Buena Vista University: merit scholarships by GPA
Buena Vista University awards automatic merit aid from a published grid keyed to GPA — the ACT is not used. Awards reach $29,000 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
No score is used. The detail that changes the arithmetic: BVU reduces the scholarship by $5,000 a year for students who do not live on campus, which is more than the entire spread of the ladder — a commuting 3.9 student receives less than a resident with a sub-3.0. Read the figures below as the on-campus rate. The page carries no cycle year.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — a 3.60 GPA
Arch Scholarship
$26,000/yr / year
About $104,000 over four years, if it renews.
Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Buena Vista University’s own pages for the current cycle. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
Academic scholarships (on-campus rate)
Awarded on the GPA. BVU reduces each award by $5,000 a year for students not living on campus.
$29,000/yr
Presidential Scholarship
No score needed · GPA 3.90
$27,000/yr
Heritage Scholarship
No score needed · GPA 3.70
$26,000/yr
Arch Scholarship
No score needed · GPA 3.40
$25,000/yr
Blue Award
No score needed · GPA 3.00
$23,000/yr
Gold Award
No score needed · GPA 1.00
| Award | With a score | No score | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presidential Scholarship | — | GPA 3.90 | $29,000/yr |
| Heritage Scholarship | — | GPA 3.70 | $27,000/yr |
| Arch Scholarship | — | GPA 3.40 | $26,000/yr |
| Blue Award | — | GPA 3.00 | $25,000/yr |
| Gold Award | — | GPA 1.00 | $23,000/yr |
Source: Scholarships — academic awards by GPA · verified 2026-10-22
Does Buena Vista superscore for scholarships?
Not stated, and moot — no merit band here uses a score.
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 Buena Vista’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.
Where these numbers came from
Every figure on this page was read from Buena Vista 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.
- Commuting costs $5,000 a year — more than the $6,000 spread of the whole ladder.
- Every admitted student is published a figure.
- The page carries no cycle year.
- Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Buena Vista?
Buena Vista University publishes a merit aid grid keyed to ACT score and GPA. See the tables on this page for the current bands.
Is Buena Vista test-optional?
Not stated on the scholarship page. No merit band here uses a score. For merit aid the answer is different: not used. Every band is published against a high school GPA and no ACT threshold appears in the criteria. 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 Buena Vista?
On Buena Vista's published grid for the current cycle, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Arch Scholarship at $26,000 a year, about $104,000 over four years if it renews.
Does Buena Vista superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Not stated, and moot — no merit band here uses a score.
Is this Buena Vista scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Buena Vista University's own published pages and last verified on 2026-10-22. 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
Buena Vista awards on GPA — but the ACT still decides what you're worth elsewhere.
Most schools in this comparison are score-keyed even though Buena Vista is not, so the same test still moves the money everywhere else on the list.
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