Samford University: merit scholarships by ACT score
Samford University publishes merit aid criteria as a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 26. 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
Both figures are averages rather than awards — Samford publishes "the average award for a Crosland Scholar is $20,000" and $17,500 for Marion, so no student is promised either. The thresholds are worded as what makes an applicant competitive rather than eligible, and Samford says admitted students "receive consideration" rather than the award. A test-optional applicant is considered for Crosland on a recalculated, weighted GPA instead, which is a different number from the 3.5 shown. The two awards cannot be combined.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — an ACT 29 with a 3.60 GPA
Crosland Scholarship
An average award of $20,000 a year
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 Samford without an ACT score?
Yes. Samford does not require a score for merit, and a 26 is the published route to the larger award. Without a score the same award is reached on a recalculated weighted GPA instead.
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.
“ACT of 26 or higher (SAT of 1240 or higher) and 3.5 minimum GPA… Freshmen applying without a test score will be considered for the Crosland Scholarship using a recalculated, weighted GPA.”
The published Samford merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Samford 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.
Freshman merit scholarships
No additional application. Guaranteed for eight semesters once awarded, at full-time enrolment of 12 or more credit hours. The two awards cannot be combined.
An average award of $20,000 a year
Crosland Scholarship
ACT 26–36 · 3.50+ with a 26 or better, or a recalculated weighted GPA with no score
Without a score: GPA 3.50
An average award of $17,500 a year
Marion Scholarship
No score needed · GPA 3.00
| Award | With a score | No score | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crosland Scholarship | ACT 26–36 · 3.50+ with a 26 or better, or a recalculated weighted GPA with no score | GPA 3.50 | An average award of $20,000 a year |
| Marion Scholarship | — | GPA 3.00 | An average award of $17,500 a year |
Source: Scholarship opportunities · verified 2026-10-25
Does Samford superscore for scholarships?
No. The asymmetry matters: an ACT student needs the 26 from one sitting, while an SAT student can assemble 1240 across two. For a student near the line who has taken both, this decides which to submit.
“superscores both the ACT and SAT for admission consideration, but only superscores the SAT for scholarship eligibility”
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.
Samford scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Early action | November 1 |
| First scholarship deadline | December 1 |
| Second scholarship deadline and FAFSA priority | February 15 |
| Decision | May 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 Samford 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.
- Samford superscores the SAT for scholarship eligibility and does not superscore the ACT.
- So an ACT student needs a 26 from a single sitting where an SAT student can combine sittings to 1240.
- A test-optional applicant is considered for the same Crosland award on a recalculated, weighted GPA.
- Both published figures are averages, not awards.
- The thresholds describe what makes an applicant competitive rather than eligible.
- The Marion award needs only a 3.0 and no score at all.
- Crosland and Marion cannot be combined.
- A test-optional applicant's scores will not be considered for admission or scholarships, so the choice is binding both ways.
- The Marvin Mann Academic Excellence award is limited to National Merit Finalists, so it is not a band here.
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 Samford University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Samford?
Automatic merit aid at Samford University starts at an ACT composite of 26, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches an average award of $20,000 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 Samford test-optional?
A test-optional applicant's scores "will not be considered in our review for admission or scholarships", so the choice is binding both ways. For merit aid the answer is different: samford does not require a score for merit, and a 26 is the published route to the larger award. Without a score the same award is reached on a recalculated weighted GPA instead. Being admitted without a score and qualifying for money without a score are two separate questions.
Does Samford superscore the ACT for scholarships?
No. The asymmetry matters: an ACT student needs the 26 from one sitting, while an SAT student can assemble 1240 across two. For a student near the line who has taken both, this decides which to submit. superscores both the ACT and SAT for admission consideration, but only superscores the SAT for scholarship eligibility
When are Samford scholarship deadlines?
Early action: November 1. First scholarship deadline: December 1. Second scholarship deadline and FAFSA priority: February 15. Decision: May 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 Samford scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Samford University's own published pages and last verified on 2026-10-25. 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 Samford. 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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