Florida Gulf Coast University: merit scholarships by ACT score
Florida Gulf Coast University awards automatic merit aid from a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 23 and reach $15,000 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
Every tier requires a weighted GPA AND a score — the SAT and CLT are alternatives to the ACT, not to the test. A 4.0 with no score reaches nothing here. Automatic consideration requires applying for admission BEFORE NOVEMBER 1, though retest scores are considered through March 31. The page prints no entry year, and full-time enrolment is required.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — an ACT 29 with a 3.60 GPA
President's Silver
$3,000/year up to 4 years / year
About $12,000 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 FGCU merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Florida Gulf Coast University’s own pages for the current cycle. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
Florida residents
No scholarship application — admitted students are considered automatically if they applied before November 1. Silver and Bronze share a 3.5 GPA floor, so only the score separates them.
$5,000/year up to 4 years
President's Gold
ACT 28–36 · 3.75 weighted
$3,000/year up to 4 years
President's Silver
ACT 25–36 · 3.50 weighted
$2,000/year up to 4 years
President's Bronze
ACT 23–36 · 3.50 weighted
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| President's Gold | ACT 28–36 · 3.75 weighted | $5,000/year up to 4 years |
| President's Silver | ACT 25–36 · 3.50 weighted | $3,000/year up to 4 years |
| President's Bronze | ACT 23–36 · 3.50 weighted | $2,000/year up to 4 years |
Source: Admissions scholarships and waivers — resident and non-resident tiers · verified 2026-10-24
Non-residents
The same GPA and ACT thresholds as the resident ladder, paid at roughly three times the amount.
$15,000/year up to 4 years
Blue & Green Scholars Award
ACT 28–36 · 3.75 weighted
$10,000/year up to 4 years
Blue & Green Director's Award
ACT 25–36 · 3.50 weighted
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Blue & Green Scholars Award | ACT 28–36 · 3.75 weighted | $15,000/year up to 4 years |
| Blue & Green Director's Award | ACT 25–36 · 3.50 weighted | $10,000/year up to 4 years |
Source: Admissions scholarships and waivers — resident and non-resident tiers · verified 2026-10-24
Does FGCU superscore for scholarships?
Not stated. FGCU names single ACT thresholds and accepts retest scores through March 31, but never says whether it combines sections across sittings.
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 FGCU’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.
FGCU scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Apply for admission before this date for automatic consideration | November 1 |
| Higher retest scores considered through | March 31 |
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 Florida Gulf Coast 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 same 3.75 weighted GPA with a 28 ACT pays $5,000 in state and $15,000 out of state.
- FGCU sets a different SAT bar by residency for the identical ACT — 1300 in state, 1320 out of state.
- The Silver and Bronze tiers share a 3.5 GPA floor, so a 23 to a 25 is worth $1,000 a year on its own.
- Every tier needs both a GPA and a score. There is no test-optional route at any level.
- Applying before November 1 is required for automatic consideration.
- Third-party listings show a 3.9 floor for the Gold and Scholars awards; FGCU's own page prints 3.75, and that is what is used here.
- The amounts are published as "up to 4 years", and renewal needs a 3.0 and 30 credits a year.
- The page does not print an entry year.
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 Florida Gulf Coast University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at FGCU?
Automatic merit aid at Florida Gulf Coast University starts at an ACT composite of 23, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches $15,000 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 FGCU test-optional?
FGCU's admissions material lists official ACT, SAT or CLT scores among its first-time-in-college requirements. For merit aid the answer is different: every tier joins a weighted GPA to a score with AND. There is no GPA-only route at any level, so a 4.0 with no ACT reaches nothing, and the only alternatives offered are the SAT and the CLT in place of the ACT. Higher retest scores are considered through March 31. 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 FGCU?
On FGCU's published grid for the current cycle, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Florida residents — President's Silver at $3,000 a year, about $12,000 over four years if it renews; Non-residents — Blue & Green Director's Award at $10,000 a year, about $40,000 over four years if it renews.
How much is one more ACT point worth at FGCU?
The most valuable single point on FGCU's published grid is 27 to 28, at a 3.75 GPA: it moves the award by $5,000 a year, or $20,000 across a four-year degree on the Non-residents grid. 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 in-state or out-of-state change merit aid at FGCU?
Yes. FGCU publishes separate grids: Florida residents run $2,000 to $5,000 a year, and Non-residents run $10,000 to $15,000 — a difference of $10,000 a year at the top. Check which grid applies to you before planning around a figure.
Does FGCU superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Not stated. FGCU names single ACT thresholds and accepts retest scores through March 31, but never says whether it combines sections across sittings.
When are FGCU scholarship deadlines?
Apply for admission before this date for automatic consideration: November 1. Higher retest scores considered through: March 31. 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 FGCU scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Florida Gulf Coast 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 FGCU. The question is whether you can move it.
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