Arkansas Tech University: merit scholarships by ACT score
Arkansas Tech University publishes merit aid criteria as a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 19 and reach $12,000 a year. Because the bands are steps rather than a slope, one point is worth nothing inside a band and the whole step at the edge of one.
Enter a score and a GPA below to see which band it actually lands in, what that band pays, and exactly how many points the next one needs.
Read this first
These 2027 figures are 'subject to approval by the Arkansas Tech University Board of Trustees' — a proposal, not a settled schedule. A live Arkansas Tech policies page also says these awards are 'awarded on a competitive basis', contradicting the grid page's 'automatically considered', and the grid page itself gives two different final deadlines for Levels 1-3 (August 15 at the top, July 1 further down). Levels 2 and 3 qualify on EITHER the score or the GPA; Levels 4 to 6 need both. Living off campus cuts the top awards by up to 42%. Russellville campus only, US citizens and permanent residents only.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
← Drag either slider to your own numbers
Example — an ACT 29 with a 3.60 GPA
Level-3 (score route)
$4,000 / year
About $16,000 over four years, if it renews.
There is no higher band to reach at this GPA — more points would not change the award here. They may still matter for admission, for honours programmes, or at other schools on the list.
Knowing where a score sits is the easy part. Moving it starts with knowing exactly which questions they're being missed, and why.
Free preview of the top schools · the full ranked list, with deadlines, is $19.
Want to know what one more point would change? The Merit Plan prices the next point at every school.
Email me every school that pays at a 29 and 3.60
This page is one school. We have read the published grids at 501, and the email sends the ten that pay you most — five public, five private — with what each one awards. No account.
One email with your breakdown, plus occasional ACT tips. Unsubscribe in one tap.
Free · no account, no card · the first school is on this screen
Is Arkansas Tech test-optional?
For admission, largely yes. Optional for admission — a 3.0 GPA with the core curriculum admits without a score — but any student admitted without one must still submit an ACT, SAT, CLT or ACCUPLACER result for placement before registering.
For money, no. Arkansas Tech says a score must be on file for scholarship consideration — though Level 1 prints its test requirement as 'N/A' and is keyed to GPA alone, a tension the page never resolves. A family that reads “test-optional” and skips the ACT can be admitted and still walk away from every dollar on the grid below.
“Please note, first-time students admitted without test scores must submit either ACT, SAT, CLT, or ACCUPLACER scores for placement purposes prior to registration.”
The published Arkansas Tech merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Arkansas Tech University’s own pages for 2027 entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
Living on campus
Arkansas Tech pays the full Level 4, 5 and 6 amounts only to students in on-campus housing. Levels 1 to 3 do not vary by housing.
$1,000
Level-1
No score needed · GPA 2.75
$2,000
Level-2 (score route)
ACT 19–20 · ACT 19-20 — qualifies on the score alone
Without a score: not available
$2,000
Level-2 (GPA route)
No score needed · GPA 3.25
$4,000
Level-3 (score route)
ACT 21–36 · ACT 21+ — qualifies on the score alone
Without a score: not available
$4,000
Level-3 (GPA route)
No score needed · GPA 3.50
$8,000
Level-4
ACT 24–27 · 3.75+
Without a score: not available
$10,000
Level-5
ACT 28–30 · 3.75+
Without a score: not available
$12,000
Level-6
ACT 31–36 · 4.0+
Without a score: not available
| Award | With a score | No score | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level-1 | — | GPA 2.75 | $1,000 |
| Level-2 (score route) | ACT 19–20 · ACT 19-20 — qualifies on the score alone | not available | $2,000 |
| Level-2 (GPA route) | — | GPA 3.25 | $2,000 |
| Level-3 (score route) | ACT 21–36 · ACT 21+ — qualifies on the score alone | not available | $4,000 |
| Level-3 (GPA route) | — | GPA 3.50 | $4,000 |
| Level-4 | ACT 24–27 · 3.75+ | not available | $8,000 |
| Level-5 | ACT 28–30 · 3.75+ | not available | $10,000 |
| Level-6 | ACT 31–36 · 4.0+ | not available | $12,000 |
Source: 2027 First-time Student Academic Scholarships · verified 2026-10-21
Living off campus
The same grid with the top three levels reduced — a cut of 25% at Level 4 and 42% at Level 6.
