Northwest Missouri State University: merit scholarships by ACT score
Northwest Missouri State University awards automatic merit aid from a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 19 and reach $6,000 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
Northwest's published chart has no row for an ACT of 25 or 26 — the bands jump from 29–27 straight to 24–23. That gap is reproduced here rather than filled in. If your score is a 25 or 26, ask Northwest directly which band applies; do not assume the lower one.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
← Drag either slider to your own numbers
Example — an ACT 29 with a 3.60 GPA
Academic Excellence
$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.
Free preview of the top schools · the full ranked list, with deadlines, is $19.
Want to know what one more point would change? The Merit Plan prices the next point at every school.
Email me every school that pays at a 29 and 3.60
This page is one school. We have read the published grids at 501, and the email sends the ten that pay you most — five public, five private — with what each one awards. No account.
One email with your breakdown, plus occasional ACT tips. Unsubscribe in one tap.
Free · no account, no card · the first school is on this screen
The published Northwest Missouri State merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Northwest Missouri State University’s own pages for the current cycle. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
Admission-based freshman scholarships
Awarded automatically on application for admission. The bottom row prices a student with no score at all, so a test-optional applicant is still in the table.
$6,000
Provost Scholar
ACT 30–36 · 3.95+
$5,000
Dean's Scholar
ACT 30–36 · 3.85–3.94
$4,000
Distinguished Scholar
ACT 30–36 · 3.75–3.84
$3,000
Academic Excellence
ACT 30–36 · 3.50–3.74
$3,000
Academic Excellence
ACT 30–36 · 3.25–3.49
$3,000
Academic Excellence
ACT 30–36 · 3.00–3.24
$1,500
University Scholar
ACT 30–36 · 2.75–2.99
$5,000
Dean's Scholar
ACT 27–29 · 3.95+
$5,000
Dean's Scholar
ACT 27–29 · 3.85–3.94
$4,000
Distinguished Scholar
ACT 27–29 · 3.75–3.84
$3,000
Academic Excellence
ACT 27–29 · 3.50–3.74
$3,000
Academic Excellence
ACT 27–29 · 3.25–3.49
Show the other 30 published rows
$3,000
Academic Excellence
ACT 27–29 · 3.00–3.24
$1,500
University Scholar
ACT 27–29 · 2.75–2.99
$4,000
Distinguished Scholar
ACT 23–24 · 3.95+
$4,000
Distinguished Scholar
ACT 23–24 · 3.85–3.94
$4,000
Distinguished Scholar
ACT 23–24 · 3.75–3.84
$3,000
Academic Excellence
ACT 23–24 · 3.50–3.74
$3,000
Academic Excellence
ACT 23–24 · 3.25–3.49
$1,500
University Scholar
ACT 23–24 · 3.00–3.24
$1,500
University Scholar
ACT 23–24 · 2.75–2.99
$3,000
Academic Excellence
ACT 21–22 · 3.95+
$3,000
Academic Excellence
ACT 21–22 · 3.85–3.94
$3,000
Academic Excellence
ACT 21–22 · 3.75–3.84
$1,500
University Scholar
ACT 21–22 · 3.50–3.74
$1,500
University Scholar
ACT 21–22 · 3.25–3.49
$1,500
University Scholar
ACT 21–22 · 3.00–3.24
$1,500
University Scholar
ACT 21–22 · 2.75–2.99
$3,000
Academic Excellence
ACT 19–20 · 3.95+
$1,500
University Scholar
ACT 19–20 · 3.85–3.94
$1,500
University Scholar
ACT 19–20 · 3.75–3.84
$1,500
University Scholar
ACT 19–20 · 3.50–3.74
$1,500
University Scholar
ACT 19–20 · 3.25–3.49
$1,500
University Scholar
ACT 19–20 · 3.00–3.24
$1,500
University Scholar
ACT 19–20 · 2.75–2.99
$3,000
Academic Excellence
No score needed
$1,500
University Scholar
No score needed
$1,500
University Scholar
No score needed
$1,500
University Scholar
No score needed
$1,500
University Scholar
No score needed
$1,000
Northwest Merit
No score needed
$1,000
Northwest Merit
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Provost Scholar | ACT 30–36 · 3.95+ | $6,000 |
| Dean's Scholar | ACT 30–36 · 3.85–3.94 | $5,000 |
| Distinguished Scholar | ACT 30–36 · 3.75–3.84 | $4,000 |
| Academic Excellence | ACT 30–36 · 3.50–3.74 | $3,000 |
| Academic Excellence | ACT 30–36 · 3.25–3.49 | $3,000 |
| Academic Excellence | ACT 30–36 · 3.00–3.24 | $3,000 |
| University Scholar | ACT 30–36 · 2.75–2.99 | $1,500 |
| Dean's Scholar | ACT 27–29 · 3.95+ | $5,000 |
| Dean's Scholar | ACT 27–29 · 3.85–3.94 | $5,000 |
| Distinguished Scholar | ACT 27–29 · 3.75–3.84 | $4,000 |
| Academic Excellence | ACT 27–29 · 3.50–3.74 | $3,000 |
| Academic Excellence | ACT 27–29 · 3.25–3.49 | $3,000 |
| Academic Excellence | ACT 27–29 · 3.00–3.24 | $3,000 |
| University Scholar | ACT 27–29 · 2.75–2.99 | $1,500 |
| Distinguished Scholar | ACT 23–24 · 3.95+ | $4,000 |
| Distinguished Scholar | ACT 23–24 · 3.85–3.94 | $4,000 |
| Distinguished Scholar | ACT 23–24 · 3.75–3.84 | $4,000 |
| Academic Excellence | ACT 23–24 · 3.50–3.74 | $3,000 |
| Academic Excellence | ACT 23–24 · 3.25–3.49 | $3,000 |
| University Scholar | ACT 23–24 · 3.00–3.24 | $1,500 |
| University Scholar | ACT 23–24 · 2.75–2.99 | $1,500 |
| Academic Excellence | ACT 21–22 · 3.95+ | $3,000 |
| Academic Excellence | ACT 21–22 · 3.85–3.94 | $3,000 |
| Academic Excellence | ACT 21–22 · 3.75–3.84 | $3,000 |
| University Scholar | ACT 21–22 · 3.50–3.74 | $1,500 |
| University Scholar | ACT 21–22 · 3.25–3.49 | $1,500 |
