University of Nebraska–Lincoln: merit scholarships by ACT score
University of Nebraska–Lincoln awards automatic merit aid from a published grid keyed to the ACT alone, with no GPA criterion. Awards start at an ACT of 32. 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
Both awards are tuition commitments rather than fixed dollar amounts, so there is no annual figure to compare against other schools. UNL also publishes no entry year on its scholarship pages.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — an ACT 29 with a 3.60 GPA
No automatic award at this combination
A 29 with a 3.60 GPA does not reach the published grid. That is not a verdict on admission — only on automatic merit.
What the next points are worth
3 more points (a 32) moves you to Regents Scholar Tuition Commitment — Full undergraduate tuition, up to 120 credit hours.
The question isn't whether 3 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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Is Nebraska test-optional?
For admission, largely yes. UNL does not require a score for admission, but both of its threshold-based awards are defined purely by a composite score — so a score is structurally mandatory for the money even though it is optional for the offer.
For money, no. Required in practice for these two awards, since each is defined by a minimum composite. UNL states elsewhere that test scores are required for some scholarships. A family that reads “test-optional” and skips the ACT can be admitted and still walk away from every dollar on the grid below.
“You are not required to submit an ACT/SAT score to be considered for admission.”
The published Nebraska merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from University of Nebraska–Lincoln’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.
Nebraska residents
Both awards are for Nebraska residents only. There is no out-of-state equivalent with a published ACT threshold.
Full cost of attendance for up to four years, plus an annual $5,000 stipend
President's Scholarship
ACT 36 · No GPA criterion published
Full undergraduate tuition, up to 120 credit hours
Regents Scholar Tuition Commitment
ACT 32–35 · No GPA criterion published
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| President's Scholarship | ACT 36 · No GPA criterion published | Full cost of attendance for up to four years, plus an annual $5,000 stipend |
| Regents Scholar Tuition Commitment | ACT 32–35 · No GPA criterion published | Full undergraduate tuition, up to 120 credit hours |
Source: President's Scholarship · verified 2026-10-21
Does Nebraska superscore for scholarships?
No. Explicitly no. The Regents award states that superscores are excluded, and general merit language refers to the highest single composite rather than a recombined one.
“Eligibility requires a minimum composite score of 32 ACT (or SAT equivalent); super scores excluded.”
This matters more than it sounds. A student whose superscore crosses a band but whose best single sitting does not will be paid on the lower band. Look up your best single sitting in the grid above, then find what is costing you points on one test.
Comparing schools? See which colleges superscore for scholarships — 66 of 501 commit to it, 52 say they do not, and the rest never say.
Nebraska scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Priority application for scholarships | November 1 |
| Final official scores due (February test date or earlier) | May 1 |
| Scholarship notification | February 11 |
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 Nebraska–Lincoln’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 President's Scholarship requires the OPTIONAL Science section on the Enhanced ACT: UNL states that from September 2025 students must elect to take it and also achieve a 36 STEM score, the average of the Math and Science sections.
- For the Regents award, UNL encourages but does not require the Science section.
- Both awards are Nebraska residents only, and both require US citizenship or verified lawful presence under Nebraska State Statute 4-110.
- The Regents award is capped so that total non-loan aid cannot exceed cost of attendance.
- The New Nebraskan Tuition Scholarship publishes ACT bands and dollar figures but is competitive — every row ends 'with a subjective final academic review' — so it is deliberately not included here.
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 Nebraska–Lincoln.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Nebraska?
Automatic merit aid at University of Nebraska–Lincoln starts at an ACT composite of 32, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches full cost of attendance for up to four years, plus an annual $5,000 stipend 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 Nebraska test-optional?
UNL does not require a score for admission, but both of its threshold-based awards are defined purely by a composite score — so a score is structurally mandatory for the money even though it is optional for the offer. For merit aid the answer is different: required in practice for these two awards, since each is defined by a minimum composite. UNL states elsewhere that test scores are required for some scholarships. Being admitted without a score and qualifying for money without a score are two separate questions.
Does Nebraska superscore the ACT for scholarships?
No. Explicitly no. The Regents award states that superscores are excluded, and general merit language refers to the highest single composite rather than a recombined one. Eligibility requires a minimum composite score of 32 ACT (or SAT equivalent); super scores excluded.
When are Nebraska scholarship deadlines?
Priority application for scholarships: November 1. Final official scores due (February test date or earlier): May 1. Scholarship notification: February 11. 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 Nebraska scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from University of Nebraska–Lincoln'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 Nebraska. 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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