The University of Mississippi: merit scholarships by ACT score
The University of Mississippi awards automatic merit aid from a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 23 and reach $20,790 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
Academic Merit Scholarship
$10,000 / year
About $40,000 over four years, if it renews.
What the next points are worth
1 more point (a 30) moves you to Academic Merit Scholarship — $15,000 a year. That is $5,000 more a year, or $20,000 over four years.
The question isn't whether a point is worth having. It's whether they can move it — which starts with knowing exactly which questions they're missing, and why.
Free preview of the top schools · the full ranked list, with deadlines, is $19.
Want to know what one more point would change? The Merit Plan prices the next point at every school.
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Can you get merit aid at Ole Miss without an ACT score?
Yes. Out-of-state, no score is needed — but the No Test Score column pays thousands less at every GPA band. In-state, the Academic Merit ladder starts at a 23 ACT, so a score is required for residents.
Read the two columns in the grid below as a trade. The same award is reachable either way — with a score at a lower GPA, or with no score at a higher one. A score is worth real money to a student whose GPA sits under the test-optional line, and worth little to one comfortably above it.
“Eligibility: Entering Freshman with minimum 3.0 high school GPA and 23 ACT score for Mississippi residents (or the SAT equivalent).”
The published Ole Miss merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from The University of Mississippi’s own pages for 2026-27 entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
Out-of-state (non-residents)
Ole Miss publishes a No Test Score column outright, so the cost of skipping the ACT is visible at every GPA band.
$8,000
Academic Merit (no test score)
No score needed · GPA 3.75
$9,000
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 24–25 · 3.75–4.0
Without a score: not available
$10,000
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 26–27 · 3.75–4.0
Without a score: not available
$12,000
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 28–29 · 3.75–4.0
Without a score: not available
$18,000
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 30–31 · 3.75–4.0
Without a score: not available
$20,790
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 32–36 · 3.75–4.0
Without a score: not available
$5,000
Academic Merit (no test score)
No score needed · GPA 3.50
$7,000
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 24–25 · 3.5–3.74
Without a score: not available
$8,000
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 26–27 · 3.5–3.74
Without a score: not available
$10,000
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 28–29 · 3.5–3.74
Without a score: not available
$15,000
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 30–31 · 3.5–3.74
Without a score: not available
$20,790
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 32–36 · 3.5–3.74
Without a score: not available
Show the other 6 published rows
$3,000
Academic Merit (no test score)
No score needed · GPA 3.00
$4,000
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 24–25 · 3.0–3.49
Without a score: not available
$5,000
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 26–27 · 3.0–3.49
Without a score: not available
$8,000
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 28–29 · 3.0–3.49
Without a score: not available
$10,000
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 30–31 · 3.0–3.49
Without a score: not available
$15,000
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 32–36 · 3.0–3.49
Without a score: not available
| Award | With a score | No score | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academic Merit (no test score) | — | GPA 3.75 | $8,000 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 24–25 · 3.75–4.0 | not available | $9,000 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 26–27 · 3.75–4.0 | not available | $10,000 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 28–29 · 3.75–4.0 | not available | $12,000 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 30–31 · 3.75–4.0 | not available | $18,000 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 32–36 · 3.75–4.0 | not available | $20,790 |
| Academic Merit (no test score) | — | GPA 3.50 | $5,000 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 24–25 · 3.5–3.74 | not available | $7,000 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 26–27 · 3.5–3.74 | not available | $8,000 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 28–29 · 3.5–3.74 | not available | $10,000 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 30–31 · 3.5–3.74 | not available | $15,000 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 32–36 · 3.5–3.74 | not available | $20,790 |
| Academic Merit (no test score) | — | GPA 3.00 | $3,000 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 24–25 · 3.0–3.49 | not available | $4,000 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 26–27 · 3.0–3.49 | not available | $5,000 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 28–29 · 3.0–3.49 | not available | $8,000 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 30–31 · 3.0–3.49 | not available | $10,000 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 32–36 · 3.0–3.49 | not available | $15,000 |
Source: Non-Resident Freshman Merit Scholarships · verified 2026-10-19
In-state (Mississippi residents)
A 3.0 GPA floor applies across the ladder. A 3.5 GPA adds the separate 1848 Award on top — $2,000 a year up to a 28, $4,000 from 29 upward.
