University of Kansas: merit scholarships by GPA
University of Kansas awards automatic merit aid from a published grid keyed to GPA — the ACT is not used. Awards start at a 3.25 GPA and reach $16,000 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
KU awards merit on GPA alone — the ACT plays no part. Raising a score does not change the award here, and any KU merit chart showing ACT bands is reproducing a grid KU has retired.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — a 3.60 GPA
Rock Chalk
$8,000 ($2,000 per year) / year
About $8,000 over four years, if it renews.
Kansas (KU) 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 Kansas (KU) merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from University of Kansas’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.
Kansas residents
Awarded automatically on admission, on GPA alone.
$20,000 ($5,000 per year)
Chancellor
No score needed
$16,000 ($4,000 per year)
Traditions
No score needed
$12,000 ($3,000 per year)
Crimson & Blue
No score needed
$8,000 ($2,000 per year)
Rock Chalk
No score needed
$4,000 ($1,000 per year)
Jayhawk
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Chancellor | — | $20,000 ($5,000 per year) |
| Traditions | — | $16,000 ($4,000 per year) |
| Crimson & Blue | — | $12,000 ($3,000 per year) |
| Rock Chalk | — | $8,000 ($2,000 per year) |
| Jayhawk | — | $4,000 ($1,000 per year) |
Source: Freshman merit scholarships · verified 2026-10-21
Non-residents and international students
A separate and much larger award scale. International students are awarded on this track.
$64,000 ($16,000 per year)
KU Excellence
No score needed
$56,000 ($14,000 per year)
KU Distinction
No score needed
$48,000 ($12,000 per year)
KU Achievement
No score needed
$40,000 ($10,000 per year)
KU Performance
No score needed
$32,000 ($8,000 per year)
KU Access
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| KU Excellence | — | $64,000 ($16,000 per year) |
| KU Distinction | — | $56,000 ($14,000 per year) |
| KU Achievement | — | $48,000 ($12,000 per year) |
| KU Performance | — | $40,000 ($10,000 per year) |
| KU Access | — | $32,000 ($8,000 per year) |
Source: Freshman merit scholarships · verified 2026-10-21
Does Kansas (KU) superscore for scholarships?
No merit superscore policy exists because no merit test criterion exists. KU is silent on both superscoring and the Enhanced ACT for scholarship purposes.
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 Kansas (KU)’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.
Kansas (KU) scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Complete application including transcript (unofficial accepted) | December 1 |
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 University of Kansas’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 GPA used is measured after the SIXTH high school semester — through 11th grade only. KU does not review at seventh semester and does not upgrade awards after admission, so senior-year grades cannot raise the award.
- KU uses the weighted or unweighted GPA, whichever benefits the student most, and does not round — a 3.49 does not become a 3.5.
- The headline figure on KU's page is a four-year total; the annual value is the figure in parentheses.
- National Merit Finalists naming KU first choice get $1,000 per year on top, Kansas residents only.
- Exclusively online bachelor's programmes, the Edwards Campus Metro rate, and Missouri tuition reciprocity for architecture all void the award.
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 Kansas.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Kansas (KU)?
University of Kansas publishes a merit aid grid keyed to ACT score and GPA. See the tables on this page for the current bands.
Is Kansas (KU) test-optional?
KU is test-optional for admission, though it publishes a score-based route to assured admission and encourages submission. For merit aid the answer is different: no score is required or used for merit. This is the cleanest example in the dataset of a score mattering for admission while doing nothing for the 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 Kansas (KU)?
On Kansas (KU)'s published grid for the current cycle, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Kansas residents — Rock Chalk at $2,000 a year, about $8,000 over four years if it renews; Non-residents and international students — KU Performance at $10,000 a year, about $40,000 over four years if it renews.
Does in-state or out-of-state change merit aid at Kansas (KU)?
Yes. Kansas (KU) publishes separate grids: Kansas residents run $1,000 to $5,000 a year, and Non-residents and international students run $8,000 to $16,000 — a difference of $11,000 a year at the top. Check which grid applies to you before planning around a figure.
Does Kansas (KU) superscore the ACT for scholarships?
No merit superscore policy exists because no merit test criterion exists. KU is silent on both superscoring and the Enhanced ACT for scholarship purposes.
When are Kansas (KU) scholarship deadlines?
Complete application including transcript (unofficial accepted): December 1. 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 Kansas (KU) scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from University of Kansas'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.
Other schools to check
What to do next
Kansas (KU) awards on GPA — but the ACT still decides what you're worth elsewhere.
Most schools in this comparison are score-keyed even though Kansas (KU) is not, so the same test still moves the money everywhere else on the list.
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