Kansas State University: merit scholarships by ACT score
Kansas State University awards automatic merit aid from a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 21 and reach $5,000 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.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — an ACT 29 with a 3.60 GPA
Wildcat Traditions Scholarship
$3,000 / 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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Can you get merit aid at Kansas State without an ACT score?
Yes. A score is not required — the grid has a no-score column — but it is worth up to $2,000 a year. At a 3.95 GPA, a 29 earns $5,000 where no score earns $3,000.
Read the two columns in the grid below as a trade. The same award is reachable either way — with a score at a lower GPA, or with no score at a higher one. A score is worth real money to a student whose GPA sits under the test-optional line, and worth little to one comfortably above it.
“At K-State, your best cumulative GPA (weighted or unweighted) is utilized in determining scholarship/award eligibility. Some awards also require an ACT/SAT score for consideration.”
The published Kansas State merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Kansas State University’s own pages for Summer/Fall 2027 entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
In-state (Kansas residents)
K-State changes the award name rather than just the amount as you move across the grid. The final column is its published no-score route.
$5,000
University Scholar Award
ACT 29–36 · 3.95+
Without a score: not available
$5,000
University Scholar Award
ACT 27–28 · 3.95+
Without a score: not available
$4,000
Royal Purple Scholarship
ACT 25–26 · 3.95+
Without a score: not available
$4,000
Royal Purple Scholarship
ACT 23–24 · 3.95+
Without a score: not available
$4,000
Royal Purple Scholarship
ACT 21–22 · 3.95+
Without a score: not available
$3,000
Wildcat Traditions Scholarship (no score)
No score needed · GPA 3.95
$5,000
University Scholar Award
ACT 29–36 · 3.85–3.94
Without a score: not available
$4,000
Royal Purple Scholarship
ACT 27–28 · 3.85–3.94
Without a score: not available
$4,000
Royal Purple Scholarship
ACT 25–26 · 3.85–3.94
Without a score: not available
$4,000
Royal Purple Scholarship
ACT 23–24 · 3.85–3.94
Without a score: not available
$3,000
Wildcat Traditions Scholarship
ACT 21–22 · 3.85–3.94
Without a score: not available
$2,000
Limestone Award (no score)
No score needed · GPA 3.85
Show the other 18 published rows
$4,000
Royal Purple Scholarship
ACT 29–36 · 3.70–3.84
Without a score: not available
$3,000
Wildcat Traditions Scholarship
ACT 27–28 · 3.70–3.84
Without a score: not available
$3,000
Wildcat Traditions Scholarship
ACT 25–26 · 3.70–3.84
Without a score: not available
$3,000
Wildcat Traditions Scholarship
ACT 23–24 · 3.70–3.84
Without a score: not available
$3,000
Wildcat Traditions Scholarship
ACT 21–22 · 3.70–3.84
Without a score: not available
$2,000
Limestone Award (no score)
No score needed · GPA 3.70
$3,000
Wildcat Traditions Scholarship
ACT 29–36 · 3.50–3.69
Without a score: not available
$2,000
Limestone Award
ACT 27–28 · 3.50–3.69
Without a score: not available
$2,000
Limestone Award
ACT 25–26 · 3.50–3.69
Without a score: not available
$2,000
Limestone Award
ACT 23–24 · 3.50–3.69
Without a score: not available
$2,000
Limestone Award
ACT 21–22 · 3.50–3.69
Without a score: not available
$1,000
1863 Landmark Award (no score)
No score needed · GPA 3.50
$2,000
Limestone Award
ACT 29–36 · 3.25–3.49
Without a score: not available
$2,000
Limestone Award
ACT 27–28 · 3.25–3.49
Without a score: not available
$1,000
1863 Landmark Award
ACT 25–26 · 3.25–3.49
Without a score: not available
$1,000
1863 Landmark Award
ACT 23–24 · 3.25–3.49
Without a score: not available
$1,000
1863 Landmark Award
ACT 21–22 · 3.25–3.49
Without a score: not available
$1,000
1863 Landmark Award (no score)
No score needed · GPA 3.25
| Award | With a score | No score | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| University Scholar Award | ACT 29–36 · 3.95+ | not available | $5,000 |
| University Scholar Award | ACT 27–28 · 3.95+ | not available | $5,000 |
| Royal Purple Scholarship | ACT 25–26 · 3.95+ | not available | $4,000 |
| Royal Purple Scholarship | ACT 23–24 · 3.95+ | not available | $4,000 |
| Royal Purple Scholarship | ACT 21–22 · 3.95+ | not available | $4,000 |
| Wildcat Traditions Scholarship (no score) | — | GPA 3.95 | $3,000 |
| University Scholar Award | ACT 29–36 · 3.85–3.94 | not available | $5,000 |
| Royal Purple Scholarship | ACT 27–28 · 3.85–3.94 | not available | $4,000 |
| Royal Purple Scholarship | ACT 25–26 · 3.85–3.94 | not available | $4,000 |
| Royal Purple Scholarship | ACT 23–24 · 3.85–3.94 | not available | $4,000 |
| Wildcat Traditions Scholarship | ACT 21–22 · 3.85–3.94 | not available | $3,000 |