$1,000
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 23 · 3.0+
$1,500
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 24 · 3.0+
$1,500
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 25 · 3.0+
$1,900
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 26 · 3.0+
$2,250
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 27 · 3.0+
$3,000
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 28 · 3.0+
$3,500
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 29 · 3.0+
$4,500
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 30 · 3.0+
$5,500
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 31 · 3.0+
$7,500
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 32 · 3.0+
$10,278
Academic Merit Scholarship
ACT 33–36 · 3.0+
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 23 · 3.0+ | $1,000 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 24 · 3.0+ | $1,500 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 25 · 3.0+ | $1,500 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 26 · 3.0+ | $1,900 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 27 · 3.0+ | $2,250 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 28 · 3.0+ | $3,000 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 29 · 3.0+ | $3,500 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 30 · 3.0+ | $4,500 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 31 · 3.0+ | $5,500 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 32 · 3.0+ | $7,500 |
| Academic Merit Scholarship | ACT 33–36 · 3.0+ | $10,278 |
Source: Mississippi Resident Freshman Merit Scholarships · verified 2026-10-19
Does Ole Miss superscore for scholarships?
Yes. Superscores are accepted, but the subject scores must all come from the same exam type.
“Subject test scores must be from the same exam type (ACT or SAT) to create a super score.”
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.
Ole Miss scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Qualifying tests taken by | Before enrolling as a new freshman |
| Freshman Scholarship Application | January 10 |
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 The University of Mississippi’s own published pages, linked below with the date we last confirmed them. We do not estimate a missing band or interpolate a value.
- Non-Resident Freshman Merit Scholarshipsverified 2026-10-19
- Mississippi Resident Freshman Merit Scholarshipsverified 2026-10-19
- In-state figures are the Academic Merit award alone. A 3.5 GPA adds the 1848 Award on top: $2,000 a year through a 28 ACT, $4,000 from 29 upward.
- At a 33+ ACT the in-state stipend is set to the value of tuition in year one and capped there for the life of the scholarship.
- The out-of-state award pays toward the non-resident fee and does not stack with Academic Success NR.
- Ole Miss's per-award terms pages were unreachable when we verified, so no renewal GPA is published here.
- The ACT writing section is not included.
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 The University of Mississippi.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Ole Miss?
Automatic merit aid at The University of Mississippi starts at an ACT composite of 23, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches $20,790 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 Ole Miss test-optional?
A score is optional for non-residents with a 3.2+ unweighted GPA and strongly recommended below that. Mississippi residents are evaluated on the state curriculum and GPA, with a score used if provided. For merit aid the answer is different: out-of-state, no score is needed — but the No Test Score column pays thousands less at every GPA band. In-state, the Academic Merit ladder starts at a 23 ACT, so a score is required for residents. 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 Ole Miss?
On Ole Miss's published grid for 2026-27 entry, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Out-of-state (non-residents) — Academic Merit Scholarship at $15,000 a year, about $60,000 over four years if it renews; In-state (Mississippi residents) — Academic Merit Scholarship at $4,500 a year, about $18,000 over four years if it renews.
How much is one more ACT point worth at Ole Miss?
The most valuable single point on Ole Miss's published grid is 29 to 30, at a 3.75 GPA: it moves the award by $6,000 a year, or $24,000 across a four-year degree on the Out-of-state (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 Ole Miss?
Yes. Ole Miss publishes separate grids: In-state (Mississippi residents) run $1,000 to $10,278 a year, and Out-of-state (non-residents) run $3,000 to $20,790 — a difference of $10,512 a year at the top. Check which grid applies to you before planning around a figure.
Does Ole Miss superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Yes. Superscores are accepted, but the subject scores must all come from the same exam type. Subject test scores must be from the same exam type (ACT or SAT) to create a super score.
When are Ole Miss scholarship deadlines?
Qualifying tests taken by: Before enrolling as a new freshman. Freshman Scholarship Application: January 10. 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 Ole Miss scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from The University of Mississippi's own published pages and last verified on 2026-10-19. 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 Ole Miss. 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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