Dakota State University: merit scholarships by ACT score
Dakota State University awards automatic merit aid from a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 21 and reach $4,000 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
The 3.0 GPA is a floor rather than an axis — nothing above it pays more, so a 4.0 and a 3.0 with the same ACT receive the same award. All of the money moves on the test score.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — an ACT 29 with a 3.60 GPA
Champion Scholarship
$3,000 / year
About $12,000 over four years, if it renews.
What the next points are worth
3 more points (a 32) moves you to Champion Scholarship — $4,000 a year. That is $1,000 more a year, or $4,000 over four years.
The question isn't whether 3 points is worth having. It's whether they can move them — which starts with knowing exactly which questions they're missing, and why.
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Want to know what one more point would change? The Merit Plan prices the next point at every school.
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The published Dakota State merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Dakota State University’s own pages for Fall 2026 and later entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
Champion Series
Awarded automatically on admission with no scholarship application. Every rung needs a 3.0 GPA alongside the score.
$4,000
Champion Scholarship
ACT 32–36 · 3.00+
$3,000
Champion Scholarship
ACT 28–31 · 3.00+
$2,000
Champion Scholarship
ACT 24–27 · 3.00+
$1,000
Champion Scholarship
ACT 21–23 · 3.00+
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Champion Scholarship | ACT 32–36 · 3.00+ | $4,000 |
| Champion Scholarship | ACT 28–31 · 3.00+ | $3,000 |
| Champion Scholarship | ACT 24–27 · 3.00+ | $2,000 |
| Champion Scholarship | ACT 21–23 · 3.00+ | $1,000 |
Source: Scholarships — Champion Series · verified 2026-10-24
Does Dakota State superscore for scholarships?
Not stated. DSU's scholarship page does not use the word, which matters more here than at most schools — the whole grid moves on the score, so whether a retake can be combined with an earlier sitting is worth asking in writing.
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 Dakota State’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 Dakota State 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 GPA is a flat 3.0 gate. Above it, a higher GPA is worth nothing — only the ACT moves the award.
- DSU states outright that no scholarship application is needed and that awards are made automatically on admission.
- DSU Rising adds a further $2,000 a year for students with a 30+ ACT in a Beacom College computing major. It stacks and is restricted to one college, so it is not a band on this grid.
- Nothing is paid below an ACT 21 or below a 3.0 GPA.
- Renewal is stricter than most — 30 DSU credits an academic year, not the 24 or the twelve-a-semester that is common.
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 Dakota State University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Dakota State?
Automatic merit aid at Dakota State University starts at an ACT composite of 21, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches $4,000 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 Dakota State test-optional?
The scholarship page does not state the admission testing requirement, so nothing is claimed about it here. For merit aid the answer is different: every rung of the Champion Series names an ACT or SAT range, and DSU publishes no GPA-only alternative. A student with no score reaches nothing on this grid however high their GPA. 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 Dakota State?
On Dakota State's published grid for Fall 2026 and later entry, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Champion Scholarship at $3,000 a year, about $12,000 over four years if it renews.
How much is one more ACT point worth at Dakota State?
The most valuable single point on Dakota State's published grid is 23 to 24, at a 3.0 GPA: it moves the award by $1,000 a year, or $4,000 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 Dakota State superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Not stated. DSU's scholarship page does not use the word, which matters more here than at most schools — the whole grid moves on the score, so whether a retake can be combined with an earlier sitting is worth asking in writing.
Is this Dakota State scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Dakota State 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
You know what a score is worth at Dakota State. 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 Dakota State University