Southern Utah University: merit scholarships by ACT score
Southern Utah University awards automatic merit aid from a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 18 and reach $14,000 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
SUU uses whichever of your GPA and your ACT pays better, so either alone qualifies — but the score route still needs a 2.3 GPA floor. Note the scale difference: non-resident awards run $12,000-$14,000 a year against $1,000-$4,500 for Utah residents, because they are buying down a far larger tuition bill. Two bands are deliberately excluded: SUU's own two pages give the Founders' award as $1,650 and $1,615 a semester for the same cohort, and its Merit Bonus band states two different ACT minimums on one page. SUU also refuses superscores, and gaining Utah residency forfeits a non-resident award with no resident award to replace it.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — an ACT 29 with a 3.60 GPA
Founders' Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (score route)
$3,300 per year ($1,650 per semester) / year
About $13,200 over four years, if it renews.
What the next points are worth
1 more point (a 30) moves you to Fellow's Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (score route) — $4,500 per year ($2,250 per semester) a year. That is $1,200 more a year, or $4,800 over four years.
The question isn't whether a point is worth having. It's whether they can move it — which starts with knowing exactly which questions they're missing, and why.
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The published SUU merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Southern Utah 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.
Utah residents
Awarded automatically at the point of admission. SUU restricts these to applicants aged 18 to 24, a condition published only on its guidelines page.
$6,622 per year ($3,311 per semester)
President's Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (score route)
ACT 33–36 · the score alone qualifies, above SUU's 2.3 GPA floor
Without a score: not available
$6,622 per year ($3,311 per semester)
President's Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (GPA route)
No score needed · GPA 3.90
$4,500 per year ($2,250 per semester)
Fellow's Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (score route)
ACT 30–32 · the score alone qualifies, above SUU's 2.3 GPA floor
Without a score: not available
$4,500 per year ($2,250 per semester)
Fellow's Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (GPA route)
No score needed · GPA 3.80
$3,300 per year ($1,650 per semester)
Founders' Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (score route)
ACT 27–29 · the score alone qualifies, above SUU's 2.3 GPA floor
Without a score: not available
$3,300 per year ($1,650 per semester)
Founders' Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (GPA route)
No score needed · GPA 3.60
$2,000 per year ($1,000 per semester)
Deans' Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (score route)
ACT 23–26 · the score alone qualifies, above SUU's 2.3 GPA floor
Without a score: not available
$2,000 per year ($1,000 per semester)
Deans' Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (GPA route)
No score needed · GPA 3.40
| Award | With a score | No score | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| President's Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (score route) | ACT 33–36 · the score alone qualifies, above SUU's 2.3 GPA floor | not available | $6,622 per year ($3,311 per semester) |
| President's Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (GPA route) | — | GPA 3.90 | $6,622 per year ($3,311 per semester) |
| Fellow's Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (score route) | ACT 30–32 · the score alone qualifies, above SUU's 2.3 GPA floor | not available | $4,500 per year ($2,250 per semester) |
| Fellow's Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (GPA route) | — | GPA 3.80 | $4,500 per year ($2,250 per semester) |
| Founders' Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (score route) | ACT 27–29 · the score alone qualifies, above SUU's 2.3 GPA floor | not available | $3,300 per year ($1,650 per semester) |
| Founders' Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (GPA route) | — | GPA 3.60 | $3,300 per year ($1,650 per semester) |
| Deans' Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (score route) | ACT 23–26 · the score alone qualifies, above SUU's 2.3 GPA floor | not available | $2,000 per year ($1,000 per semester) |
| Deans' Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (GPA route) | — | GPA 3.40 | $2,000 per year ($1,000 per semester) |
Source: SUU Scholarships — new student award index · verified 2026-10-21
Non-residents outside the WUE states
Far larger than the resident awards, because they offset the non-resident tuition rate rather than supplementing a resident one.
$14,000 per year ($7,000 per semester)
Founders Non-Resident Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (score route)
ACT 31–36 · the score alone qualifies, above SUU's 2.3 GPA floor
Without a score: not available
$14,000 per year ($7,000 per semester)
Founders Non-Resident Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (GPA route)
No score needed · GPA 3.70
$12,000 per year ($6,000 per semester)
Centurium Non-Resident Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (score route)
ACT 18–30 · the score alone qualifies, above SUU's 2.3 GPA floor
Without a score: not available
$12,000 per year ($6,000 per semester)
Centurium Non-Resident Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (GPA route)
No score needed · GPA 2.50
| Award | With a score | No score | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Founders Non-Resident Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (score route) | ACT 31–36 · the score alone qualifies, above SUU's 2.3 GPA floor | not available | $14,000 per year ($7,000 per semester) |
| Founders Non-Resident Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (GPA route) | — | GPA 3.70 | $14,000 per year ($7,000 per semester) |
| Centurium Non-Resident Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (score route) | ACT 18–30 · the score alone qualifies, above SUU's 2.3 GPA floor | not available | $12,000 per year ($6,000 per semester) |
| Centurium Non-Resident Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (GPA route) | — | GPA 2.50 | $12,000 per year ($6,000 per semester) |
Source: SUU Scholarships — new student award index · verified 2026-10-21
Western Undergraduate Exchange states
SUU runs WUE as a named scholarship with its own published figure rather than as a bare tuition-rate rule, so the amount stands. Covers Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming.
