University of Memphis: merit scholarships by ACT score
University of Memphis awards automatic merit aid from a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 22 and reach $14,000 a year. 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
Provost
$6,000 a year ($24,000 over four years) / year
About $24,000 over four years, if it renews.
What the next points are worth
2 more points (a 31) moves you to Cecil C. Humphreys Presidential — $7,000 a year ($28,000 over four years) a year. That is $1,000 more a year, or $4,000 over four years.
The question isn't whether 2 points is worth having. It's whether they can move them — 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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The published Memphis merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from University of Memphis’s own pages for 2027 cohort entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
Tennessee residents
One first-time freshman scholarship per student. The Valedictorian Scholarship is the only one that stacks, and Tennessee residents may stack Memphis Promise and TSAC awards.
$7,000 a year ($28,000 over four years)
Cecil C. Humphreys Presidential
ACT 31–36 · 3.25+
$6,000 a year ($24,000 over four years)
Provost
ACT 28–30 · 3.25+
$5,000 a year ($20,000 over four years)
Deans
ACT 24–27 · 3.25+
$3,500 a year ($14,000 over four years)
Academic Achievement Award
ACT 22–23 · 3.25+
$2,500 a year ($10,000 over four years)
Trustee Award (GPA Only)
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Cecil C. Humphreys Presidential | ACT 31–36 · 3.25+ | $7,000 a year ($28,000 over four years) |
| Provost | ACT 28–30 · 3.25+ | $6,000 a year ($24,000 over four years) |
| Deans | ACT 24–27 · 3.25+ | $5,000 a year ($20,000 over four years) |
| Academic Achievement Award | ACT 22–23 · 3.25+ | $3,500 a year ($14,000 over four years) |
| Trustee Award (GPA Only) | — | $2,500 a year ($10,000 over four years) |
Source: 2027 cohort in-state freshman scholarship opportunities (PDF) · verified 2026-10-24
Non-residents
Every tier pays exactly double the in-state figure. The Memphis Promise stacking note does not apply, since that programme is for Tennessee residents.
$14,000 a year ($56,000 over four years)
Cecil C. Humphreys Presidential
ACT 31–36 · 3.25+
$12,000 a year ($48,000 over four years)
Provost
ACT 28–30 · 3.25+
$10,000 a year ($40,000 over four years)
Deans
ACT 24–27 · 3.25+
$7,000 a year ($28,000 over four years)
Academic Achievement Award
ACT 22–23 · 3.25+
$5,000 a year ($20,000 over four years)
Trustee Award (GPA Only)
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Cecil C. Humphreys Presidential | ACT 31–36 · 3.25+ | $14,000 a year ($56,000 over four years) |
| Provost | ACT 28–30 · 3.25+ | $12,000 a year ($48,000 over four years) |
| Deans | ACT 24–27 · 3.25+ | $10,000 a year ($40,000 over four years) |
| Academic Achievement Award | ACT 22–23 · 3.25+ | $7,000 a year ($28,000 over four years) |
| Trustee Award (GPA Only) | — | $5,000 a year ($20,000 over four years) |
Source: 2027 cohort out-of-state freshman scholarship opportunities (PDF) · verified 2026-10-24
Does Memphis superscore for scholarships?
Yes. Yes, and Memphis says so in the context of scholarships specifically rather than admission. It states that super scores are considered precisely to maximise scholarship eligibility, and that updated scores can be sent after applying.
“We encourage students to submit qualifying ACT/SAT scores, as we consider super scores to help maximize eligibility. Updated GPA and test scores may be submitted through March 1.”
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.
Memphis scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Priority consideration — apply for admission | December 1 |
| Last date to submit an updated GPA or test score | March 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 Memphis’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 cohort in-state freshman scholarship opportunities (PDF)verified 2026-10-24
- 2027 cohort out-of-state freshman scholarship opportunities (PDF)verified 2026-10-24
- First-time freshman scholarshipsverified 2026-10-24
- The whole grid is published as an image on the scholarship pages. Every figure here comes from the PDF each page links to, which carries the table as real text.
- Out-of-state awards are exactly double the in-state figure at every tier.
- The GPA-only pathway reaches one award — the Trustee, at a 3.80. It does not reach the four tiered awards at any GPA, so a student with no score is capped at $2,500 a year in-state regardless of how high their GPA is.
- Only one first-time freshman scholarship per student. The Valedictorian Scholarship ($1,000 a year) is the single exception and may be stacked.
- National Merit Finalists and Semi-Finalists receive $15,000 a year out-of-state — $10,000 toward tuition and $5,000 toward on-campus housing. That is not keyed to a published ACT threshold, so it is not in the grid.
- Renewal requires completing service hours, which is an unusual condition and an easy way to lose an award a student already holds.
- The Emerging Leaders, First Scholars, Memphis Advantage and Weil Scholars programmes each need a separate application and are not part of the automatic grid.
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 Memphis.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Memphis?
Automatic merit aid at University of Memphis starts at an ACT composite of 22, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches $14,000 a year 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 Memphis test-optional?
Memphis publishes two review pathways for scholarships — GPA with a test score, or GPA alone — so a score is not required to be considered. For merit aid the answer is different: a score is not required, but going without one caps a student at the Trustee Award. The GPA-only pathway does not reach the four tiered awards at any GPA: a 4.0 with no score is worth $2,500 a year in-state, while the same student with a 31 is worth $7,000. 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 Memphis?
On Memphis's published grid for 2027 cohort entry, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Tennessee residents — Provost at $6,000 a year, about $24,000 over four years if it renews; Non-residents — Provost at $12,000 a year, about $48,000 over four years if it renews.
How much is one more ACT point worth at Memphis?
The most valuable single point on Memphis's published grid is 23 to 24, at a 3.25 GPA: it moves the award by $3,000 a year, or $12,000 across a four-year degree on the Non-residents 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 Memphis?
Yes. Memphis publishes separate grids: Tennessee residents run $2,500 to $7,000 a year, and Non-residents run $5,000 to $14,000 — a difference of $7,000 a year at the top. Check which grid applies to you before planning around a figure.
Does Memphis superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Yes. Yes, and Memphis says so in the context of scholarships specifically rather than admission. It states that super scores are considered precisely to maximise scholarship eligibility, and that updated scores can be sent after applying. We encourage students to submit qualifying ACT/SAT scores, as we consider super scores to help maximize eligibility. Updated GPA and test scores may be submitted through March 1.
When are Memphis scholarship deadlines?
Priority consideration — apply for admission: December 1. Last date to submit an updated GPA or test score: March 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 Memphis scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from University of Memphis'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
You know what a score is worth at Memphis. 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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