Southwest Minnesota State University: merit scholarships by GPA
Southwest Minnesota State University awards automatic merit aid from a published grid keyed to GPA — the ACT is not used. Awards start at a 2.75 GPA and reach $3,500 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
The Mustang Scholarship covers the FIRST ACADEMIC YEAR ONLY and is not renewable. Every figure here is a one-time award, not an annual one, so comparing it against a renewable grid elsewhere means comparing one year against four.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
← Drag either slider to your own numbers
Example — a 3.60 GPA
Mustang Scholarship
$3,000 / year
About $12,000 over four years, if it renews.
SMSU 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.
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 SMSU merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Southwest Minnesota State University’s own pages for 2027–28 entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
Mustang Scholarship (first year only)
No separate application. Students must be enrolled full-time at SMSU; online-only students are not eligible.
$3,500
Mustang Scholarship
No score needed
$3,000
Mustang Scholarship
No score needed
$2,500
Mustang Scholarship
No score needed
$2,000
Mustang Scholarship
No score needed
$1,000
Mustang Scholarship
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Mustang Scholarship | — | $3,500 |
| Mustang Scholarship | — | $3,000 |
| Mustang Scholarship | — | $2,500 |
| Mustang Scholarship | — | $2,000 |
| Mustang Scholarship | — | $1,000 |
Source: Freshman scholarship information — Mustang Scholarship · verified 2026-10-24
Does SMSU superscore for scholarships?
Not stated, and it cannot matter. SMSU says test scores are not used to determine the Mustang Scholarship, so there is nothing for a superscore to move.
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 SMSU’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.
Where these numbers came from
Every figure on this page was read from Southwest Minnesota 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 Mustang Scholarship is a FIRST-YEAR award and is not renewable. SMSU says so on the page.
- Test scores are explicitly not used for this award.
- Students must be enrolled full time. Online-only students are not eligible.
- This is one of the few grids paying below a 3.00 — $1,000 from a 2.75.
- The Presidential Scholarship ($5,000 a year, $20,000 over four years) comes through Southwest Scholars Day and needs an application, a 3.60 weighted GPA, a 28 ACT and an interview, so it is not part of this grid.
- A National Merit Finalist award of $2,500 a year is also separate from this grid.
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 Southwest Minnesota State University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at SMSU?
Southwest Minnesota State University publishes a merit aid grid keyed to ACT score and GPA. See the tables on this page for the current bands.
Is SMSU test-optional?
The scholarship page does not state the admission testing requirement, so nothing is claimed about it here. For merit aid the answer is different: sMSU states plainly that scores play no part in this award. A separate Scholars Day competition does require a 28 ACT, but it needs an application and an interview and is not part of this grid. 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 SMSU?
On SMSU's published grid for 2027–28 entry, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Mustang Scholarship at $3,000 a year, about $12,000 over four years if it renews.
Does SMSU superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Not stated, and it cannot matter. SMSU says test scores are not used to determine the Mustang Scholarship, so there is nothing for a superscore to move.
Is this SMSU scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Southwest Minnesota 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
SMSU awards on GPA — but the ACT still decides what you're worth elsewhere.
Most schools in this comparison are score-keyed even though SMSU is not, so the same test still moves the money everywhere else on the list.
Free · About 3 minutes · No account needed · Not affiliated with Southwest Minnesota State University