Eastern Kentucky University: merit scholarships by ACT score
Eastern Kentucky University awards automatic merit aid from a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 28 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
The ACT reaches one band only: a 28 at a 3.8 GPA pays $9,000 rather than $7,000. Every other band reads 'None Required'. The grid is for on-campus Kentucky residents only — EKU's out-of-state section is published with no figures in it. And while the grid says awards are applied automatically, EKU's policies page says offers are made 'until funds are exhausted', bans stacking, and requires a FAFSA.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
← Drag either slider to your own numbers
Example — an ACT 29 with a 3.60 GPA
One Eastern Award
$5,000 / year
About $20,000 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.
Free preview of the top schools · the full ranked list, with deadlines, is $19.
Want to know what one more point would change? The Merit Plan prices the next point at every school.
Email me every school that pays at a 29 and 3.60
This page is one school. We have read the published grids at 501, and the email sends the ten that pay you most — five public, five private — with what each one awards. No account.
One email with your breakdown, plus occasional ACT tips. Unsubscribe in one tap.
Free · no account, no card · the first school is on this screen
The published EKU merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Eastern Kentucky University’s own pages for 2026-27 and 2027-28 entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
In-state first-time freshmen (on-campus Kentucky residents)
Governor's Scholars with a 28 ACT receive the Regent's Award regardless of GPA; EKU Honors and Governor's Scholars receive the President's Award regardless of GPA; Governor's School for Entrepreneurs, Governor's School for the Arts and Rogers Scholars receive One Eastern regardless of GPA.
$9,000
Regent's Award
ACT 28–36 · 3.8+
Without a score: not available
$7,000
President's Award
No score needed · GPA 3.80
$5,000
One Eastern Award
No score needed · GPA 3.40
$3,000
Excellence Award
No score needed · GPA 3.00
$1,000
Promise Award
No score needed · GPA 2.00
| Award | With a score | No score | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regent's Award | ACT 28–36 · 3.8+ | not available | $9,000 |
| President's Award | — | GPA 3.80 | $7,000 |
| One Eastern Award | — | GPA 3.40 | $5,000 |
| Excellence Award | — | GPA 3.00 | $3,000 |
| Promise Award | — | GPA 2.00 | $1,000 |
Source: 2026-2027 & 2027-2028 Academic Year Merit Scholarships · verified 2026-10-21
Does EKU superscore for scholarships?
No. No, in four words on the policies page. Together with Western Kentucky and Murray State, that makes all three Kentucky publics in this dataset refuse superscores for merit.
“EKU does not accept ACT superscores.”
This matters more than it sounds. A student whose superscore crosses a band but whose best single sitting does not will be paid on the lower band. Look up your best single sitting in the grid above, then find what is costing you points on one test.
Comparing schools? See which colleges superscore for scholarships — 66 of 501 commit to it, 52 say they do not, and the rest never say.
EKU scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Admitted to EKU for merit consideration | March 1 |
| Deadline to accept a merit scholarship | June 1 |
| Merit upgrade deadline — a new transcript or ACT score can still raise the award | June 30 |
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 Eastern Kentucky 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.
- 2026-2027 & 2027-2028 Academic Year Merit Scholarshipsverified 2026-10-21
- Merit Scholarship Policies & Guidelinesverified 2026-10-21
- Admissions — test policyverified 2026-10-21
- The June 30 merit upgrade deadline is unusually generous: a score earned after the spring can still raise the award for the coming academic year.
- EKU bans stacking: institutional scholarships 'may not be stacked with other scholarships or tuition waivers and require the Free Application for Federal Student Aid'. A student eligible for two receives the larger.
- A tuition waiver cancels the merit scholarship outright.
- Switching to a 100% online programme at any point cancels the scholarship for the remainder of its eligibility.
- Participating in the Academic Common Market makes a student ineligible for merit scholarships entirely, because the Common Market already reduces tuition to the in-state level.
- A labelled 2025-2026 block still sits on the same page below the current grid, with an ACT 24-27 band that no longer exists. It is dated honestly, but a careless reading blends two award schedules.
- EKU's own policies page is two cycles behind the scholarships page, publishing tables for 23-24 through 25-26 and none for the current cycle.
- EKU is silent on the Enhanced ACT, and keys the Regent's Award to an ACT composite.
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 Eastern Kentucky University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at EKU?
Automatic merit aid at Eastern Kentucky University starts at an ACT composite of 28, 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 EKU test-optional?
Not required. Admission runs on GPA: 2.5 or higher is standard admission, 2.0 to 2.49 enters Success First, and EKU asks for scores only to place students in the right courses. For merit aid the answer is different: considered rather than required — only the Regent's Award uses a score, and EKU keys it to the composite rather than a superscore. 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 EKU?
On EKU's published grid for 2026-27 and 2027-28 entry, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for One Eastern Award at $5,000 a year, about $20,000 over four years if it renews.
How much is one more ACT point worth at EKU?
The most valuable single point on EKU'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 EKU superscore the ACT for scholarships?
No. No, in four words on the policies page. Together with Western Kentucky and Murray State, that makes all three Kentucky publics in this dataset refuse superscores for merit. EKU does not accept ACT superscores.
When are EKU scholarship deadlines?
Admitted to EKU for merit consideration: March 1. Deadline to accept a merit scholarship: June 1. Merit upgrade deadline — a new transcript or ACT score can still raise the award: June 30. 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 EKU scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Eastern Kentucky University's own published pages and last verified on 2026-10-21. 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 EKU. 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 Eastern Kentucky University