$1,000
Level-1
No score needed · GPA 2.75
$2,000
Level-2 (score route)
ACT 19–20 · ACT 19-20 — qualifies on the score alone
Without a score: not available
$2,000
Level-2 (GPA route)
No score needed · GPA 3.25
$4,000
Level-3 (score route)
ACT 21–36 · ACT 21+ — qualifies on the score alone
Without a score: not available
$4,000
Level-3 (GPA route)
No score needed · GPA 3.50
$6,000
Level-4
ACT 24–27 · 3.75+
Without a score: not available
$6,500
Level-5
ACT 28–30 · 3.75+
Without a score: not available
$7,000
Level-6
ACT 31–36 · 4.0+
Without a score: not available
| Award | With a score | No score | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level-1 | — | GPA 2.75 | $1,000 |
| Level-2 (score route) | ACT 19–20 · ACT 19-20 — qualifies on the score alone | not available | $2,000 |
| Level-2 (GPA route) | — | GPA 3.25 | $2,000 |
| Level-3 (score route) | ACT 21–36 · ACT 21+ — qualifies on the score alone | not available | $4,000 |
| Level-3 (GPA route) | — | GPA 3.50 | $4,000 |
| Level-4 | ACT 24–27 · 3.75+ | not available | $6,000 |
| Level-5 | ACT 28–30 · 3.75+ | not available | $6,500 |
| Level-6 | ACT 31–36 · 4.0+ | not available | $7,000 |
Source: 2027 First-time Student Academic Scholarships · verified 2026-10-21
University Honors — competitive, by application and interview
Higher amounts for Honors Program students, but these require an application, an essay and an interview by December 1. Shown, never promised.
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|
Competitive awards — not automatic
Meeting these makes you eligible to be reviewed, not to receive the award, so they are kept out of the calculator above.
- Level-4 Honors — ACT 24+ with 3.75+ & ACT 24-27, Honors Program: $12,000
- Level-5 Honors — ACT 28+ with 3.75+ & ACT 28-30, Honors Program: $14,000
- Level-6 Honors — ACT 31+ with 4.0+ & ACT 31-36, Honors Program: $16,000
Source: 2027 First-time Student Academic Scholarships · verified 2026-10-21
Does Arkansas Tech superscore for scholarships?
No. No, and stated in one unambiguous sentence. The award is set by a single sitting's composite.
“Award levels are based on composite score, not superscores.”
This matters more than it sounds. A student whose superscore crosses a band but whose best single sitting does not will be paid on the lower band. Look up your best single sitting in the grid above, then find what is costing you points on one test.
Comparing schools? See which colleges superscore for scholarships — 66 of 501 commit to it, 52 say they do not, and the rest never say.
Arkansas Tech scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| University Honors Program application | December 1 |
| Admitted for Levels 4, 5 and 6 consideration | February 1 |
| Levels 1-3 — the page gives two different dates and does not reconcile them | August 15 or July 1 |
| Housing application or exemption, or the award may be cancelled | April 1 |
| Academic advising appointment scheduled, or the award may be cancelled | May 1 |
Scores take roughly two to four weeks to arrive, and official reports sent to schools can take longer, so the last useful test date is several weeks before the printed deadline. Check which test dates still make it.
Where these numbers came from
Every figure on this page was read from Arkansas Tech University’s own published pages, linked below with the date we last confirmed them. We do not estimate a missing band or interpolate a value.
- 2027 First-time Student Academic Scholarshipsverified 2026-10-21
- Scholarship policies — the page that calls these awards competitiveverified 2026-10-21
- Admission requirements — test policy and Enhanced ACT statementverified 2026-10-21
- Scholarship renewal requirementsverified 2026-10-21
- Level 3 is the standout: an ACT of 21 on its own is worth $4,000 a year, with no GPA condition. It is the lowest score in this dataset that earns a four-figure award by itself.
