University of Central Missouri: merit scholarships by GPA
University of Central Missouri awards automatic merit aid from a published grid keyed to GPA — the ACT is not used. Awards start at a 3.0 GPA and reach $4,000 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 Red & Black grid uses no test score. A 27+ ACT superscore adds a separate $1,000-a-year ACT Excellence Scholarship on top of it, which stacks rather than replacing a rung — so a score is worth money at UCM, just not on this grid.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — a 3.60 GPA
Red & Black Scholarship
$3,000 / year
About $12,000 over four years, if it renews.
UCM 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 UCM merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from University of Central Missouri’s own pages for Fall 2026 entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
Red & Black Scholarship
Keyed to cumulative high school GPA alone, guaranteed, and combinable with other UCM scholarships.
$4,000
Red & Black Scholarship
No score needed
$3,000
Red & Black Scholarship
No score needed
$2,000
Red & Black Scholarship
No score needed
$1,500
Red & Black Scholarship
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Red & Black Scholarship | — | $4,000 |
| Red & Black Scholarship | — | $3,000 |
| Red & Black Scholarship | — | $2,000 |
| Red & Black Scholarship | — | $1,500 |
Source: Red & Black Scholarship — Fall 2026 freshmen · verified 2026-10-24
Does UCM superscore for scholarships?
Yes. Yes, for the ACT Excellence add-on specifically — UCM heads that column "ACT EXCELLENCE SCHOLARSHIP (27+ Superscore)". The Red & Black grid itself uses no score, so a superscore matters only for the $1,000 bonus.
“ACT EXCELLENCE SCHOLARSHIP (27+ Superscore)”
So the number that matters here is your superscore, not your best single test. Work out your superscore and look that score up in the grid above — it may sit a band higher than the one you have been planning around.
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 University of Central Missouri’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 grid itself uses no test score. A 4.0 with no ACT receives the same $4,000 as a 4.0 with a 36.
- A 27+ ACT superscore adds the ACT Excellence Scholarship — $1,000 a year — ON TOP of the Red & Black rung. It is additive, so it is not a band here.
- That makes the maximum from these two combined $5,000 a year, at a 3.75 GPA with a 27 superscore.
- UCM calls the Red & Black automatic and guaranteed, and says it can be combined with other scholarships.
- Renewal needs only a 2.5 GPA, which is more forgiving than the 3.0 most grids ask for.
- UCM publishes no scholarship deadline on this page.
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 University of Central Missouri.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at UCM?
University of Central Missouri publishes a merit aid grid keyed to ACT score and GPA. See the tables on this page for the current bands.
Is UCM test-optional?
The Red & Black page does not state the admission testing requirement, so nothing is claimed about it here. For merit aid the answer is different: no rung of the Red & Black grid uses a score, so a student with no ACT still reaches the top award at a 3.75. A 27 superscore adds a separate $1,000 a year on top rather than moving a student up the ladder. 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 UCM?
On UCM's published grid for Fall 2026 entry, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Red & Black Scholarship at $3,000 a year, about $12,000 over four years if it renews.
Does UCM superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Yes. Yes, for the ACT Excellence add-on specifically — UCM heads that column "ACT EXCELLENCE SCHOLARSHIP (27+ Superscore)". The Red & Black grid itself uses no score, so a superscore matters only for the $1,000 bonus. ACT EXCELLENCE SCHOLARSHIP (27+ Superscore)
Is this UCM scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from University of Central Missouri'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
UCM awards on GPA — but the ACT still decides what you're worth elsewhere.
Most schools in this comparison are score-keyed even though UCM is not, so the same test still moves the money everywhere else on the list.
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