Mississippi State University: merit scholarships by ACT score
Mississippi State University awards automatic merit aid from a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 21 and reach $10,500 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
Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship
$5,000 / year
About $20,000 over four years, if it renews.
What the next points are worth
1 more point (a 30) moves you to Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship — $8,000 a year. That is $3,000 more a year, or $12,000 over four years.
The question isn't whether a point is worth having. It's whether they can move it — which starts with knowing exactly which questions they're missing, and why.
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Want to know what one more point would change? The Merit Plan prices the next point at every school.
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Is Mississippi State test-optional?
For admission, largely yes. MSU is test-optional for admission, and reviews non-submitters on high school performance and rigour.
For money, no. For Mississippi residents the automatic academic scholarship requires a minimum 21 ACT. There is no in-state route to this award without a score. A family that reads “test-optional” and skips the ACT can be admitted and still walk away from every dollar on the grid below.
“Mississippi State offers a test-optional admissions process for freshman applicants.”
The published Mississippi State merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Mississippi State University’s own pages for 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 (Mississippi residents)
Awarded automatically on admission, keyed to 9th–11th grade GPA crossed with the ACT superscore.
$10,500
Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship
ACT 33–36 · 3.60+
$6,000
Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship
ACT 33–36 · 3.30–3.59
$4,000
Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship
ACT 33–36 · 3.00–3.29
$8,000
Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship
ACT 30–32 · 3.60+
$5,000
Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship
ACT 30–32 · 3.30–3.59
$3,000
Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship
ACT 30–32 · 3.00–3.29
$5,000
Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship
ACT 25–29 · 3.60+
$2,500
Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship
ACT 25–29 · 3.30–3.59
$2,000
Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship
ACT 25–29 · 3.00–3.29
$3,500
Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship
ACT 21–24 · 3.60+
$1,500
Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship
ACT 21–24 · 3.30–3.59
$1,000
Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship
ACT 21–24 · 3.00–3.29
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship | ACT 33–36 · 3.60+ | $10,500 |
| Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship | ACT 33–36 · 3.30–3.59 | $6,000 |
| Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship | ACT 33–36 · 3.00–3.29 | $4,000 |
| Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship | ACT 30–32 · 3.60+ | $8,000 |
| Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship | ACT 30–32 · 3.30–3.59 | $5,000 |
| Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship | ACT 30–32 · 3.00–3.29 | $3,000 |
| Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship | ACT 25–29 · 3.60+ | $5,000 |
| Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship | ACT 25–29 · 3.30–3.59 | $2,500 |
| Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship | ACT 25–29 · 3.00–3.29 | $2,000 |
| Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship | ACT 21–24 · 3.60+ | $3,500 |
| Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship | ACT 21–24 · 3.30–3.59 | $1,500 |
| Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship | ACT 21–24 · 3.00–3.29 | $1,000 |
Source: Freshman Mississippi Resident Academic Scholarship · verified 2026-10-19
Does Mississippi State superscore for scholarships?
Yes. MSU uses a three-part ACT superscore built from the best English, Math and Reading subscores, excluding Science.
“The ACT superscore will be calculated on the student's highest English, Math, and Reading subscores.”
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.
Mississippi State scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Priority submission for freshmen | December 1 |
| Last test date used | February of senior year |
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 Mississippi 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.
- GPA here is the 9th–11th grade GPA, not a full transcript GPA.
- Out-of-state freshmen get a separate automatic award of $12,000–$19,000 a year keyed to GPA alone, with no ACT criterion — so it is not in this grid.
- Awards may be a combination of institutional and private funds.
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 Mississippi State University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Mississippi State?
Automatic merit aid at Mississippi State University starts at an ACT composite of 21, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches $10,500 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 Mississippi State test-optional?
MSU is test-optional for admission, and reviews non-submitters on high school performance and rigour. For merit aid the answer is different: for Mississippi residents the automatic academic scholarship requires a minimum 21 ACT. There is no in-state route to this award without a score. 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 Mississippi State?
On Mississippi State's published grid for 2027-28 entry, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Freshman Resident Academic Scholarship at $8,000 a year, about $32,000 over four years if it renews.
How much is one more ACT point worth at Mississippi State?
The most valuable single point on Mississippi State's published grid is 29 to 30, at a 3.6 GPA: it moves the award by $3,000 a year, or $12,000 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 Mississippi State superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Yes. MSU uses a three-part ACT superscore built from the best English, Math and Reading subscores, excluding Science. The ACT superscore will be calculated on the student's highest English, Math, and Reading subscores.
When are Mississippi State scholarship deadlines?
Priority submission for freshmen: December 1. Last test date used: February of senior year. 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 Mississippi State scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Mississippi 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 Mississippi 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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