$12,000 per year ($6,000 per semester)
Western Undergraduate Exchange Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (score route)
ACT 18–36 · the score alone qualifies, above SUU's 2.3 GPA floor
Without a score: not available
$12,000 per year ($6,000 per semester)
Western Undergraduate Exchange Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (GPA route)
No score needed · GPA 2.50
| Award | With a score | No score | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Undergraduate Exchange Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (score route) | ACT 18–36 · the score alone qualifies, above SUU's 2.3 GPA floor | not available | $12,000 per year ($6,000 per semester) |
| Western Undergraduate Exchange Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (GPA route) | — | GPA 2.50 | $12,000 per year ($6,000 per semester) |
Source: SUU Scholarships — new student award index · verified 2026-10-21
Does SUU superscore for scholarships?
No. No, in capitals on its own page. SUU also excludes the Writing section, so a single sitting's composite is what counts.
“ACT and SAT scores DO NOT include the Writing sections of the exams and Superscores are not accepted.”
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.
SUU scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Fall semester | March 1 |
| Spring semester | November 1 |
| Competitive President's Scholarship, separate from the renewable grid | December 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 Utah 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.
- SUU Scholarships — new student award indexverified 2026-10-21
- Scholarship guidelines — renewal and cohortverified 2026-10-21
- The score route carries a hidden floor: 'Minimum 2.3 High School GPA required for scholarships awarded based upon ACT or SAT'.
- Gaining Utah residency forfeits a non-resident award, and SUU says such a student will not then be considered for a resident scholarship.
- The President's Scholarship covers full tuition but is explicitly limited in number and awarded after a comprehensive review, so it is not modelled.
- SUU prints a blanket hedge under both grids — 'This index is to be used as an estimate only. Exact scholarship awards will be finalized upon admission to SUU.'
- Awards are restricted to traditional-age applicants, 18 to 24, a condition that appears only on the guidelines page.
- SUU Online students are excluded from academic undergraduate scholarships entirely.
- The guidelines page says multi-year awards cannot be combined with any other institutional scholarship, while the grid prints a Merit Bonus 'on top of the WUE award' — SUU does not reconcile the two.
- Its printable PDFs are a cycle behind the HTML, pointing at 2026-27 while the grid says Fall 2027.
- SUU is silent on the Enhanced ACT.
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 Utah University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at SUU?
Automatic merit aid at Southern Utah University starts at an ACT composite of 18, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches $14,000 a year at the top of the 3 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 SUU test-optional?
Not recorded. SUU's admission requirement pages return 404 and no test-policy sentence could be read from a verifiable page, so no position is asserted. For merit aid the answer is different: considered and never penalising — only one of the GPA and the score is required, and SUU uses whichever pays more. The score route still requires a 2.3 GPA. 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 SUU?
On SUU's published grid for Fall 2027 entry, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Utah residents — Fellow's Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (score route) at $4,500 a year, about $18,000 over four years if it renews; Non-residents outside the WUE states — Centurium Non-Resident Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (score route) at $12,000 a year, about $48,000 over four years if it renews; Western Undergraduate Exchange states — Western Undergraduate Exchange Eight Semester Renewable Scholarship (score route) at $12,000 a year, about $48,000 over four years if it renews.
How much is one more ACT point worth at SUU?
The most valuable single point on SUU's published grid is 32 to 33, at a 2.3 GPA: it moves the award by $2,122 a year, or $8,488 across a four-year degree on the Utah residents grid. 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 in-state or out-of-state change merit aid at SUU?
Yes. SUU publishes separate grids: Utah residents run $2,000 to $6,622 a year, and Non-residents outside the WUE states run $12,000 to $14,000 — a difference of $7,378 a year at the top. Check which grid applies to you before planning around a figure.
Does SUU superscore the ACT for scholarships?
No. No, in capitals on its own page. SUU also excludes the Writing section, so a single sitting's composite is what counts. ACT and SAT scores DO NOT include the Writing sections of the exams and Superscores are not accepted.
When are SUU scholarship deadlines?
Fall semester: March 1. Spring semester: November 1. Competitive President's Scholarship, separate from the renewable grid: December 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 SUU scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Southern Utah University's own published pages and last verified on 2026-10-21. 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 SUU. 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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