Murray State University: merit scholarships by ACT score
Murray State University awards automatic merit aid from a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 28 and reach $10,000 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
The GPAs on this grid are WEIGHTED — Murray State says so explicitly, unlike Western Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky, which both use unweighted. Only the top two bands use the ACT; a 3.8 student with no score still receives $5,000. Murray State refuses superscores outright. And although the scholarship page says awards are automatic on admission, its admission-requirements page says a FAFSA is required to be eligible.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — an ACT 29 with a 3.60 GPA
Carr
Annual amount: $4,000 / year
About $16,000 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.
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The published Murray State merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Murray State University’s own pages for Fall 2027 entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
Academic Achievement Scholarships — domestic students
One grid regardless of residency, but Murray State restricts these to domestic students: 'Only available to domestic students.' appears under the award. A student qualifies for only one.
$10,000 per year
Trustee
ACT 33–36 · 4.00 to 3.80
Without a score: not available
Annual amount: $7,500
Regents
ACT 28–32 · 4.00 to 3.80
Without a score: not available
Annual amount: $5,000
Provost
No score needed · GPA 3.80
Annual amount: $4,000
Carr
No score needed · GPA 3.50
Annual amount: $2,500
University
No score needed · GPA 3.00
Annual amount: $1,000
Opportunity
No score needed · GPA 2.75
| Award | With a score | No score | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trustee | ACT 33–36 · 4.00 to 3.80 | not available | $10,000 per year |
| Regents | ACT 28–32 · 4.00 to 3.80 | not available | Annual amount: $7,500 |
| Provost | — | GPA 3.80 | Annual amount: $5,000 |
| Carr | — | GPA 3.50 | Annual amount: $4,000 |
| University | — | GPA 3.00 | Annual amount: $2,500 |
| Opportunity | — | GPA 2.75 | Annual amount: $1,000 |
Source: Academic Achievement Scholarships, Fall 2027 · verified 2026-10-21
Does Murray State superscore for scholarships?
No. No, stated flatly. Murray State uses the highest single composite on file and will accept scores right up to the start of fall classes — a long window, but for one sitting at a time.
“Highest test score will be used for Awarding Academic Achievement Scholarships. Test scores may be submitted up to the start of fall semester classes. No super scores are accepted.”
This matters more than it sounds. A student whose superscore crosses a band but whose best single sitting does not will be paid on the lower band. Look up your best single sitting in the grid above, then find what is costing you points on one test.
Comparing schools? See which colleges superscore for scholarships — 66 of 501 commit to it, 52 say they do not, and the rest never say.
Murray State scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Presidential Fellowship application | December 1, 2026 |
| General Scholarship Application | February 1, 2027 |
| Award notifications | Mid-March 2027 |
| Acceptance deadline | May 1, 2027 |
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 Murray 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.
- Academic Achievement Scholarships, Fall 2027verified 2026-10-21
- First-Time Freshmen admission requirementsverified 2026-10-21
- Murray State's own archived pages show the amounts moving: for Fall 2026 the Regents award was $8,000 and there were separate University ($3,000) and Deans ($2,500) tiers. Fall 2027 cut Regents to $7,500 and collapsed those two into one $2,500 band. Pin the cycle when quoting.
- A student qualifies for only one Academic Achievement Scholarship, and these cannot be combined with the Presidential Fellowship, the Marvin D. Mills Scholarship or the Governor's Scholars awards.
- The Presidential Fellowship covers tuition, double-occupancy housing and a meal plan, but it is a competition: an application, essays, a group interview and then individual interviews in February. Not modelled.
- Governor's Scholars, Governor's School for the Arts, Governor's School for Entrepreneurs and Commonwealth Honors Academy participants with a 3.5 GPA and a 25 ACT receive full in-state tuition, capped at 15 hours a term.
- The Murray State Promise is last-dollar: it fills the gap only when combined federal, state, institutional and private gift aid falls short of tuition.
- Awards are calculated and capped at 12-15 hours a semester, and concurrent enrolment does not count toward full-time status.
- Murray State is silent on the Enhanced ACT despite keying its top two awards to a single-sitting composite.
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 Murray State University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Murray State?
Automatic merit aid at Murray State University starts at an ACT composite of 28, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches $10,000 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 Murray State test-optional?
Test-optional. A 2.75 unweighted GPA is admitted outright; between 2.0 and 2.74 the application goes to holistic review. For merit aid the answer is different: considered rather than required — four of six bands need no score. Murray State states the split in one sentence, and it is the clearest summary of its own grid. 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 Murray State?
On Murray State's published grid for Fall 2027 entry, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Carr at $4,000 a year, about $16,000 over four years if it renews.
How much is one more ACT point worth at Murray State?
The most valuable single point on Murray State's published grid is 27 to 28, at a 3.8 GPA: it moves the award by $2,500 a year, or $10,000 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 Murray State superscore the ACT for scholarships?
No. No, stated flatly. Murray State uses the highest single composite on file and will accept scores right up to the start of fall classes — a long window, but for one sitting at a time. Highest test score will be used for Awarding Academic Achievement Scholarships. Test scores may be submitted up to the start of fall semester classes. No super scores are accepted.
When are Murray State scholarship deadlines?
Presidential Fellowship application: December 1, 2026. General Scholarship Application: February 1, 2027. Award notifications: Mid-March 2027. Acceptance deadline: May 1, 2027. 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 Murray State scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Murray State University's own published pages and last verified on 2026-10-21. 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.
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What to do next
You know what a score is worth at Murray State. The question is whether you can move it.
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