Southern Oregon University: merit scholarships by GPA
Southern Oregon University awards automatic merit aid from a published grid keyed to GPA — the ACT is not used. Awards start at a 3.0 GPA and reach $12,000 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
SOU publishes three columns — Oregon resident, Western Undergraduate Exchange and non-resident — and the same GPA is worth a different amount in each, so which one applies has to be settled before the number means anything. The lowest rung is Oregon-resident only. Consideration is automatic for applicants who meet the February 1 priority date; after it, awards are subject to funding availability.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — a 3.60 GPA
Churchill Scholarship
$2,000 a year / year
About $8,000 over four years, if it renews.
SOU 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 SOU merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Southern Oregon 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.
Oregon residents
The only column with a rung below a 3.5. Renewable with full-time status and good academic standing.
$5,000 a year
Raider Scholar
No score needed
$3,000 a year
Laurels Scholarship
No score needed
$2,000 a year
Churchill Scholarship
No score needed
$1,000 a year
Siskiyou Scholarship
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Raider Scholar | — | $5,000 a year |
| Laurels Scholarship | — | $3,000 a year |
| Churchill Scholarship | — | $2,000 a year |
| Siskiyou Scholarship | — | $1,000 a year |
Source: First-year merit scholarships · verified 2026-10-24
Non-residents
The largest figures on the page, because they discount the largest sticker. SOU publishes no non-resident rung below a 3.5.
$12,000 a year
Raider Scholar
No score needed
$10,000 a year
Laurels Scholarship
No score needed
$8,000 a year
Churchill Scholarship
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Raider Scholar | — | $12,000 a year |
| Laurels Scholarship | — | $10,000 a year |
| Churchill Scholarship | — | $8,000 a year |
Source: First-year merit scholarships · verified 2026-10-24
Western Undergraduate Exchange residents
The smallest figures, because WUE tuition is already reduced. SOU publishes no WUE rung below a 3.5.
$3,000 a year
Raider Scholar
No score needed
$2,000 a year
Laurels Scholarship
No score needed
$1,000 a year
Churchill Scholarship
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Raider Scholar | — | $3,000 a year |
| Laurels Scholarship | — | $2,000 a year |
| Churchill Scholarship | — | $1,000 a year |
Source: First-year merit scholarships · verified 2026-10-24
Does SOU superscore for scholarships?
Not stated, and it would not matter — the grid reads no score.
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 SOU’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.
SOU scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Merit priority (automatic consideration) | February 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 Southern Oregon 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.
- A 3.95 is worth $5,000 a year as an Oregon resident, $3,000 on WUE and $12,000 as a non-resident.
- Below a 3.5, only Oregon residents receive anything — the Siskiyou rung is published as n/a for WUE and non-resident students.
- No rung reads an ACT score.
- Applying by February 1 is what makes consideration automatic; later applicants are subject to funding availability.
- Whether the GPA is weighted or unweighted is not stated.
- Merit consideration excludes resident-by-exception populations, including American Samoa and the North State Promise program.
- SOU publishes no renewal length for these awards.
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 Southern Oregon University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at SOU?
Southern Oregon University publishes a merit aid grid keyed to ACT score and GPA. See the tables on this page for the current bands.
Is SOU test-optional?
Stated as effective March 2020. Third-party sources describe SOU as test-blind for a later cycle, but no SOU page says so, so that is not claimed here. For merit aid the answer is different: no rung in any of the three columns names a score. A student with no ACT reaches the top of their column on GPA alone. 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 SOU?
On SOU's published grid for the current cycle, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Oregon residents — Churchill Scholarship at $2,000 a year, about $8,000 over four years if it renews; Non-residents — Churchill Scholarship at $8,000 a year, about $32,000 over four years if it renews; Western Undergraduate Exchange residents — Churchill Scholarship at $1,000 a year, about $4,000 over four years if it renews.
Does in-state or out-of-state change merit aid at SOU?
Yes. SOU publishes separate grids: Oregon residents run $1,000 to $5,000 a year, and Non-residents run $8,000 to $12,000 — a difference of $7,000 a year at the top. Check which grid applies to you before planning around a figure.
Does SOU superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Not stated, and it would not matter — the grid reads no score.
When are SOU scholarship deadlines?
Merit priority (automatic consideration): February 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 SOU scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Southern Oregon 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
SOU awards on GPA — but the ACT still decides what you're worth elsewhere.
Most schools in this comparison are score-keyed even though SOU is not, so the same test still moves the money everywhere else on the list.
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