Northern Michigan University: merit scholarships by GPA
Northern Michigan University awards automatic merit aid from a published grid keyed to GPA — the ACT is not used. Awards start at a 2.5 GPA and reach $9,600 a year. 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
The non-resident ladder is open ONLY to students from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio and Indiana. A student from any other state receives nothing from either grid. NMU uses the higher of the weighted and unweighted GPA, and excludes Global Campus and international students.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — a 3.60 GPA
Wildcat Merit Award
$12,000 ($3,000/yr) / year
About $12,000 over four years, if it renews.
NMU 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 NMU merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Northern Michigan University’s own pages for Fall 2027, Winter 2028 or Summer 2028 entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
Michigan residents
Awarded automatically the moment a student is admitted. NMU uses the higher of the weighted and unweighted GPA.
$20,000 ($5,000/yr)
Wildcat Merit Award
No score needed
$18,000 ($4,500/yr)
Wildcat Merit Award
No score needed
$14,000 ($3,500/yr)
Wildcat Merit Award
No score needed
$12,000 ($3,000/yr)
Wildcat Merit Award
No score needed
$10,000 ($2,500/yr)
Wildcat Merit Award
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Wildcat Merit Award | — | $20,000 ($5,000/yr) |
| Wildcat Merit Award | — | $18,000 ($4,500/yr) |
| Wildcat Merit Award | — | $14,000 ($3,500/yr) |
| Wildcat Merit Award | — | $12,000 ($3,000/yr) |
| Wildcat Merit Award | — | $10,000 ($2,500/yr) |
Source: First-year scholarships · verified 2026-10-24
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio and Indiana residents
Nearly double the Michigan ladder at every rung, because it is discounting a non-resident tuition rate. Students from outside these five states and Michigan receive nothing.
$38,400 ($9,600/yr)
Wildcat Merit Award
No score needed
$34,400 ($8,600/yr)
Wildcat Merit Award
No score needed
$30,400 ($7,600/yr)
Wildcat Merit Award
No score needed
$26,400 ($6,600/yr)
Wildcat Merit Award
No score needed
$25,400 ($6,350/yr)
Wildcat Merit Award
No score needed
$24,400 ($6,100/yr)
Wildcat Merit Award
No score needed
$22,400 ($5,600/yr)
Bridge Award
No score needed
$12,000 ($3,000/yr)
Great Lakes Award
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Wildcat Merit Award | — | $38,400 ($9,600/yr) |
| Wildcat Merit Award | — | $34,400 ($8,600/yr) |
| Wildcat Merit Award | — | $30,400 ($7,600/yr) |
| Wildcat Merit Award | — | $26,400 ($6,600/yr) |
| Wildcat Merit Award | — | $25,400 ($6,350/yr) |
| Wildcat Merit Award | — | $24,400 ($6,100/yr) |
| Bridge Award | — | $22,400 ($5,600/yr) |
| Great Lakes Award | — | $12,000 ($3,000/yr) |
Source: First-year scholarships · verified 2026-10-24
Does NMU superscore for scholarships?
Not stated. NMU's first-year scholarship page does not use the word, which matters for the Merit Plus bonus specifically — the $3,000 and $1,000 add-ons turn on a 33 and a 30, so whether sittings can be combined is worth asking in writing.
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 NMU’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.
Where these numbers came from
Every figure on this page was read from Northern Michigan 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.
- The non-resident ladder is limited to Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio and Indiana. Students from any other state receive nothing from either grid.
- A 4.0 from one of those five states is paid $9,600 a year against $5,000 for a Michigan resident — a tuition differential being discounted, not a larger merit judgement.
- Merit Plus adds $3,000 a year for a 33+ ACT and $1,000 for a 30–32, stacking on top of a Wildcat Merit or Bridge award. It is additive, so it is not a band here.
- NMU's own table overlaps at 3.74, printing both '3.74-3.89' and '3.5-3.74'. The bands here resolve it in the student's favour.
- NMU uses the HIGHER of the weighted and unweighted GPA, which is unusually generous — most grids specify unweighted.
- Global Campus and international students are excluded, and NMU warns that web-based or off-campus courses may affect the award.
- Presidential Scholars awards stack on top of these grids but need a separate application.
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 Northern Michigan University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at NMU?
Northern Michigan University publishes a merit aid grid keyed to ACT score and GPA. See the tables on this page for the current bands.
Is NMU test-optional?
The first-year scholarship page does not state the admission testing requirement, so nothing is claimed about it here. For merit aid the answer is different: no rung of either ladder uses a score — both are keyed to GPA alone. A 33+ ACT adds a separate Merit Plus award of $3,000 a year on top, and a 30–32 adds $1,000, so a score is worth money at NMU but does not move a student up these grids. 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 NMU?
On NMU's published grid for Fall 2027, Winter 2028 or Summer 2028 entry, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Michigan residents — Wildcat Merit Award at $3,000 a year, about $12,000 over four years if it renews; Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio and Indiana residents — Wildcat Merit Award at $6,600 a year, about $26,400 over four years if it renews.
Does NMU superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Not stated. NMU's first-year scholarship page does not use the word, which matters for the Merit Plus bonus specifically — the $3,000 and $1,000 add-ons turn on a 33 and a 30, so whether sittings can be combined is worth asking in writing.
Is this NMU scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Northern Michigan 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
NMU awards on GPA — but the ACT still decides what you're worth elsewhere.
Most schools in this comparison are score-keyed even though NMU is not, so the same test still moves the money everywhere else on the list.
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