| Limestone Award (no score) | — | GPA 3.85 | $2,000 |
| Royal Purple Scholarship | ACT 29–36 · 3.70–3.84 | not available | $4,000 |
| Wildcat Traditions Scholarship | ACT 27–28 · 3.70–3.84 | not available | $3,000 |
| Wildcat Traditions Scholarship | ACT 25–26 · 3.70–3.84 | not available | $3,000 |
| Wildcat Traditions Scholarship | ACT 23–24 · 3.70–3.84 | not available | $3,000 |
| Wildcat Traditions Scholarship | ACT 21–22 · 3.70–3.84 | not available | $3,000 |
| Limestone Award (no score) | — | GPA 3.70 | $2,000 |
| Wildcat Traditions Scholarship | ACT 29–36 · 3.50–3.69 | not available | $3,000 |
| Limestone Award | ACT 27–28 · 3.50–3.69 | not available | $2,000 |
| Limestone Award | ACT 25–26 · 3.50–3.69 | not available | $2,000 |
| Limestone Award | ACT 23–24 · 3.50–3.69 | not available | $2,000 |
| Limestone Award | ACT 21–22 · 3.50–3.69 | not available | $2,000 |
| 1863 Landmark Award (no score) | — | GPA 3.50 | $1,000 |
| Limestone Award | ACT 29–36 · 3.25–3.49 | not available | $2,000 |
| Limestone Award | ACT 27–28 · 3.25–3.49 | not available | $2,000 |
| 1863 Landmark Award | ACT 25–26 · 3.25–3.49 | not available | $1,000 |
| 1863 Landmark Award | ACT 23–24 · 3.25–3.49 | not available | $1,000 |
| 1863 Landmark Award | ACT 21–22 · 3.25–3.49 | not available | $1,000 |
| 1863 Landmark Award (no score) | — | GPA 3.25 | $1,000 |
Source: Kansas Resident Awards · verified 2026-10-19
Does Kansas State superscore for scholarships?
Yes. K-State superscores, and for the Enhanced ACT it calculates your best composite both with and without Science, then uses the higher.
“K-State accepts superscores. The highest subject scores are used when calculating an ACT Composite and when combining the SAT ERW+M.”
So the number that matters here is your superscore, not your best single test. Work out your superscore and look that score up in the grid above — it may sit a band higher than the one you have been planning around.
Comparing schools? See which colleges superscore for scholarships — 66 of 501 commit to it, 52 say they do not, and the rest never say.
Kansas State scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Scholarship upgrade: transcript and scores due | April 1 |
| Competitive award supplemental applications | December 15 |
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 Kansas 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.
- K-State uses your best cumulative GPA, weighted or unweighted, whichever helps.
- Out-of-state students get the Wildcat Nonresident Award instead, worth 50–100% of the non-resident tuition difference — but it is keyed to GPA alone and does not consider ACT scores at all, so it is not in this grid.
- K-State does not require an ACT Science score for admission or scholarships.
- Awards are subject to availability of funds; meeting the criteria does not by itself guarantee one.
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 Kansas State University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Kansas State?
Automatic merit aid at Kansas State University starts at an ACT composite of 21, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches $5,000 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 Kansas State test-optional?
K-State is test-optional for admission, but says plainly that some scholarships require a score. For merit aid the answer is different: a score is not required — the grid has a no-score column — but it is worth up to $2,000 a year. At a 3.95 GPA, a 29 earns $5,000 where no score earns $3,000. 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 Kansas State?
On Kansas State's published grid for Summer/Fall 2027 entry, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Wildcat Traditions Scholarship at $3,000 a year, about $12,000 over four years if it renews.
How much is one more ACT point worth at Kansas State?
The most valuable single point on Kansas State's published grid is 26 to 27, at a 3.25 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 Kansas State superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Yes. K-State superscores, and for the Enhanced ACT it calculates your best composite both with and without Science, then uses the higher. K-State accepts superscores. The highest subject scores are used when calculating an ACT Composite and when combining the SAT ERW+M.
When are Kansas State scholarship deadlines?
Scholarship upgrade: transcript and scores due: April 1. Competitive award supplemental applications: December 15. 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 Kansas State scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Kansas State University's own published pages and last verified on 2026-10-19. 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 Kansas 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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