Tarleton State University: merit scholarships by ACT score and class rank
Tarleton State University awards automatic merit aid from a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 22 and reach $5,000 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
Tarleton awards on CLASS RANK crossed with a score, not GPA — so the GPA slider below does not affect the result here. Two things matter most. The award is guaranteed on the criteria but NOT automatic on admission: a separate Tarleton General Scholarship application is required, and after February 15 you are only 'eligible as funding allows'. And a score below 22 is worth nothing — Tarleton's 'Submitted Scores' and 'No Scores Submitted' rows pay identically, so the ACT becomes money only at 22 and again at 28. The grid carries no cycle year.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — an ACT 29 with a 3.60 GPA
President's Guaranteed Scholarship
$4,000 / year
About $16,000 over four years, if it renews.
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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The published Tarleton State merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Tarleton State 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.
President's Guaranteed Scholarship Program
Tarleton no longer accepts scores off a high school transcript — they must come from ACT.org directly. Students without a class rank have one assigned from other information, primarily GPA, though no GPA-to-award table is published.
$4,000
President's Guaranteed Scholarship
ACT 28–36 · top 10% of class, with 1300+ or 28+ or 92+
$2,000
President's Guaranteed Scholarship
ACT 28–36 · top 25% (not top 10%) of class, with 1300+ or 28+ or 92+
$500
President's Guaranteed Scholarship
ACT 28–36 · Top 50% (Not top 25%) of class, with 1300+ or 28+ or 92+
$3,000
President's Guaranteed Scholarship
ACT 22–27 · top 10% of class, with 1100+ or 22+ or 72+
$1,500
President's Guaranteed Scholarship
ACT 22–27 · top 25% (not top 10%) of class, with 1100+ or 22+ or 72+
$500
President's Guaranteed Scholarship
ACT 22–27 · Top 50% (Not top 25%) of class, with 1100+ or 22+ or 72+
$2,000
President's Guaranteed Scholarship
No score needed
$1,000
President's Guaranteed Scholarship
No score needed
$500
President's Guaranteed Scholarship
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| President's Guaranteed Scholarship | ACT 28–36 · top 10% of class, with 1300+ or 28+ or 92+ | $4,000 |
| President's Guaranteed Scholarship | ACT 28–36 · top 25% (not top 10%) of class, with 1300+ or 28+ or 92+ | $2,000 |
| President's Guaranteed Scholarship | ACT 28–36 · Top 50% (Not top 25%) of class, with 1300+ or 28+ or 92+ | $500 |
| President's Guaranteed Scholarship | ACT 22–27 · top 10% of class, with 1100+ or 22+ or 72+ | $3,000 |
| President's Guaranteed Scholarship | ACT 22–27 · top 25% (not top 10%) of class, with 1100+ or 22+ or 72+ | $1,500 |
| President's Guaranteed Scholarship | ACT 22–27 · Top 50% (Not top 25%) of class, with 1100+ or 22+ or 72+ | $500 |
| President's Guaranteed Scholarship | — | $2,000 |
| President's Guaranteed Scholarship | — | $1,000 |
| President's Guaranteed Scholarship | — | $500 |
Source: Freshman Guaranteed Scholarship · verified 2026-10-21
Distinguished High School Partners — higher amounts for partner districts
Only for graduates of roughly 145 named Texas school districts, which Tarleton publishes as a list. Partner students also get automatic admission in the top 50% rather than the state's top 10%.
