University of Dubuque: merit scholarships by GPA
University of Dubuque awards automatic merit aid from a published grid keyed to GPA — the ACT is not used. Awards start at a 2.5 GPA and reach $15,000 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
UD publishes the GPA for each award but does not say the award is granted automatically on admission, does not print an entry year for the grid, and does not publish renewal terms. The amounts are as published; confirm all three with the financial aid office before planning around them.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — a 3.60 GPA
Presidential Scholarship
$12,000 / year
About $48,000 over four years, if it renews.
UD 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 UD merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from University of Dubuque’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.
First-year students
UD prints one GPA per award rather than a window, so each is a floor and a student receives the highest award they clear.
$15,000
Heritage Society Scholarship
No score needed
$12,000
Presidential Scholarship
No score needed
$10,000
Honors Scholarship
No score needed
$8,000
Dean's Merit Scholarship
No score needed
$6,000
Forerunner Award
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Heritage Society Scholarship | — | $15,000 |
| Presidential Scholarship | — | $12,000 |
| Honors Scholarship | — | $10,000 |
| Dean's Merit Scholarship | — | $8,000 |
| Forerunner Award | — | $6,000 |
Source: Scholarships, awards and grants · verified 2026-10-24
Does UD superscore for scholarships?
Not stated, and it would not matter for these awards. The tiers use no test score at all.
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 UD’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 University of Dubuque’s own published pages, linked below with the date we last confirmed them. We do not estimate a missing band or interpolate a value.
- Scholarships, awards and grantsverified 2026-10-24
- Prospective students — test policyverified 2026-10-24
- The grid uses no test score. A 3.8 with no ACT receives the same $15,000 as a 3.8 with a 36.
- Each award names a single GPA, so the figures are floors — a 4.0 receives the Heritage Society amount, not a middle tier.
- An IB award of $15,000 is listed for students who earn an IB Diploma. It has no GPA criterion, so it is not a band here, and the page does not say whether it stacks with a GPA tier.
- The page does not say whether the GPA is weighted or unweighted.
- UD's Direct Admission page advertises much larger figures — up to $30,000 a year — but that programme is marked as ending April 30, 2024, so those numbers are not used here.
- The Wendt Character Scholar award ($3,500) is separate and takes applications between December 1 and April 30.
- The page's only dated figure is an Iowa Tuition Grant of up to $7,500 for 2025-26, which is state aid rather than UD merit.
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 Dubuque.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at UD?
University of Dubuque publishes a merit aid grid keyed to ACT score and GPA. See the tables on this page for the current bands.
Is UD test-optional?
UD states that ACT and SAT scores are optional for admission and that application fees are waived. For merit aid the answer is different: every award on the page is keyed to cumulative high school GPA. No tier names a test score, so an ACT cannot move this money. 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 UD?
On UD's published grid for the current cycle, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Presidential Scholarship at $12,000 a year, about $48,000 over four years if it renews.
Does UD superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Not stated, and it would not matter for these awards. The tiers use no test score at all.
Is this UD scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from University of Dubuque'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
UD awards on GPA — but the ACT still decides what you're worth elsewhere.
Most schools in this comparison are score-keyed even though UD is not, so the same test still moves the money everywhere else on the list.
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