unweighted	$30,000	$30,000 per year for four years	Source
University of Mississippi	MS	Academic Excellence National Merit	NMF (Non-Resident)	out_of_state	—	—	3.0	unweighted	—	Full tuition + standard double-occupancy residence hall + full non-resident fee	Source
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	NC	Morehead-Cain Scholarship	Morehead-Cain (full COA + 4 summers)	any	—	—	—	unweighted	$50,000	Full tuition, fees, housing, meals, books, laptop + four funded Summer Enrichment programs	Source
University of Notre Dame	IN	Stamps Scholars Program	Stamps (tuition + fees + $12k enrichment fund)	any	—	—	—	unweighted	$70,000	Tuition, fees, books, personal expenses, transportation + $12,000 enrichment fund	Source
University of South Carolina-Columbia	SC	Stamps Scholars	Stamps	out_of_state	1,550	35	—	weighted	—	~$24,700 + in-state tuition reduction + $15,000 enrichment	Source
University of Southern California	CA	Trustee Scholarship	Trustee (full tuition)	any	1,500	34	—	unweighted	$73,260	Full tuition	Source
University of Virginia-Main Campus	VA	Jefferson Scholarship	Jefferson (full COA + enrichment)	any	—	—	—	unweighted	$83,000	Full COA -- Virginians ~$42k/yr (~$230k total); non-Virginians ~$83k/yr (~$405k total) + funded summer/enrichment experiences	Source
University of Wisconsin-Madison	WI	Bascom Hill Society Scholarship	Bascom Hill Society (full COA, 1/yr)	any	—	—	—	unweighted	$35,000	Full tuition (in- or out-of-state) + fees + books + room and board for one year	Source
Vanderbilt University	TN	Ingram Scholars Program	Ingram (full tuition + housing + stipend)	any	1,500	34	—	unweighted	$84,000	Full tuition + all required fees + value of on-campus housing + summer service-project stipend	Source
Washington University in St Louis	MO	Danforth Scholars Program	Danforth (full or partial tuition + stipend)	any	—	—	—	unweighted	$67,000	Full or partial tuition + $2,500 stipend	Source
West Virginia University	WV	Foundation Scholarship	Foundation	in_state	1,360	30	3.8	unweighted	—	Full cost of attendance + $4,500 stipend	Source
William & Mary	VA	1693 Scholars Program	1693 Scholars (in-state full ride; OOS partial)	any	1,500	33	—	unweighted	$35,000	In-state: full in-state tuition, fees, housing, dining; Out-of-state: equivalent of Virginia (in-state) tuition + fees + room/board (partial scholarship). Plus $5,000 research stipend (Stamps subset: $6,000).	Source

Competitive means an application, and usually a committee, decides the award. A published score or GPA is the bar to be considered, not a promise of money. Amounts are per year unless the label says otherwise, and a blank amount means the college publishes words instead of a number.

What a score grid is

A score grid is a chart a college publishes that pairs an SAT or ACT score and a GPA with an award. Some grids are automatic: hit the numbers, get the money. Others are competitive, where the numbers only get the file read.

63 colleges publish one, and their grids hold 340 tiers between them. Most of these colleges are public universities, and many are in the South and the Plains. The private colleges on the list mostly run named, competitive awards instead.

How to read a row

Three things in a row change the money. A grid often pays an out-of-state student more, because the college is competing for that student. The test matters too, since a grid usually names an SAT score and an ACT score for the same tier.

The third is what the award covers. Some rows carry a dollar figure a year. Others carry words, such as full in-state tuition, because the award tracks a price that moves. A blank is not a zero. It means the college does not publish that piece.

What a family should do with this

Open the grid on the college's own page, the link in the last column, and find the tier your student's current score and GPA land in. Then look at the tier above it. The difference between those two rows is the money a higher score would add, and it is the clearest reason to sit the test again.

Then check three details on that page: whether the award renews each year and what GPA it takes to keep it, whether an application is needed, and the date the grid applies to. A grid can change for the next entering class, so read the one for your student's year.

Questions parents ask

Which colleges give a scholarship based on SAT or ACT score?

63 colleges publish a merit scholarship grid that ties the award to an SAT or ACT score and a GPA, and those grids hold 340 separate tiers.

Are these scholarships guaranteed?

Some grids are automatic: hit the numbers, get the money. Others are competitive, where the numbers only get the file read.

Is the award bigger for out-of-state students?

A grid often pays an out-of-state student more, because the college is competing for that student.

Method & sources: Every row is one tier of one college's own published scholarship grid, with the score bar, the GPA bar, the residency it applies to, the award, the college's page and the date the row was read. The file holds 340 tier rows across 63 colleges. The first table takes the largest automatic award at each college, reading a full-tuition award as the top one; the second takes the lowest tier with a published SAT floor at each college; the third takes the largest competitive award at each college. No tier was merged or recalculated, and the remaining tiers of each grid sit on the college's own page. A college that publishes no grid is not in the file.

This brief as data: /research/merit-scholarship-score-grids.json. Free for editorial use with attribution to Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach).