Charleston Southern University: merit scholarships by GPA
Charleston Southern University awards automatic merit aid from a published grid keyed to GPA — the ACT is not used. Awards start at a 2.0 GPA and reach $19,000 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
The published figures are for resident students. COMMUTERS RECEIVE $1,000 LESS at every rung, which the grid itself does not show. Out-of-state amounts are $2,000 higher than their in-state twins because they bundle an out-of-state grant. Charleston Southern never states that no application is required; it says the amount is determined by the GPA at high school graduation.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — a 3.60 GPA
Buccaneer Scholarship
$14,000 / year
About $56,000 over four years, if it renews.
Charleston Southern 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 Charleston Southern merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Charleston Southern 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.
South Carolina residents
Figures are for resident students. Commuters receive $1,000 less at every rung.
$17,000
Jairy C. Hunter, Jr. Scholarship
No score needed
$14,000
Buccaneer Scholarship
No score needed
$13,000
Cutlass Scholarship
No score needed
$10,000
Gold Rush Scholarship
No score needed
$5,000
Blue Crew Scholarship
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Jairy C. Hunter, Jr. Scholarship | — | $17,000 |
| Buccaneer Scholarship | — | $14,000 |
| Cutlass Scholarship | — | $13,000 |
| Gold Rush Scholarship | — | $10,000 |
| Blue Crew Scholarship | — | $5,000 |
Source: Financial aid — 2026-2027 academic scholarships · verified 2026-10-24
Non-residents
Each figure is $2,000 above its in-state twin because it includes an out-of-state grant. Commuters again receive $1,000 less.
$19,000
Jairy C. Hunter, Jr. Scholarship
No score needed
$16,000
Buccaneer Scholarship
No score needed
$15,000
Cutlass Scholarship
No score needed
$12,000
Gold Rush Scholarship
No score needed
$7,000
Blue Crew Scholarship
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Jairy C. Hunter, Jr. Scholarship | — | $19,000 |
| Buccaneer Scholarship | — | $16,000 |
| Cutlass Scholarship | — | $15,000 |
| Gold Rush Scholarship | — | $12,000 |
| Blue Crew Scholarship | — | $7,000 |
Source: Financial aid — 2026-2027 academic scholarships · verified 2026-10-24
Does Charleston Southern superscore for scholarships?
Not stated, and it would not matter. The grid uses no test score at all.
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 Charleston Southern’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 Charleston Southern 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.
- The grid pays all the way down to a 2.0 GPA, which is unusually low — most grids in this dataset stop at a 3.0.
- Commuters receive $1,000 less than every published figure.
- Out-of-state amounts are $2,000 higher because they bundle an out-of-state grant.
- No test score is used at any rung.
- Charleston Southern never states that no application is required. It does say the amount is determined by the GPA at high school graduation, which is why this is modelled as a grid.
- Awards require full-time traditional enrolment.
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 Charleston Southern University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Charleston Southern?
Charleston Southern University publishes a merit aid grid keyed to ACT score and GPA. See the tables on this page for the current bands.
Is Charleston Southern test-optional?
The financial aid page does not state the admission testing requirement, so nothing is claimed about it here. For merit aid the answer is different: the grid is keyed to the high school GPA alone — Charleston Southern says the amount is determined by the GPA at graduation and names no test score at any rung. 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 Charleston Southern?
On Charleston Southern's published grid for 2026-27 entry, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for South Carolina residents — Buccaneer Scholarship at $14,000 a year, about $56,000 over four years if it renews; Non-residents — Buccaneer Scholarship at $16,000 a year, about $64,000 over four years if it renews.
Does in-state or out-of-state change merit aid at Charleston Southern?
Yes. Charleston Southern publishes separate grids: South Carolina residents run $5,000 to $17,000 a year, and Non-residents run $7,000 to $19,000 — a difference of $2,000 a year at the top. Check which grid applies to you before planning around a figure.
Does Charleston Southern superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Not stated, and it would not matter. The grid uses no test score at all.
Is this Charleston Southern scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Charleston Southern University's own published pages and last verified on 2026-10-24. 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
Charleston Southern awards on GPA — but the ACT still decides what you're worth elsewhere.
Most schools in this comparison are score-keyed even though Charleston Southern is not, so the same test still moves the money everywhere else on the list.
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