The University of Oklahoma: merit scholarships by ACT score
The University of Oklahoma awards automatic merit aid from a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 24 and reach $17,500 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
Distinguished Scholar
$16,500 / year
About $66,000 over four years, if it renews.
What the next points are worth
2 more points (a 31) moves you to Award of Excellence — $17,500 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 Oklahoma merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from The University of Oklahoma’s own pages for Fall 2027 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)
Students cannot receive more than one of these awards; OU offers the highest you qualify for.
$17,500
Award of Excellence
ACT 31–36 · 3.5+
$16,500
Distinguished Scholar
ACT 29–30 · 3.5+
$14,500
University Scholarship
ACT 28 · 3.5+
$14,000
Academic Achievement
ACT 26–27 · 3.5+
$13,000
Honor Award
ACT 26–36 · 3.25–3.49
$12,000
Merit Award
ACT 24–25 · 3.5+
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Award of Excellence | ACT 31–36 · 3.5+ | $17,500 |
| Distinguished Scholar | ACT 29–30 · 3.5+ | $16,500 |
| University Scholarship | ACT 28 · 3.5+ | $14,500 |
| Academic Achievement | ACT 26–27 · 3.5+ | $14,000 |
| Honor Award | ACT 26–36 · 3.25–3.49 | $13,000 |
| Merit Award | ACT 24–25 · 3.5+ | $12,000 |
Source: Freshman Scholarships · verified 2026-10-19
In-state (Oklahoma residents)
Students cannot receive more than one of these awards; OU offers the highest you qualify for.
$4,000
Award of Excellence
ACT 31–36 · 3.5+
$3,500
Distinguished Scholar
ACT 29–30 · 3.5+
$3,000
University Scholarship
ACT 28 · 3.5+
$2,750
Academic Achievement
ACT 24–27 · 3.25+
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Award of Excellence | ACT 31–36 · 3.5+ | $4,000 |
| Distinguished Scholar | ACT 29–30 · 3.5+ | $3,500 |
| University Scholarship | ACT 28 · 3.5+ | $3,000 |
| Academic Achievement | ACT 24–27 · 3.25+ | $2,750 |
Source: Freshman Scholarships · verified 2026-10-19
Does Oklahoma superscore for scholarships?
Yes. OU superscores and accepts self-reported scores, verified at enrolment.
“OU will also superscore ACT/SAT scores and allow students to self report scores for admission and scholarship purposes.”
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.
Oklahoma scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Apply by | December 15 |
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 Oklahoma’s own published pages, linked below with the date we last confirmed them. We do not estimate a missing band or interpolate a value.
- Figures here are the ANNUAL award. OU publishes four-year totals, so its $70,000 Award of Excellence is the $17,500 shown here, four times over.
- Test-optional awards exist but are much smaller: $6,000–$12,000 a year out-of-state and $1,000–$2,000 in-state.
- OU uses its own standardised weighted “scholarship GPA”, not the GPA on your transcript.
- National Merit and the Oklahoma State Regents' Rising Scholars award pay far more but depend on a designation rather than a score band, so they are not in this 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 The University of Oklahoma.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Oklahoma?
Automatic merit aid at The University of Oklahoma starts at an ACT composite of 24, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches $17,500 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 Oklahoma test-optional?
OU reviews holistically and does not require a score for admission. For merit aid the answer is different: test-optional applicants are considered, but OU says plainly that submitting a score is how you reach the highest awards. Separate test-optional awards run far lower than the grid above. 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 Oklahoma?
On Oklahoma's published grid for Fall 2027 entry, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Out-of-state (non-residents) — Distinguished Scholar at $16,500 a year, about $66,000 over four years if it renews; In-state (Oklahoma residents) — Distinguished Scholar at $3,500 a year, about $14,000 over four years if it renews.
How much is one more ACT point worth at Oklahoma?
The most valuable single point on Oklahoma's published grid is 25 to 26, at a 3.5 GPA: it moves the award by $2,000 a year, or $8,000 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 Oklahoma?
Yes. Oklahoma publishes separate grids: In-state (Oklahoma residents) run $2,750 to $4,000 a year, and Out-of-state (non-residents) run $12,000 to $17,500 — a difference of $13,500 a year at the top. Check which grid applies to you before planning around a figure.
Does Oklahoma superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Yes. OU superscores and accepts self-reported scores, verified at enrolment. OU will also superscore ACT/SAT scores and allow students to self report scores for admission and scholarship purposes.
When are Oklahoma scholarship deadlines?
Apply by: December 15. 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 Oklahoma scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from The University of Oklahoma'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 Oklahoma. 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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