Carroll College: merit scholarships by ACT score
Carroll College awards automatic merit aid from a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 24 and reach $9,000 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
Carroll's score axis has only two columns — ACT 28-36 and ACT 24-27 — plus a separate "No test score" column. There is no column for an ACT of 23 or below, so that gap is reproduced here rather than filled in: a 22 with a 3.9 has no cell on Carroll's chart. The no-score column is carried separately, and it reaches $7,000 at a 3.8 but never reaches the $9,000 Bishop Carroll Scholarship. Renewal is not only about grades — Carroll requires a student to "remain a campus resident to retain the award", so moving off campus ends it.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — an ACT 29 with a 3.60 GPA
Presidential Scholarship
$7,000 / year
About $28,000 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.
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The published Carroll College (MT) merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Carroll College’s own pages for 2027-28 entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
Freshman Merit Award
Awarded automatically on the application for admission — no separate scholarship application. The chart also prices a student with no score at all, so a test-optional applicant is still in the table; that column is reported here as the test-optional path rather than as a second grid.
$9,000
Bishop Carroll Scholarship
ACT 28–36 · 3.8-4.0
Without a score: not available
$7,000
Presidential Scholarship
ACT 28–36 · 3.6-3.799
Without a score: GPA 3.80
$5,000
Trustee Scholarship
ACT 28–36 · 3.4-3.599
Without a score: GPA 3.40
$3,000
All Saint Award
ACT 28–36 · 3.0-3.399
Without a score: GPA 3.00
$2,000
Founder Award
ACT 28–36 · 2.5-2.99
Without a score: GPA 2.50
$7,000
Presidential Scholarship
ACT 24–27 · 3.8-4.0
Without a score: GPA 3.80
$7,000
Presidential Scholarship
ACT 24–27 · 3.6-3.799
Without a score: GPA 3.80
$5,000
Trustee Scholarship
ACT 24–27 · 3.4-3.599
Without a score: GPA 3.40
$3,000
All Saint Award
ACT 24–27 · 3.0-3.399
Without a score: GPA 3.00
$2,000
Founder Award
ACT 24–27 · 2.5-2.99
Without a score: GPA 2.50
| Award | With a score | No score | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop Carroll Scholarship | ACT 28–36 · 3.8-4.0 | not available | $9,000 |
| Presidential Scholarship | ACT 28–36 · 3.6-3.799 | GPA 3.80 | $7,000 |
| Trustee Scholarship | ACT 28–36 · 3.4-3.599 | GPA 3.40 | $5,000 |
| All Saint Award | ACT 28–36 · 3.0-3.399 | GPA 3.00 | $3,000 |
| Founder Award | ACT 28–36 · 2.5-2.99 | GPA 2.50 | $2,000 |
| Presidential Scholarship | ACT 24–27 · 3.8-4.0 | GPA 3.80 | $7,000 |
| Presidential Scholarship | ACT 24–27 · 3.6-3.799 | GPA 3.80 | $7,000 |
| Trustee Scholarship | ACT 24–27 · 3.4-3.599 | GPA 3.40 | $5,000 |
| All Saint Award | ACT 24–27 · 3.0-3.399 | GPA 3.00 | $3,000 |
| Founder Award | ACT 24–27 · 2.5-2.99 | GPA 2.50 | $2,000 |
Source: New Student Scholarships — 2027-2028 Merit Awards grid · verified 2026-10-23
Does Carroll College (MT) superscore for scholarships?
Not stated. The word superscore does not appear on Carroll's scholarship or first-year applicant pages, and Carroll does not say whether it combines section scores across test dates for the merit grid. Worth asking the admission office directly, because the gap between the 24-27 and 28-36 columns is $2,000 a year at a 3.8 GPA.
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 Carroll College (MT)’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.
Carroll College (MT) scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Early Action (fall first-year) — non-binding, decision by December 1 | November 1 |
| Direct Entry Nursing (fall first-year) | November 1 |
| Regular Decision (fall first-year) | February 1 |
| Rolling Admission (fall first-year) | June 15 |
| Priority Consideration (spring first-year) | November 1 |
| Regular Decision (spring first-year) | December 15 |
| FAFSA processed for priority need-based consideration | December 1 |
| FAFSA filed to be considered for the housing and meal grants | February 1 annually |
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 Carroll College’s own published pages, linked below with the date we last confirmed them. We do not estimate a missing band or interpolate a value.