- The housing and advising deadlines are award-killers in Arkansas Tech's own words — missing either means the scholarship 'may be canceled'.
- Level 3's 'ACT 21+' is open-ended and overlaps Levels 4, 5 and 6; where the GPA condition also clears, the higher level governs.
- Arkansas Tech is one of the very few schools in this dataset to address the Enhanced ACT directly, and it does so clearly: 'The Science section will no longer be required and will not be included in the composite score... Arkansas Tech University will continue to accept the composite exam score as it is reported by ACT.'
- It also states that the ACT Writing and Science exams are not required for admission or academic scholarship purposes.
- A student may receive only one Academic Scholarship in any semester.
- Arkansas Tech reserves the right under Act 323 of 2009 to cancel or modify any institutionally funded scholarship at any time.
- The Ozark campus is excluded — awards require admission on the Russellville campus.
- A GED score of 663 or better can substitute for a high school record.
- Arkansas Academic Challenge lottery money is not folded into these figures, though the state stacking policy under Act 1180 of 1999 governs how they interact.
Check before you rely on it. Grids change by entry year and schools update them without notice. This page is a reproduction with a date on it, not a guarantee, and it is not financial aid advice. ClutchACT is not affiliated with Arkansas Tech University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Arkansas Tech?
Automatic merit aid at Arkansas Tech University starts at an ACT composite of 19, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches $12,000 a year at the top of the 3 grids it publishes. The bands are steps rather than a slope, so the only score that matters is the next threshold above where you are now.
Is Arkansas Tech test-optional?
Optional for admission — a 3.0 GPA with the core curriculum admits without a score — but any student admitted without one must still submit an ACT, SAT, CLT or ACCUPLACER result for placement before registering. For merit aid the answer is different: arkansas Tech says a score must be on file for scholarship consideration — though Level 1 prints its test requirement as 'N/A' and is keyed to GPA alone, a tension the page never resolves. Being admitted without a score and qualifying for money without a score are two separate questions.
How much is a 30 on the ACT worth at Arkansas Tech?
On Arkansas Tech's published grid for 2027 entry, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Living on campus — Level-3 (score route) at $4,000 a year, about $16,000 over four years if it renews; Living off campus — Level-3 (score route) at $4,000 a year, about $16,000 over four years if it renews.
How much is one more ACT point worth at Arkansas Tech?
The most valuable single point on Arkansas Tech's published grid is 23 to 24, at a 3.75 GPA: it moves the award by $4,000 a year, or $16,000 across a four-year degree on the Living on campus grid. The same point is worth less at other GPAs, and most points move nothing at all — the grid steps rather than slopes, which is why the only score worth aiming at is the next threshold.
Does Arkansas Tech superscore the ACT for scholarships?
No. No, and stated in one unambiguous sentence. The award is set by a single sitting's composite. Award levels are based on composite score, not superscores.
When are Arkansas Tech scholarship deadlines?
University Honors Program application: December 1. Admitted for Levels 4, 5 and 6 consideration: February 1. Levels 1-3 — the page gives two different dates and does not reconcile them: August 15 or July 1. Housing application or exemption, or the award may be cancelled: April 1. Academic advising appointment scheduled, or the award may be cancelled: May 1. The application and the official score report are both due by that date, and ACT scores take roughly two to four weeks to arrive — so the last useful test date is several weeks earlier than the deadline suggests.
Is this Arkansas Tech scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Arkansas Tech University's own published pages and last verified on 2026-10-21. The sources are linked at the bottom of the page with that date. Grids change by entry year, so check the source before relying on a figure for a decision.
Other schools to check
What to do next
You know what a score is worth at Arkansas Tech. The question is whether you can move it.
A grid tells you the target. It does not tell you which questions are costing the points between here and there. That takes about three minutes to find out.
Free · About 3 minutes · No account needed · Not affiliated with Arkansas Tech University