University of Louisiana at Lafayette: merit scholarships by ACT score
University of Louisiana at Lafayette awards automatic merit aid from a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 23. 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
UL Lafayette publishes per-semester amounts and eight-semester totals, never an annual figure, so no annual value is shown here rather than one being calculated. Everything requires a 23 ACT and a 3.0 unweighted GPA — below either, nothing on this page applies. The Presidential tier is competitive: ten recipients a year, a finalist interview and a separate application. Its headline total also includes Louisiana TOPS state money and an optional campus job, not just university aid.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — an ACT 29 with a 3.60 GPA
Magnolia Scholarship
Semester awards of $2,000 academic and $1,000 housing for eight semesters, $24,000 total
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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Want to know what one more point would change? The Merit Plan prices the next point at every school.
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The published UL Lafayette merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s own pages for 2027-28 entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
First-time freshmen — in-state and out-of-state alike
One grid for everyone. Out-of-state students stack an Out-of-State Fee Waiver on top, which needs only a 20 ACT and a 2.5 GPA and is published at $6,864 a semester for ten semesters.
Semester awards of $3,000 academic and $2,000 housing for eight semesters, $49,600 total
Live Oak Scholarship
ACT 32–36 · 3.0+ cumulative GPA
Semester awards of $2,000 academic and $1,000 housing for eight semesters, $24,000 total
Magnolia Scholarship
ACT 28–31 · 3.0+ cumulative GPA
Semester award of $1,250 for eight semesters, $10,000 total
Cypress Scholarship
ACT 23–27 · 3.0+ cumulative GPA
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Live Oak Scholarship | ACT 32–36 · 3.0+ cumulative GPA | Semester awards of $3,000 academic and $2,000 housing for eight semesters, $49,600 total |
| Magnolia Scholarship | ACT 28–31 · 3.0+ cumulative GPA | Semester awards of $2,000 academic and $1,000 housing for eight semesters, $24,000 total |
| Cypress Scholarship | ACT 23–27 · 3.0+ cumulative GPA | Semester award of $1,250 for eight semesters, $10,000 total |
Competitive awards — not automatic
Meeting these makes you eligible to be reviewed, not to receive the award, so they are kept out of the calculator above.
- Presidential Scholarship (competitive — 10 a year, interview required) — ACT 33+ with 3.5+ cumulative GPA: Semester awards totalling $109,184 over eight semesters, including Louisiana TOPS and an optional assistantship
Source: 2027-2028 First-Time Freshman Scholarships · verified 2026-10-21
Does UL Lafayette superscore for scholarships?
Yes. Yes, stated for scholarships specifically and repeated in the grid's own entry requirement, which reads 'composite or superscore'.
“Yes, the Scholarship Office will use your ACT Superscore to determine scholarship eligibility.”
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.
UL Lafayette scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| All requirements met | February 1 of the graduating year |
| Latest ACT, SAT or superscore accepted — note this contradicts the February 1 date above | May 31 of the graduating year |
| Presidential Scholarship application opens | January 2027 |
| Offer letters begin going out | Early November |
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 Louisiana at Lafayette’s own published pages, linked below with the date we last confirmed them. We do not estimate a missing band or interpolate a value.
- 2027-2028 First-Time Freshman Scholarshipsverified 2026-10-21
- Scholarship FAQ — superscore and score deadlinesverified 2026-10-21
- The grid page says every requirement must be met by February 1, while the FAQ twice says scores earned through May 31 are accepted. Both are published; UL Lafayette does not reconcile them.
- A later score genuinely pays: if an improved score qualifies a student for a larger award, UL Lafayette says the award will be increased.
- Weighted GPAs are not accepted — only unweighted on a 4.0 scale.
- No renewal GPA or credit-hour requirement is published anywhere. The FAQ says requirements vary and to read the original offer letter.
- Awards run for eight semesters, except the Out-of-State Fee Waiver at ten.
- Louisiana TOPS stacks on top but is not part of the UL Lafayette offer, and qualifying for one usually means qualifying for the other.
- A scholarship appeal can be submitted only once.
- UL Lafayette 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 University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at UL Lafayette?
Automatic merit aid at University of Louisiana at Lafayette starts at an ACT composite of 23, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches semester awards of $3,000 academic and $2,000 housing for eight semesters, $49,600 total at the top. The bands are steps rather than a slope, so the only score that matters is the next threshold above where you are now.
Is UL Lafayette test-optional?
A score is required to finalise admission, though a 3.0 unweighted GPA can substitute for the English and Math sub-score minimums. The core-curriculum GPA requirement is waived outright by a 23 composite. For merit aid the answer is different: required, with no test-optional merit path at all. The grid's own universal requirement is a 23 ACT composite or superscore. Being admitted without a score and qualifying for money without a score are two separate questions.
Does UL Lafayette superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Yes. Yes, stated for scholarships specifically and repeated in the grid's own entry requirement, which reads 'composite or superscore'. Yes, the Scholarship Office will use your ACT Superscore to determine scholarship eligibility.
When are UL Lafayette scholarship deadlines?
All requirements met: February 1 of the graduating year. Latest ACT, SAT or superscore accepted — note this contradicts the February 1 date above: May 31 of the graduating year. Presidential Scholarship application opens: January 2027. Offer letters begin going out: Early November. 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 UL Lafayette scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from University of Louisiana at Lafayette'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
You know what a score is worth at UL Lafayette. 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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