The University of Alabama: merit scholarships by ACT score
The University of Alabama awards automatic merit aid from a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 24 and reach Tuition and more. 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.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — an ACT 29 with a 3.60 GPA
Foundation in Excellence
$15,000 / year
About $60,000 over four years, if it renews.
What the next points are worth
1 more point (a 30) moves you to UA Scholar — $24,000 a year. That is $9,000 more a year, or $36,000 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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Want to know what one more point would change? The Merit Plan prices the next point at every school.
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Is Alabama test-optional?
For admission, largely yes. For 2027 entry a score is required only if the cumulative high school GPA is below 3.0. Above that, admission does not require one.
For money, no. Every automatic merit award is keyed to an ACT or SAT score. A student admitted without a score is not on the grid at all. A family that reads “test-optional” and skips the ACT can be admitted and still walk away from every dollar on the grid below.
“UA is updating its holistic admissions review process for students applying as first-year undergraduate students for the 2027 and 2028 academic years. Students applying for a 2027 entry term will be required to submit a standardized test score (ACT or SAT) if their cumulative high school GPA is below 3.0.”
The published Alabama merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from The University of Alabama’s own pages for 2027 entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
Out-of-state & international
A single GPA floor of 3.50 applies across every award.
$6,000
Crimson Legends
ACT 25–26 · 3.50+
$8,000
Capstone
ACT 27 · 3.50+
$10,000
Collegiate
ACT 28 · 3.50+
$15,000
Foundation in Excellence
ACT 29 · 3.50+
$24,000
UA Scholar
ACT 30–31 · 3.50+
$28,000
Presidential
ACT 32–36 · 3.50+
Tuition and more
Presidential Elite
ACT 36 · 4.0+
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Crimson Legends | ACT 25–26 · 3.50+ | $6,000 |
| Capstone | ACT 27 · 3.50+ | $8,000 |
| Collegiate | ACT 28 · 3.50+ | $10,000 |
| Foundation in Excellence | ACT 29 · 3.50+ | $15,000 |
| UA Scholar | ACT 30–31 · 3.50+ | $24,000 |
| Presidential | ACT 32–36 · 3.50+ | $28,000 |
| Presidential Elite | ACT 36 · 4.0+ | Tuition and more |
Source: Out-of-State & International Freshman Scholarships · verified 2026-10-19
In-state (Alabama residents)
Two GPA bands. A 3.50+ GPA reaches the same award one ACT point lower than a 3.00–3.49 GPA does.
$4,000
UA Recognition
ACT 25 · 3.00–3.49
$4,000
UA Recognition
ACT 24 · 3.50+
$5,000
Crimson Achievement
ACT 26 · 3.00–3.49
$5,000
Crimson Achievement
ACT 25 · 3.50+
$6,000
UA Legends
ACT 27 · 3.00–3.49
$6,000
UA Legends
ACT 26 · 3.50+
$7,000
Capstone
ACT 28 · 3.00–3.49
$7,000
Capstone
ACT 27 · 3.50+
$8,000
Collegiate
ACT 29 · 3.00–3.49
$8,000
Collegiate
ACT 28 · 3.50+
$9,000
Foundation in Excellence
ACT 30–36 · 3.00–3.49
$9,000
Foundation in Excellence
ACT 29 · 3.50+
Show the other 2 published rows
Tuition
Presidential
ACT 30–36 · 3.50+
Tuition and more
Presidential Elite
ACT 36 · 4.0+
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| UA Recognition | ACT 25 · 3.00–3.49 | $4,000 |
| UA Recognition | ACT 24 · 3.50+ | $4,000 |
| Crimson Achievement | ACT 26 · 3.00–3.49 | $5,000 |
| Crimson Achievement | ACT 25 · 3.50+ | $5,000 |
| UA Legends | ACT 27 · 3.00–3.49 | $6,000 |
| UA Legends | ACT 26 · 3.50+ | $6,000 |
| Capstone | ACT 28 · 3.00–3.49 | $7,000 |
| Capstone | ACT 27 · 3.50+ | $7,000 |
| Collegiate | ACT 29 · 3.00–3.49 | $8,000 |
| Collegiate | ACT 28 · 3.50+ | $8,000 |
| Foundation in Excellence | ACT 30–36 · 3.00–3.49 | $9,000 |
| Foundation in Excellence | ACT 29 · 3.50+ | $9,000 |
| Presidential | ACT 30–36 · 3.50+ | Tuition |
| Presidential Elite | ACT 36 · 4.0+ | Tuition and more |
Source: In-State Freshman Scholarships · verified 2026-10-19
Does Alabama superscore for scholarships?
No. Scholarships use the composite from a single sitting. A superscore that crosses a band does not qualify.
“UA does not use superscores for scholarship purposes.”
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.
Alabama scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Spring 2027 entry | November 2, 2026 |
| Summer / Fall 2027 entry | December 4, 2026 |
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 The University of Alabama’s own published pages, linked below with the date we last confirmed them. We do not estimate a missing band or interpolate a value.
- Out-of-State & International Freshman Scholarshipsverified 2026-10-19
- In-State Freshman Scholarshipsverified 2026-10-19
- First-Year Admissionverified 2026-10-19
- The application and the official score report are both due by the deadline — it is not an application-only date.
- Awards are stated as a yearly value. The four-year figures on this page are that value multiplied by four and assume the award renews.
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 The University of Alabama.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Alabama?
Automatic merit aid at The University of Alabama starts at an ACT composite of 24, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches tuition and more 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 Alabama test-optional?
For 2027 entry a score is required only if the cumulative high school GPA is below 3.0. Above that, admission does not require one. For merit aid the answer is different: every automatic merit award is keyed to an ACT or SAT score. A student admitted without a score is not on the grid at all. 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 Alabama?
On Alabama's published grid for 2027 entry, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Out-of-state & international — UA Scholar at $24,000 a year, about $96,000 over four years if it renews.
How much is one more ACT point worth at Alabama?
The most valuable single point on Alabama's published grid is 29 to 30, at a 3.5 GPA: it moves the award by $9,000 a year, or $36,000 across a four-year degree on the Out-of-state & international 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 Alabama?
Yes. Alabama publishes separate grids: In-state (Alabama residents) run $4,000 to full tuition a year, and Out-of-state & international run $6,000 to full tuition. Check which grid applies to you before planning around a figure.
Does Alabama superscore the ACT for scholarships?
No. Scholarships use the composite from a single sitting. A superscore that crosses a band does not qualify. UA does not use superscores for scholarship purposes.
When are Alabama scholarship deadlines?
Spring 2027 entry: November 2, 2026. Summer / Fall 2027 entry: December 4, 2026. 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 Alabama scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from The University of Alabama's own published pages and last verified on 2026-10-19. 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 Alabama. 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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