Kentucky State University: merit scholarships by ACT score
Kentucky State University publishes merit aid criteria as a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 19 and reach $3,850 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 chart these figures come from is dated August 2019 and says the allocations reflect "implementation for year one", though Kentucky State's current scholarships page still links to it — so treat the amounts as the last published ones rather than this cycle's. The page also says awards are made "on a competitive basis". Housing and meal benefits apply only to students living on campus, every award is capped at 18 credit hours, and the top two cannot be combined with other institutional awards and are reduced by federal grants.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — an ACT 29 with a 3.60 GPA
John Henry Jackson Distinguished Achiever Scholarship
Full tuition and mandatory fees up to 18 credit hours, plus standard housing, meals and books, for eight consecutive semesters
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.
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The published Kentucky State merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Kentucky State University’s own pages for 2019-20 entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
Kentucky residents and open awards
Eight consecutive semesters, with community service hours required to renew — 50 for the top award, 40 for the second, 35 for the Rising Scholar.
Full tuition and mandatory fees up to 18 credit hours, plus standard housing, meals and books, for eight consecutive semesters
John Henry Jackson Distinguished Achiever Scholarship
ACT 25–36 · 3.50+ unweighted with a 25 or better
Full tuition and mandatory fees up to 18 credit hours, plus books and half the cost of standard housing and meals, for eight consecutive semesters
Rufus Ballard Atwood Prestigious Scholarship
ACT 22–36 · 3.20–3.49 unweighted with a 22 or better
Half of in-state tuition up to 18 credit hours, for eight consecutive semesters
State of Kentucky Rising Scholar
ACT 19–36 · 3.00+ unweighted with a 19 or better, Kentucky residents
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| John Henry Jackson Distinguished Achiever Scholarship | ACT 25–36 · 3.50+ unweighted with a 25 or better | Full tuition and mandatory fees up to 18 credit hours, plus standard housing, meals and books, for eight consecutive semesters |
| Rufus Ballard Atwood Prestigious Scholarship | ACT 22–36 · 3.20–3.49 unweighted with a 22 or better | Full tuition and mandatory fees up to 18 credit hours, plus books and half the cost of standard housing and meals, for eight consecutive semesters |
| State of Kentucky Rising Scholar | ACT 19–36 · 3.00+ unweighted with a 19 or better, Kentucky residents | Half of in-state tuition up to 18 credit hours, for eight consecutive semesters |
Source: Academic scholarship programme chart (PDF, 2019) · verified 2026-10-25
Residents of neighbouring states
The same thresholds as the Rising Scholar award, paid as a flat figure instead of a tuition share. Covers Tennessee, Ohio, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Virginia, West Virginia and Michigan.
$3,850 a year up to 18 credit hours, for eight consecutive semesters
Commonwealth Connector Scholarship
ACT 19–36 · 3.00+ unweighted with a 19 or better
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth Connector Scholarship | ACT 19–36 · 3.00+ unweighted with a 19 or better | $3,850 a year up to 18 credit hours, for eight consecutive semesters |
Source: Academic scholarship programme chart (PDF, 2019) · verified 2026-10-25
Does Kentucky State superscore for scholarships?
Not stated. With thresholds at 25, 22 and 19, a student near any of them should ask directly.
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 Kentucky 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.
Kentucky State scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| FAFSA priority, required annually to renew | January 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 Kentucky 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.
- First-year admission scholarshipsverified 2026-10-25
- Academic scholarship programme chart (PDF, 2019)verified 2026-10-25
- Renewal requires community service hours — 50, 40 or 35 depending on the award. Nothing else in this dataset does that.
- A 19 with a 3.0 is worth half of in-state tuition for eight semesters.
- The same 19 and 3.0 pays $3,850 a year for a student from one of eight neighbouring states.
- The top two awards are benefits rather than figures, covering tuition, fees and some or all of housing, meals and books.
- Housing and meal benefits apply only to students living on campus.
- The second award's GPA window is closed at 3.2 to 3.49, so a 3.6 with a 23 fits neither printed tier.
- The chart is dated August 2019 and is still linked from the current page.
- Every award is capped at 18 credit hours.
- The top two cannot be combined with other institutional awards and are reduced by federal grants.
- A third-party listing says the Commonwealth Connector renews at a 3.0; the chart says 2.7.
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 Kentucky State University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Kentucky State?
Automatic merit aid at Kentucky State University starts at an ACT composite of 19, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches $3,850 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 Kentucky State test-optional?
Kentucky State's admission testing requirement is not stated on the scholarship pages, so nothing is claimed about it here. For merit aid the answer is different: every award on the chart names an ACT floor, so a student with no score reaches none of them. The lowest is a 19, which is below the national average. 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 Kentucky State?
On Kentucky State's published grid for 2019-20 entry, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Residents of neighbouring states — Commonwealth Connector Scholarship at $3,850 a year, about $15,400 over four years if it renews.
Does Kentucky State superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Not stated. With thresholds at 25, 22 and 19, a student near any of them should ask directly.
When are Kentucky State scholarship deadlines?
FAFSA priority, required annually to renew: January 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 Kentucky State scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Kentucky State University's own published pages and last verified on 2026-10-25. 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 Kentucky State. The question is whether you can move it.
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