SUNY Plattsburgh: merit scholarships by GPA
SUNY Plattsburgh publishes merit aid criteria as a published grid keyed to GPA — the ACT is not used. Awards start at a 90.0 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 page still names June 2025 and January 2026 high school graduation and has not been updated for a later cycle, so these are last cycle's published terms. The award is applied to non-tuition costs and requires living on campus, which makes it worth less to a commuter than the figure suggests. It is also region-specific — this is the table for high schools outside the North Country and New York City, and Plattsburgh publishes no threshold for either of those regions' own versions.
Out of 100, the way New York high schools report it — which is how this school publishes its grid.
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Example — a 3.60 GPA
No automatic award at this combination
A 29 with a 3.60 GPA does not reach the published grid. That is not a verdict on admission — only on automatic merit.
Plattsburgh 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 Plattsburgh merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from SUNY Plattsburgh’s own pages for Fall 2025 entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
Cardinal Scholarship — high schools outside the North Country and New York City
Awarded at admission with no separate scholarship application. Renewable for up to eight semesters of consecutive full-time study.
$3,500 a year, deducted from non-tuition educational costs
Cardinal Scholarship
No score needed · GPA 90.00
| Award | With a score | No score | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal Scholarship | — | GPA 90.00 | $3,500 a year, deducted from non-tuition educational costs |
Source: First-year scholarships for other regions · verified 2026-10-24
Does Plattsburgh superscore for scholarships?
No. Not applicable — Plattsburgh states that scores are not required for scholarship consideration at all.
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.
Where these numbers came from
Every figure on this page was read from SUNY Plattsburgh’s own published pages, linked below with the date we last confirmed them. We do not estimate a missing band or interpolate a value.
- First-year scholarships for other regionsverified 2026-10-24
- First-year admissionsverified 2026-10-24
- The threshold is a 90 high school average out of 100, not a 4.0 GPA.
- The award is deducted from non-tuition costs, so it is worth less to a student not paying room and board.
- Living on campus is required, along with full-time enrolment at 12 or more credits.
- A second route exists for students below a 90 — "the highest combination of academic excellence and extracurricular achievement" — but nothing about it can be looked up.
- Plattsburgh states outright that scores are not required for scholarship consideration.
- The $1,500 Cardinal Grant is need-based rather than merit.
- US citizenship or permanent residency, and the main campus, are required.
- The North Country and New York City regions have their own $3,500 scholarship with thresholds Plattsburgh does not publish.
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 SUNY Plattsburgh.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Plattsburgh?
SUNY Plattsburgh publishes a merit aid grid keyed to ACT score and GPA. See the tables on this page for the current bands.
Is Plattsburgh test-optional?
Plattsburgh's posted test-optional statement names the Spring and Fall 2025 semesters and has not been restated for a later cycle. For merit aid the answer is different: a score cannot reach this award. The published threshold is a 90 high school average on the 100-point scale. Being admitted without a score and qualifying for money without a score are two separate questions.
Does Plattsburgh superscore the ACT for scholarships?
No. Not applicable — Plattsburgh states that scores are not required for scholarship consideration at all.
Is this Plattsburgh scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from SUNY Plattsburgh'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
Plattsburgh awards on GPA — but the ACT still decides what you're worth elsewhere.
Most schools in this comparison are score-keyed even though Plattsburgh is not, so the same test still moves the money everywhere else on the list.
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