Illinois State University: merit scholarships and what the school publishes
Illinois State University awards automatic merit aid from published criteria. Awards start at a 3.0 GPA. 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
Qualifying is automatic at a 3.0, but the award is published only as a range from $1,000 to $5,000 a year with no tiers and nothing explaining what decides the amount — a fivefold spread with no published key. Illinois State also requires applying by a priority deadline it does not print, and the award is for domestic students only. Whether the GPA is weighted is not stated.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — a 3.60 GPA
Redbird Academic Scholarship
$1,000 to $5,000 a year, renewable for up to three additional years — no tiers published
Illinois State 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 Illinois State merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Illinois State 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.
Redbird Academic Scholarship
Automatic for domestic freshmen at a 3.0 or above who apply by the priority deadline. Renewable for up to three additional years.
$1,000 to $5,000 a year, renewable for up to three additional years — no tiers published
Redbird Academic Scholarship
No score needed · GPA 3.00
| Award | With a score | No score | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redbird Academic Scholarship | — | GPA 3.00 | $1,000 to $5,000 a year, renewable for up to three additional years — no tiers published |
Source: Redbird Academic Scholarship · verified 2026-10-24
Does Illinois State superscore for scholarships?
Not stated, and the published criterion reads no score.
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 Illinois 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.
Illinois State scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| University application — priority deadline (date not published) | Notification by mid-December |
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 Illinois 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.
- Redbird Academic Scholarshipverified 2026-10-24
- Freshman scholarshipsverified 2026-10-24
- Freshman admission requirementsverified 2026-10-24
- A 3.0 qualifies automatically; what it is worth is not published.
- The award runs $1,000 to $5,000 a year — a fivefold spread with no tiers.
- The renewal bar is a 2.75, below the 3.0 that earns the award.
- No score is read for this scholarship.
- Applying by an unpublished priority deadline is a stated condition.
- Domestic students only.
- The Jesse W. Fell award, $8,000 to $12,000 a year at a 3.75, is invitation-only and described as highly competitive, so it is not a band here.
- A $500 legacy award depends on a parent or grandparent having attended.
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 Illinois State University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Illinois State?
Illinois State University publishes a merit aid grid keyed to ACT score and GPA. See the tables on this page for the current bands.
Is Illinois State test-optional?
Neither scholarship page names a test, so skipping it costs nothing here. For merit aid the answer is different: the only published criterion is a 3.0 cumulative GPA. No score appears anywhere on the scholarship pages. Being admitted without a score and qualifying for money without a score are two separate questions.
Does Illinois State superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Not stated, and the published criterion reads no score.
When are Illinois State scholarship deadlines?
University application — priority deadline (date not published): Notification by mid-December. 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 Illinois State scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Illinois 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
Illinois State awards on GPA — but the ACT still decides what you're worth elsewhere.
Most schools in this comparison are score-keyed even though Illinois State is not, so the same test still moves the money everywhere else on the list.
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