- New Student Scholarships — 2027-2028 Merit Awards gridverified 2026-10-23
- First-Year Students — test-optional policy and application deadlinesverified 2026-10-23
- Carroll requires a merit recipient to remain a campus resident. The renewal sentence reads "be enrolled full-time and remain a campus resident to retain the award", so a student who moves into an apartment loses the scholarship, not just the housing grant.
- There is no column on Carroll's chart for an ACT of 23 or below. The score columns are 28-36 and 24-27, with a third column for no score at all, so a 21 is unpriced. Ask the admission office which cell applies rather than assuming it is the no-score column.
- The $9,000 Bishop Carroll Scholarship is the one level a student cannot reach without a test score. Everything from $7,000 down is reachable through the "No test score" column at a high enough GPA.
- Carroll accepts the Classic Learning Test (CLT) alongside the ACT and SAT for both admission and the merit grid, and a score printed on the official high school transcript is accepted — it does not have to be sent by the testing agency. Carroll's ACT code is 2408.
- Housing and meal grants are separate, additive money: Carroll publishes $6,146 for the housing grant (double room rate) and $6,454 for the meal grant (3-meal silver plan rate) for 2027-2028, and both require a FAFSA filed by February 1 annually. They are not an alternative to the merit award.
- The Pell Promise Award covers the remaining tuition after federal grants, Carroll merit and need-based grants, and the $3,500 subsidized Stafford loan, for a Pell-eligible student with a 3.0 GPA — but it requires living on campus, and "receipt of athletic aid may cancel or reduce this grant".
- The Roy F. Simperman scholarships (up to $20,000, Montana residents in STEM majors, or graduates of Butte Central or O'Dea High School) are capped at three awards each and allow ONLY housing and meal grants to stack alongside them, aside from federal aid. Their applications are listed as "will open soon" with a January 1, 2027 deadline.
- The Honors Scholarship is only $500 a year and is renewable for the sophomore and junior years but not the senior year, with a February 1 priority deadline.
- Carroll's additional need-based gift aid is published as a range — "Estimated amounts can be between $500-$16,000" — with no threshold, so it is not in the grid.
- Institutional gift aid at Carroll is for fall and spring semesters only and is not available for study abroad programmes.
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 Carroll College.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Carroll College (MT)?
Automatic merit aid at Carroll College starts at an ACT composite of 24, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches $9,000 a year at the top. The bands are steps rather than a slope, so the only score that matters is the next threshold above where you are now.
Is Carroll College (MT) test-optional?
Test-optional for most applicants, but not for all: Carroll requires an ACT, SAT or CLT score from a student whose unweighted academic GPA is below 2.5, and from a student whose high school does not issue letter grades. Guaranteed admission otherwise starts at a 2.5 cumulative GPA. For merit aid the answer is different: considered, not required. The no-score column pays at every GPA row from 2.5 up, so a student without a score still has an award — but a 24 or better moves them to a larger one at a 3.6 or a 3.8, and only a 28 reaches the top $9,000 band. Carroll also accepts the CLT alongside the ACT and SAT, and a score printed on the official high school transcript counts; it need not come from the testing agency. 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 Carroll College (MT)?
On Carroll College (MT)'s published grid for 2027-28 entry, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Presidential Scholarship at $7,000 a year, about $28,000 over four years if it renews.
How much is one more ACT point worth at Carroll College (MT)?
The most valuable single point on Carroll College (MT)'s published grid is 27 to 28, at a 3.8 GPA: it moves the award by $2,000 a year, or $8,000 across a four-year degree. 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 Carroll College (MT) superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Not stated. The word superscore does not appear on Carroll's scholarship or first-year applicant pages, and Carroll does not say whether it combines section scores across test dates for the merit grid. Worth asking the admission office directly, because the gap between the 24-27 and 28-36 columns is $2,000 a year at a 3.8 GPA.
When are Carroll College (MT) scholarship deadlines?
Early Action (fall first-year) — non-binding, decision by December 1: November 1. Direct Entry Nursing (fall first-year): November 1. Regular Decision (fall first-year): February 1. Rolling Admission (fall first-year): June 15. Priority Consideration (spring first-year): November 1. Regular Decision (spring first-year): December 15. FAFSA processed for priority need-based consideration: December 1. FAFSA filed to be considered for the housing and meal grants: February 1 annually. 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 Carroll College (MT) scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Carroll College'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.
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What to do next
You know what a score is worth at Carroll College (MT). The question is whether you can move it.
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