Delaware State University: merit scholarships by ACT score
Delaware State University awards automatic merit aid from a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 17 and reach $3,000 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 two out-of-state tuition awards are GAP funding — they cover what is left of tuition after federal Title IV and state grants, so the same score is worth less to a student with larger grants, and neither covers room, food or fees. DSU also awards on a first-come, first-served basis. US citizens only, regular admission, enrolling the fall straight after high school.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — an ACT 29 with a 3.60 GPA
Full Tuition Scholarship
Covers the gap between tuition and any Federal Title IV or state grant funding
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 Delaware State merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Delaware State University’s own pages for Fall 2027 entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
Non-residents
Each tier needs a GPA and a score together, and no separate application. The two tuition awards are gap funding rather than fixed amounts.
Covers the gap between tuition and any Federal Title IV or state grant funding
Full Tuition Scholarship
ACT 23–36 · 3.50+
Up to 50% of the tuition gap
Partial Tuition Scholarship
ACT 20–36 · 3.00+
$3,000 per academic year
DSU GAP Scholarship
ACT 17–36 · 2.75+
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Full Tuition Scholarship | ACT 23–36 · 3.50+ | Covers the gap between tuition and any Federal Title IV or state grant funding |
| Partial Tuition Scholarship | ACT 20–36 · 3.00+ | Up to 50% of the tuition gap |
| DSU GAP Scholarship | ACT 17–36 · 2.75+ | $3,000 per academic year |
Source: Out-of-state freshman scholarships · verified 2026-10-24
Delaware high school graduates
The Inspire Scholarship names no test score at all — a 2.75 GPA reaches a 4-year, full tuition award, more than any non-resident tier pays.
Full tuition for four years, as DSU's "4-year, full tuition" award
Inspire Scholarship
No score needed · GPA 2.75
| Award | With a score | No score | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inspire Scholarship | — | GPA 2.75 | Full tuition for four years, as DSU's "4-year, full tuition" award |
Source: Inspire Scholarship — Delaware residents · verified 2026-10-24
Does Delaware State superscore for scholarships?
Not stated on any official DSU page read for this entry, which matters because every out-of-state tier is gated on a composite.
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 Delaware 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.
Delaware State scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Scholarship notifications issued | November 2, 2026 through May 1 |
| Accept the award by | June 15, 2027 |
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 Delaware 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.
- Out-of-state freshman scholarshipsverified 2026-10-24
- In-state freshman scholarshipsverified 2026-10-24
- Inspire Scholarship — Delaware residentsverified 2026-10-24
- A Delaware resident at a 2.75 reaches a 4-year, full tuition award. A non-resident with a 36 and a 4.0 reaches gap funding that may be worth less.
- The out-of-state Full and Partial Tuition awards are gap amounts after federal and state grants, so a student with larger grants receives a smaller DSU award for the same score.
- Neither tuition award covers room, food or student fees.
- The GAP Scholarship cannot be combined with the Full or Partial Tuition awards.
- Every out-of-state tier requires a score; the in-state Inspire Scholarship names none.
- DSU awards on a first-come, first-served basis, so the published thresholds sit behind a queue.
- SAT equivalents are 1130, 1030 and 920 for the three out-of-state tiers.
- DSU does not print the in-state equivalents of the GAP, Partial and Full Tuition awards.
- The Presidential Scholarship covers full cost of attendance at a 3.90 with a 27, but DSU calls it competitive and requires a questionnaire, so it is not a band.
- Awards require US citizenship, regular admission, and enrolling the fall immediately after high school.
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 Delaware State University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Delaware State?
Automatic merit aid at Delaware State University starts at an ACT composite of 17, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches $3,000 a year at the top of the 2 grids it publishes. The bands are steps rather than a slope, so the only score that matters is the next threshold above where you are now.
Is Delaware State test-optional?
No official DSU page read for this entry states the admission testing requirement, so nothing is claimed about it here. For merit aid the answer is different: every out-of-state tier names an ACT or SAT minimum alongside its GPA, and DSU does not publish a score-free route to any of them — so a non-resident with a 4.0 and no score reaches nothing on that track. Delaware residents are the exception: the Inspire Scholarship reaches a 4-year, full tuition award on a 2.75 GPA with no score threshold. Being admitted without a score and qualifying for money without a score are two separate questions.
Does Delaware State superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Not stated on any official DSU page read for this entry, which matters because every out-of-state tier is gated on a composite.
When are Delaware State scholarship deadlines?
Scholarship notifications issued: November 2, 2026 through May 1. Accept the award by: June 15, 2027. 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 Delaware State scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Delaware 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 Delaware 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.
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