| University Scholar | ACT 21–22 · 3.00–3.24 | $1,500 |
| University Scholar | ACT 21–22 · 2.75–2.99 | $1,500 |
| Academic Excellence | ACT 19–20 · 3.95+ | $3,000 |
| University Scholar | ACT 19–20 · 3.85–3.94 | $1,500 |
| University Scholar | ACT 19–20 · 3.75–3.84 | $1,500 |
| University Scholar | ACT 19–20 · 3.50–3.74 | $1,500 |
| University Scholar | ACT 19–20 · 3.25–3.49 | $1,500 |
| University Scholar | ACT 19–20 · 3.00–3.24 | $1,500 |
| University Scholar | ACT 19–20 · 2.75–2.99 | $1,500 |
| Academic Excellence | — | $3,000 |
| University Scholar | — | $1,500 |
| University Scholar | — | $1,500 |
| University Scholar | — | $1,500 |
| University Scholar | — | $1,500 |
| Northwest Merit | — | $1,000 |
| Northwest Merit | — | $1,000 |
Source: Merit-Based Scholarships — admission-based freshman scholarship chart · verified 2026-10-23
Does Northwest Missouri State superscore for scholarships?
Yes. Northwest superscores and ties it directly to these awards — the sentence appears alongside the automatic-scholarship description, so sending every sitting is worth doing.
“If you've taken the ACT or SAT more than once, send all your scores so Northwest can use your highest subscores through superscoring.”
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.
Northwest Missouri State scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Apply for admission to qualify for admission-based scholarships | May 1 |
| Accepted for admission, for the competitive President's Scholarship | Third Thursday of January |
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 Northwest Missouri 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.
- The chart has no row for an ACT of 25 or 26. Northwest's score bands run 36–30, 29–27, then 24–23, so two whole points are unpriced. Ask the school rather than assuming.
- A student with no score at all still receives $1,500 to $3,000 depending on GPA — most schools in this dataset offer nothing without a score.
- The competitive President's Scholarship is $10,000 and needs a 27 ACT with a 3.85 GPA, admission by the third Thursday of January, and attendance at Presidential Scholars' Day. Only eight are awarded.
- The President's Scholarship does not stack with the chart above — they are mutually exclusive — but it does stack with the out-of-state Bearcat Advantage.
- Bearcat Advantage is an out-of-state award Northwest estimates at $9,000, covering the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition. It is an estimate rather than a fixed figure, so it is not in the grid.
- A 'Tower Scholar' award at $2,000 appears in Northwest's renewal list but in no published freshman chart.
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 Northwest Missouri State University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Northwest Missouri State?
Automatic merit aid at Northwest Missouri State University starts at an ACT composite of 19, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches $6,000 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 Northwest Missouri State test-optional?
Northwest does not require a score for admission, and the scholarship chart prices a student without one. Submitting a score can only move you up the matrix, never down. For merit aid the answer is different: a score is not required — the bottom row of the chart is headed 'LESS THAN 19 OR NO ACT TEST SCORE' and still pays. But at a given GPA a higher score moves you to a larger award, which is exactly what the chart is for. 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 Northwest Missouri State?
On Northwest Missouri State's published grid for the current cycle, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Academic Excellence at $3,000 a year, about $12,000 over four years if it renews.
How much is one more ACT point worth at Northwest Missouri State?
The most valuable single point on Northwest Missouri State's published grid is 22 to 23, at a 3.25 GPA: it moves the award by $1,500 a year, or $6,000 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 Northwest Missouri State superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Yes. Northwest superscores and ties it directly to these awards — the sentence appears alongside the automatic-scholarship description, so sending every sitting is worth doing. If you've taken the ACT or SAT more than once, send all your scores so Northwest can use your highest subscores through superscoring.
When are Northwest Missouri State scholarship deadlines?
Apply for admission to qualify for admission-based scholarships: May 1. Accepted for admission, for the competitive President's Scholarship: Third Thursday of January. 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 Northwest Missouri State scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Northwest Missouri State University's own published pages and last verified on 2026-10-23. 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 Northwest Missouri 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.
Free · About 3 minutes · No account needed · Not affiliated with Northwest Missouri State University