Ashland University: merit scholarships by GPA
Ashland University awards automatic merit aid from a published grid keyed to GPA — the ACT is not used. Awards start at a 2.7 GPA and reach $18,000 a year. Because the bands are steps rather than a slope, a hundredth of a GPA point is worth nothing inside a band and the whole step at the edge of one.
Enter a GPA below to see which band it actually lands in, what that band pays, and what the next band needs.
Read this first
Ashland's academic scholarship is read off high school GPA alone — there is no score column in the chart, so an ACT cannot move you between these eight bands. Your score is worth money separately: the Test Achievement Scholarship pays $1,500 for an ACT 25-29 and $2,500 for a 30 or higher, as a ONE-TIME award on top of the GPA scholarship rather than an annual one. The figures above are also the academic scholarship ALONE. Ashland's published chart has six columns, one per Student Aid Index bracket, and the amounts in the middle brackets are the academic award plus need-based funding — up to $4,000 a year more at the Presidential level. Filing the FAFSA is what unlocks that; these numbers are what you get without it. One deadline matters more than it looks: academic scores can be updated through August 1, but 'students accepted after August 1 will have their eligibility based on their academic scores at the time of admission.'
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — a 3.60 GPA
Ambassador Scholarship
$12,500 / year
About $50,000 over four years, if it renews.
Ashland awards this on GPA alone, so an ACT score does not change it. A higher score can still matter for admission, for honours programmes, and at other schools on the list — but not for this award.
The ACT doesn't move the money here — but it still decides admission, honours eligibility, and what they is worth at the other schools on the list, where most awards are score-keyed.
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The published Ashland merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Ashland University’s own pages for 2026-27 entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
First-year academic scholarships
Awarded on the admission application with no separate form — Ashland determines them "by reviewing a student's prior academic performance from their high school or prior college transcripts". These are the academic scholarship on its own; filing a FAFSA can add $1,000 to $4,000 a year of need-based funding on top, and an ACT of 25 or better adds a one-time Test Achievement Scholarship of $1,500 or $2,500.
$18,000
Presidential Scholarship
No score needed
$16,000
Provost Scholarship
No score needed
$13,500
Director Scholarship
No score needed
$12,500
Ambassador Scholarship
No score needed
$10,500
Trustee Scholarship
No score needed
$8,500
Talon Scholarship
No score needed
$6,500
Founders Scholarship
No score needed
$3,500
Eagle Scholarship
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Presidential Scholarship | — | $18,000 |
| Provost Scholarship | — | $16,000 |
| Director Scholarship | — | $13,500 |
| Ambassador Scholarship | — | $12,500 |
| Trustee Scholarship | — | $10,500 |
| Talon Scholarship | — | $8,500 |
| Founders Scholarship | — | $6,500 |
| Eagle Scholarship | — | $3,500 |
Source: Ashland University Scholarships — 2026-27 Academic Scholarships · verified 2026-10-23
Does Ashland superscore for scholarships?
Not stated. The word "superscore" does not appear on Ashland's scholarship page, its financial aid page or its undergraduate admissions page, and the only score-combining rule Ashland publishes runs the other way — for the federal TEACH Grant it asks for a score "in the 75th percentile on any subtest of the ACT or SAT", which is a subtest rule for a federal grant rather than an institutional superscore policy. Ask admissions directly before deciding which sittings to send.
With nothing published, plan for the stricter reading: look up your best single sitting in the grid above, work out your superscore as well, and ask Ashland’s financial aid office which one they read before you count on the higher band.
Comparing schools? See which colleges superscore for scholarships — 66 of 501 commit to it, 52 say they do not, and the rest never say.
Ashland scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Last date to update academic scores for scholarship eligibility (fall entry) | August 1 |
| Last date to update academic scores for scholarship eligibility (spring entry) | December 1 |
| FAFSA priority date | April 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 Ashland 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.
- Ashland University Scholarships — 2026-27 Academic Scholarshipsverified 2026-10-23
- Financial Aid — factors, priority dates and net price calculatorverified 2026-10-23
- Undergraduate Admissions — test score policy and admission FAQsverified 2026-10-23
- The dollar figures above are the academic scholarship with no need-based funding. Ashland's chart adds money for lower Student Aid Index brackets: the Presidential row runs $18,000 with no FAFSA, $21,000 at an SAI of -$1,500 to -$100, $22,000 at -$99 to $9,000, $20,000 at $9,001 to $21,000, $19,000 at $21,001 to $38,000, and back to $18,000 at $38,001 and above. Every row has the same shape, so the need-based supplement is worth $1,000 to $4,000 a year depending on bracket. Ashland notes the SAI "can be as low as negative $1,500".
- The Test Achievement Scholarship is the only ACT-keyed money Ashland publishes, and it is a ONE-TIME award, not an annual one: $1,500 for an ACT of 25-29 and $2,500 for a 30 or higher. SAT and CLT scores are accepted through Ashland's own conversion tables. It is kept out of the grid because it stacks on the GPA award rather than replacing it, and because the grid's figures are annual.
- Scores can be updated through August 1 for fall entry and December 1 for spring, but the cutoff is harder than it reads: "Students accepted after August 1 will have their eligibility based on their academic scores at the time of admission." A late retake cannot be applied retroactively once admission has already happened after that date.