$5,000
Distinguished High School Partners award
ACT 28–36 · top 10% of class, with 1300+ or 28+ or 92+
$2,500
Distinguished High School Partners award
ACT 28–36 · top 25% (not top 10%) of class, with 1300+ or 28+ or 92+
$1,000
Distinguished High School Partners award
ACT 28–36 · Top 50% (Not top 25%) of class, with 1300+ or 28+ or 92+
$4,000
Distinguished High School Partners award
ACT 22–27 · top 10% of class, with 1100+ or 22+ or 72+
$2,000
Distinguished High School Partners award
ACT 22–27 · top 25% (not top 10%) of class, with 1100+ or 22+ or 72+
$1,000
Distinguished High School Partners award
ACT 22–27 · Top 50% (Not top 25%) of class, with 1100+ or 22+ or 72+
$3,000
Distinguished High School Partners award
No score needed
$1,500
Distinguished High School Partners award
No score needed
$1,000
Distinguished High School Partners award
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Distinguished High School Partners award | ACT 28–36 · top 10% of class, with 1300+ or 28+ or 92+ | $5,000 |
| Distinguished High School Partners award | ACT 28–36 · top 25% (not top 10%) of class, with 1300+ or 28+ or 92+ | $2,500 |
| Distinguished High School Partners award | ACT 28–36 · Top 50% (Not top 25%) of class, with 1300+ or 28+ or 92+ | $1,000 |
| Distinguished High School Partners award | ACT 22–27 · top 10% of class, with 1100+ or 22+ or 72+ | $4,000 |
| Distinguished High School Partners award | ACT 22–27 · top 25% (not top 10%) of class, with 1100+ or 22+ or 72+ | $2,000 |
| Distinguished High School Partners award | ACT 22–27 · Top 50% (Not top 25%) of class, with 1100+ or 22+ or 72+ | $1,000 |
| Distinguished High School Partners award | — | $3,000 |
| Distinguished High School Partners award | — | $1,500 |
| Distinguished High School Partners award | — | $1,000 |
Source: Distinguished High School Partners · verified 2026-10-21
Does Tarleton State superscore for scholarships?
Not stated. The word does not appear on any Tarleton page checked, so no position is recorded.
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 Tarleton State’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.
Tarleton State scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Scholarship priority deadline — after this, awards are 'as funding allows' | February 15 |
| Admission application, fall | June 15 |
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 Tarleton 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.
- Freshman Guaranteed Scholarshipverified 2026-10-21
- Distinguished High School Partnersverified 2026-10-21
- First-time-in-college requirements — test policyverified 2026-10-21
- The guarantee is on the criteria, not on admission — Tarleton requires its General Scholarship application and says so in bold.
- Rank dominates: the top-50%-but-not-top-25% band pays $500 regardless of score, at every score row.
- Scores must come from ACT.org. Tarleton explicitly stopped accepting scores reported on a high school transcript or submitted by a counsellor or student.
- Awards stack, and Tarleton says a student 'might qualify for more than the guaranteed amount' — but any student holding $10,000 or more in institutional scholarships is generally ineligible for further institutional money.
- An out-of-state tuition waiver is available, keyed to class rank rather than score: only students in the top 25% may qualify.
- The CLT is already in the grid at 92+ and 72+, though Tarleton notes those do not take effect until Fall 2027.
- Tarleton's committee-reviewed Academic and Leadership awards list an ACT 23 minimum, but those go to scholarship committees for review and are not part of this grid.
- Tarleton 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 Tarleton State University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Tarleton State?
Automatic merit aid at Tarleton State University starts at an ACT composite of 22, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches $5,000 a year at the top of the 2 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 Tarleton State test-optional?
Not required for an admission decision, though Tarleton encourages a score for scholarships and to satisfy the Texas TSI requirement. For applicants under individual review, a score can help. For merit aid the answer is different: considered, and Tarleton publishes what no score is worth — a dedicated 'No Scores Submitted' row. Submitting a score below 22 does not change the award, which makes 22 the real threshold. 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 Tarleton State?
On Tarleton State's published grid for the current cycle, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for President's Guaranteed Scholarship Program — President's Guaranteed Scholarship at $4,000 a year, about $16,000 over four years if it renews; Distinguished High School Partners — higher amounts for partner districts — Distinguished High School Partners award at $5,000 a year, about $20,000 over four years if it renews.
How much is one more ACT point worth at Tarleton State?
The most valuable single point on Tarleton State's published grid is 21 to 22, at a GPA of top 10% of class, with 1100+ or 22+ or 72+: it moves the award by $1,000 a year, or $4,000 across a four-year degree on the President's Guaranteed Scholarship Program 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 Tarleton State superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Not stated. The word does not appear on any Tarleton page checked, so no position is recorded.
When are Tarleton State scholarship deadlines?
Scholarship priority deadline — after this, awards are 'as funding allows': February 15. Admission application, fall: June 15. 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 Tarleton State scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Tarleton State 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.
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What to do next
You know what a score is worth at Tarleton State. The question is whether you can move it.
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