Portland State University: merit scholarships by ACT score
Portland State University awards automatic merit aid from a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 27 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
Which award applies is decided by residency and, for Oregon students, by income rather than by GPA. Park Blocks requires a household income of $100,000 or less and no Pell Grant; Rose City requires an Oregon high school diploma and a Student Aid Index above the Pell range, and its amount is "up to". The out-of-state and WUE awards cannot be combined. All GPAs are unweighted, and every award requires starting in fall term.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — an ACT 29 with a 3.60 GPA
Western Undergraduate Exchange — on a score
150% of resident tuition — $19,353 a year against $36,249 in 2026-27
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.
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Can you get merit aid at Portland State without an ACT score?
Yes. A 27 is a complete route to WUE with no GPA requirement, worth about $16,900 a year against the full non-resident rate. The other three awards are GPA-only.
Read the two columns in the grid below as a trade. The same award is reachable either way — with a score at a lower GPA, or with no score at a higher one. A score is worth real money to a student whose GPA sits under the test-optional line, and worth little to one comfortably above it.
“3.0 cumulative unweighted high school GPA OR 1270 SAT OR 27 ACT composite”
The published Portland State merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Portland State University’s own pages for 2026-27 entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
Residents of Western Undergraduate Exchange states
Three routes qualify — a 3.0 unweighted GPA, a 27 ACT or a 1270 SAT. Automatic with no separate application. Needs six or more credits a term and under 225 attempted credits.
150% of resident tuition — $19,353 a year against $36,249 in 2026-27
Western Undergraduate Exchange — on a score
ACT 27–36 · No GPA needed on the score route
Without a score: not available
150% of resident tuition — $19,353 a year against $36,249 in 2026-27
Western Undergraduate Exchange — on GPA
No score needed · GPA 3.00
| Award | With a score | No score | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Undergraduate Exchange — on a score | ACT 27–36 · No GPA needed on the score route | not available | 150% of resident tuition — $19,353 a year against $36,249 in 2026-27 |
| Western Undergraduate Exchange — on GPA | — | GPA 3.00 | 150% of resident tuition — $19,353 a year against $36,249 in 2026-27 |
Source: Western Undergraduate Exchange · verified 2026-10-24
Non-residents outside the WUE states
A dollar ladder, renewable for up to twelve academic terms. Cannot be combined with WUE, and co-admitted students are not eligible.
$6,000 a year
Out-of-State Opportunity Scholarship
No score needed · GPA 3.00
$3,000 a year
Out-of-State Opportunity Scholarship
No score needed · GPA 2.50
| Award | With a score | No score | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Out-of-State Opportunity Scholarship | — | GPA 3.00 | $6,000 a year |
| Out-of-State Opportunity Scholarship | — | GPA 2.50 | $3,000 a year |
Source: Out-of-State Opportunity Scholarship · verified 2026-10-24
Oregon residents with a household income of $100,000 or less
Requires a FAFSA, an income at or below $100,000, and no Pell Grant. Renewable for up to twelve terms at a 2.0, with 36 credits a year.
$5,100 a year for up to four years
PSU Park Blocks Scholarship
No score needed · GPA 3.20
| Award | With a score | No score | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSU Park Blocks Scholarship | — | GPA 3.20 | $5,100 a year for up to four years |
Source: PSU Park Blocks Scholarship · verified 2026-10-24
Oregon residents with a Student Aid Index above the Pell range
Requires an Oregon high school diploma and a FAFSA, and the student must stay non-Pell to renew.
Up to $2,400 a year
Rose City Scholarship
No score needed · GPA 3.00
| Award | With a score | No score | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rose City Scholarship | — | GPA 3.00 | Up to $2,400 a year |
Source: Rose City Scholarship · verified 2026-10-24
Does Portland State superscore for scholarships?
Not stated. With a single 27 threshold carrying the largest award on the page, a student near it 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 Portland 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.
Portland State scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Apply and file a FAFSA — Park Blocks and out-of-state | June 15 |
| Final transcripts | August 1 |
| Rose City priority | March 1 |
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 Portland 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.
- Western Undergraduate Exchangeverified 2026-10-24
- Out-of-State Opportunity Scholarshipverified 2026-10-24
- PSU Park Blocks Scholarshipverified 2026-10-24
- Rose City Scholarshipverified 2026-10-24
- First-year admissionverified 2026-10-24
- A 27 composite reaches WUE with no GPA requirement — worth about $16,900 a year against the full non-resident rate.
- WUE pays 150% of resident tuition: $19,353 a year against $36,249 in 2026-27.
- The non-resident dollar ladder opens at a 2.5 for $3,000 and a 3.0 for $6,000.
- Park Blocks pays $5,100 at a 3.2 but requires a household income of $100,000 or less and no Pell Grant.
- Rose City pays up to $2,400 at a 3.0 but requires a Student Aid Index above the Pell range.
- The two Oregon awards are aimed at opposite ends of the same middle, and neither is reachable on grades alone.
- The out-of-state and WUE awards cannot be combined.
- All GPAs are unweighted, and every award requires starting in fall term.
- WUE needs only six credits a term, while the other awards require full-time enrolment.
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 Portland State University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Portland State?
Automatic merit aid at Portland State University starts at an ACT composite of 27, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches $6,000 a year at the top of the 4 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 Portland State test-optional?
A score is not needed to get in, and reaches exactly one award — the WUE tuition rate. For merit aid the answer is different: a 27 is a complete route to WUE with no GPA requirement, worth about $16,900 a year against the full non-resident rate. The other three awards are GPA-only. 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 Portland State?
On Portland State's published grid for 2026-27 entry, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Non-residents outside the WUE states — Out-of-State Opportunity Scholarship at $6,000 a year, about $24,000 over four years if it renews; Oregon residents with a household income of $100,000 or less — PSU Park Blocks Scholarship at $5,100 a year, about $20,400 over four years if it renews; Oregon residents with a Student Aid Index above the Pell range — Rose City Scholarship at $2,400 a year, about $9,600 over four years if it renews.
Does in-state or out-of-state change merit aid at Portland State?
Yes. Portland State publishes separate grids: Residents of Western Undergraduate Exchange states run up to full tuition a year, and Non-residents outside the WUE states run $3,000 to $6,000. Check which grid applies to you before planning around a figure.
Does Portland State superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Not stated. With a single 27 threshold carrying the largest award on the page, a student near it should ask directly.
When are Portland State scholarship deadlines?
Apply and file a FAFSA — Park Blocks and out-of-state: June 15. Final transcripts: August 1. Rose City priority: March 1. 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 Portland State scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Portland State 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
You know what a score is worth at Portland 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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