- A high school GPA below 2.70 earns $0 in academic scholarship — "Students who have a high school GPA below 2.70 do not meet the academic criteria for an AU academic scholarship" — though Ashland may still award a need-based scholarship of $1,000 to $4,000 after the FAFSA. That is why there is no band below the 2.70 Eagle row.
- An Eagle recipient can earn a raise mid-year. The Rising Eagle increase is open to first-time freshmen who complete 12 or more credit hours in their first fall semester with an Ashland GPA of 3.0 or higher. International students are excluded.
- Ashland funds aid first-come, first-served: "all financial aid administered by Ashland University is offered annually on a first-come, first-served basis", with priority to students who filed the FAFSA by the April 1 priority date. Applying late is a real risk to the need-based half of the package even where the academic band is secure.
- Several awards stack on top of the academic scholarship and are additive, not alternatives: the $1,500 Dean's Scholarships in Accounting, Finance, Sport Management and the College of Arts & Sciences majors, which Ashland says "can be 'stacked' on top of other awarded AU scholarships"; a $1,000 Legacy Scholarship for children and grandchildren of alumni; a $1,000 College Credit Plus Scholarship; a $500 Empower an Eagle referral award; and $1,000 for homeschool graduates or Talon Track partner high school graduates, plus a second $1,000 for each if the student lives on campus.
- Two awards are denominational and both are tied to the Ashland-based Brethren Church: a $1,000 annual Brethren Scholarship requiring a pastor's letter verifying membership before enrolling, and a Ministerial Scholarship for children of Brethren ministers, missionaries and ordained staff worth "total AU gift aid equal to 65% of tuition" with a 2.5 GPA to renew.
- The Ohio College Opportunity Grant is STATE money, not Ashland's, and is deliberately kept out of the grid above — Ashland describes it as "available to eligible students who are residents of Ohio and is based on financial needs" and requires only the FAFSA. The Ohio Governor's Merit Scholarship, $5,000 renewable for every student in the top 5% of an Ohio high school graduating class, is also state money, and for homeschooled students it is keyed to scoring "within the top 5% of applicants on the ACT/SAT".
- Ashland's Choose Ohio First STEM scholarships are the other place an ACT threshold appears, but they are state-funded rather than institutional, and the routes are alternatives: an ACT of 25 or higher (21 for nursing and dietetics) or a high school GPA of 3.5 or higher (3.0 for nursing and dietetics), a qualifying STEM major, and a 3.0 GPA by the end of the first year.
- Art, Music and Theatre scholarships require an on-campus interview plus an audition or portfolio and Ashland states "Scholarship amounts may vary", so no figure is recorded for them.
- The international and transfer ladders are separate grids with different names and different money and must not be conflated with the chart above — AU International Gold pays $14,000 at a 4.00+ against the domestic Presidential's $18,000, and AU Transfer Gold pays $12,000.
- Ashland is silent on the Enhanced ACT.
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 Ashland University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Ashland?
Ashland University publishes a merit aid grid keyed to ACT score and GPA. See the tables on this page for the current bands.
Is Ashland test-optional?
Optional for every undergraduate program except Nursing, which requires a score below a 3.5 GPA. Ashland's published admission floors are explicitly alternatives: a 2.85 GPA on its own, or a 2.5 GPA together with an ACT of 18 or higher, for all programs other than nursing; and a 3.5 GPA on its own, or a 3.0 to 3.49 GPA with an ACT of 20 or higher, for nursing. So a score is the second route in rather than a requirement. For merit aid the answer is different: considered, but not on this chart. The eight academic scholarship bands are read off high school GPA with no score column at all, so a higher ACT cannot move a student up the ladder. A score instead earns a separate, one-time Test Achievement Scholarship — $1,500 at an ACT 25-29, $2,500 at a 30 or higher — and Ashland's financial aid page names "ACT and/or SAT scores" among the factors behind an aid offer, which is why this school is recorded as using the ACT for merit despite publishing a GPA-only grid. There is no test-optional premium band to model: the GPA ladder already is the test-optional route, so no band carries a testOptionalGpa. 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 Ashland?
On Ashland's published grid for 2026-27 entry, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Ambassador Scholarship at $12,500 a year, about $50,000 over four years if it renews.
Does Ashland superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Not stated. The word "superscore" does not appear on Ashland's scholarship page, its financial aid page or its undergraduate admissions page, and the only score-combining rule Ashland publishes runs the other way — for the federal TEACH Grant it asks for a score "in the 75th percentile on any subtest of the ACT or SAT", which is a subtest rule for a federal grant rather than an institutional superscore policy. Ask admissions directly before deciding which sittings to send.
When are Ashland scholarship deadlines?
Last date to update academic scores for scholarship eligibility (fall entry): August 1. Last date to update academic scores for scholarship eligibility (spring entry): December 1. FAFSA priority date: April 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 Ashland scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Ashland University's own published pages and last verified on 2026-10-23. 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
Ashland awards on GPA — but the ACT still decides what you're worth elsewhere.
Most schools in this comparison are score-keyed even though Ashland is not, so the same test still moves the money everywhere else on the list.
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