University of Saint Joseph: merit scholarships and what the school publishes
University of Saint Joseph publishes merit aid criteria as published criteria. Awards start at a 3.0 GPA and reach $25,000 a year. Because the bands are steps rather than a slope, a hundredth of a GPA point is worth nothing inside a band and the whole step at the edge of one.
Enter a GPA below to see which band it actually lands in, what that band pays, and what the next band needs.
Read this first
Only one Saint Joseph award has a published threshold, and it is limited to students who spent three or more years at and graduated from a regionally accredited Catholic high school. Every other applicant reads a $15,000 to $25,000 range decided on a holistic review with no criteria attached. Whether the two stack is not stated, and the GPA used is unweighted.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — a 3.60 GPA
USJ Catholic Promise Scholarship
$25,000 a year, $100,000 over four / year
About $100,000 over four years, if it renews.
USJ awards this on GPA alone, so an ACT score does not change it. A higher score can still matter for admission, for honours programmes, and at other schools on the list — but not for this award.
The ACT doesn't move the money here — but it still decides admission, honours eligibility, and what they is worth at the other schools on the list, where most awards are score-keyed.
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The published USJ merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from University of Saint Joseph’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.
Catholic high school graduates — Catholic Promise Scholarship
Requires three or more years at, and graduation from, a regionally accredited Catholic high school, with a 3.0 unweighted GPA. Saint Joseph also publishes a $100,000 four-year total.
$25,000 a year, $100,000 over four
USJ Catholic Promise Scholarship
No score needed · GPA 3.00
| Award | With a score | No score | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| USJ Catholic Promise Scholarship | — | GPA 3.00 | $25,000 a year, $100,000 over four |
Source: Scholarships and grants · verified 2026-10-24
Everyone else — Academic Merit Scholarship
A holistic review of the academic record, accomplishments and activities, the admission essay and academic letters of recommendation. No thresholds are published.
$15,000 to $25,000 a year, by holistic review
Academic Merit Scholarship
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Merit Scholarship | — | $15,000 to $25,000 a year, by holistic review |
Source: Scholarships and grants · verified 2026-10-24
Does USJ superscore for scholarships?
Not stated, and neither published award reads a score.
With nothing published, plan for the stricter reading: look up your best single sitting in the grid above, work out your superscore as well, and ask USJ’s financial aid office which one they read before you count on the higher band.
Comparing schools? See which colleges superscore for scholarships — 66 of 501 commit to it, 52 say they do not, and the rest never say.
Where these numbers came from
Every figure on this page was read from University of Saint Joseph’s own published pages, linked below with the date we last confirmed them. We do not estimate a missing band or interpolate a value.
- Catholic Promise pays $25,000 a year at a 3.0 unweighted — a low bar for that much money.
- It requires three or more years at, and graduation from, a regionally accredited Catholic high school, which a senior cannot change.
- Academic Merit reaches the same $25,000 at its top, but only through a holistic review with no published criteria.
- The GPA used is unweighted, so honours and AP coursework do not help clear the 3.0.
- Whether the two awards stack is not stated.
- Neither award reads an ACT score.
- A $2,000 a year campus-visit award requires an official visit.
- CORE, Honors, Mercy Values, Independent Scholars and Dean's awards exist, but Saint Joseph publishes no criteria for them.
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 Saint Joseph.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at USJ?
University of Saint Joseph publishes a merit aid grid keyed to ACT score and GPA. See the tables on this page for the current bands.
Is USJ test-optional?
Saint Joseph is described as test-optional for all academic programs and scholarships. The catalogue page would not load, so the wording is not quoted here. For merit aid the answer is different: neither award names a score. The Catholic Promise threshold is an unweighted GPA, and Academic Merit is a holistic review with no criteria published. 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 USJ?
On USJ's published grid for the current cycle, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Catholic high school graduates — Catholic Promise Scholarship — USJ Catholic Promise Scholarship at $25,000 a year, about $100,000 over four years if it renews.
Does USJ superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Not stated, and neither published award reads a score.
Is this USJ scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from University of Saint Joseph'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
USJ awards on GPA — but the ACT still decides what you're worth elsewhere.
Most schools in this comparison are score-keyed even though USJ is not, so the same test still moves the money everywhere else on the list.
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