Alabama Colleges With Automatic Merit Scholarships (2027 Entry)
· 4 min read
Alabama is one of the best states in the country for automatic merit aid, for a specific structural reason: it is an ACT-mandate state where every junior sits the test at public expense, and its public universities compete for out-of-state students by publishing generous, transparent grids.
Sixteen Alabama institutions publish an automatic grid. Here is what they pay.
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The top published award at each school
| School | Keyed to | Top published award |
|---|---|---|
| University of Alabama | ACT | $28,000/yr (out-of-state), full tuition (in-state) |
| UAB | ACT | $17,500/yr |
| Huntingdon | ACT | $16,500/yr |
| University of Mobile | GPA only | $16,000/yr |
| Faulkner | ACT | $14,000/yr |
| Spring Hill | GPA only | $14,000/yr |
| North Alabama | ACT | $12,000/yr |
| West Alabama | ACT | $12,000/yr |
| Auburn | ACT | $11,500/yr (in-state), $17,000 (non-resident) |
| Jacksonville State | ACT | $10,500/yr |
| Auburn at Montgomery | ACT | $10,000/yr |
| Montevallo | ACT | $9,000/yr |
| UAH | ACT | $8,500/yr |
| South Alabama | ACT | $8,000/yr |
| Troy | ACT | Tuition, fees and housing (stated as a benefit) |
| Alabama A&M | ACT | stated as a benefit, not a figure |
Two of these schools ignore the ACT entirely. The University of Mobile and Spring Hill College award merit on GPA alone. If either is on your list, test preparation will not move the money at that school — and knowing that early is worth more than another practice test.
Alabama's grid is the one worth studying
The University of Alabama publishes the clearest and most generous grid in the state, and it rewards out-of-state students unusually well.
Out-of-state, with a 3.5 GPA:
| ACT | Award |
|---|---|
| 25–26 | $6,000 |
| 27 | $8,000 |
| 28 | $10,000 |
| 29 | $15,000 |
| 30–31 | $24,000 |
| 32–36 | $28,000 |
Look at 29 → 30. That single point moves the award from $15,000 to $24,000 — $36,000 over four years.
In-state the structure differs: a 30 with a 3.5 reaches full tuition, and the grid runs on a second axis where a lower GPA needs a higher score to reach the same award.
See Alabama's full published grid, both tracks
→Auburn is stricter, and its deadline is the real trap
Auburn's lowest automatic band opens at a 28 in-state and a 29 for non-residents — several points above Alabama's entry at 24–25. A non-resident 30 earns $7,000 at Auburn against $24,000 at Alabama.
But the bigger issue at Auburn is timing:
Auburn requires test scores received by December 1, 2026 for merit consideration. The December 12 ACT reports scores around December 26 at the earliest. The December test is already too late for Auburn merit money.
Deadlines across the state
- Auburn — December 1, 2026 (scores received); updated scores to January 11, 2027; February 1 regular admission is too late for merit.
- University of Alabama — December 4, 2026 for Summer/Fall 2027 entry; November 2, 2026 for Spring 2027.
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A note on how to read these
Published thresholds are award schedules, not offers. The financial aid office makes the award, and meeting a printed number is not the same as holding a letter. Every figure here is quoted from the university's own page and carries the date a human last checked it.
Where a school states a benefit rather than a dollar figure — Troy's "tuition, fees and standard housing", Alabama A&M's equivalent — we leave it as the school wrote it rather than inventing a number to rank it by.
Frequently asked questions
Which Alabama colleges give automatic merit scholarships?
Sixteen Alabama institutions in our dataset publish an automatic merit grid: Alabama, Auburn, UAB, UAH, South Alabama, North Alabama, West Alabama, Montevallo, Auburn at Montgomery, Jacksonville State, Troy, Alabama A&M, Faulkner, Huntingdon, Mobile and Spring Hill. Meeting the published ACT and GPA thresholds by the deadline normally means the award is made without a separate application.
Which Alabama school gives the most merit money?
The University of Alabama publishes the largest automatic awards in the state — $28,000 a year for an out-of-state student with a 32 and a 3.5 GPA, and full tuition for an in-state student with a 30 and a 3.5. UAB's Provost Scholarship reaches $17,500 and Huntingdon publishes $16,500.
Does every Alabama college use the ACT for scholarships?
No. Fourteen of the sixteen key merit money to the ACT. The University of Mobile and Spring Hill College award on GPA alone, so an ACT score will not change the result at either.
What is the deadline for Alabama merit scholarships?
It varies and it is the thing families most often miss. Auburn requires scores RECEIVED by December 1, 2026 for merit consideration, with updated scores accepted until January 11, 2027. The University of Alabama's deadline for Summer/Fall 2027 entry is December 4, 2026. A score earned before the deadline but reported after it does not count.
Does the University of Alabama give scholarships to out-of-state students?
Yes, and unusually generously. Alabama publishes a separate out-of-state grid that opens at a 25 ACT with a 3.5 GPA for $6,000 a year and reaches $28,000 a year at a 32. Because the out-of-state grid tops out higher in dollar terms than most states' in-state awards, it is one of the main reasons families outside Alabama apply there.
Do Alabama merit scholarships require a separate application?
At the schools publishing automatic grids, normally not — meeting the published ACT and GPA thresholds by the admission deadline is what triggers consideration. What does require attention is timing: Auburn requires scores received by December 1, 2026, and the University of Alabama's Summer/Fall 2027 deadline is December 4, 2026.