University of South Alabama: merit scholarships by ACT score

Verified Oct 21, 2026Current cycle · prior cycleMobile, AL

University of South Alabama awards automatic merit aid from a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 23 and reach $8,000 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.

Read this first

South Alabama's grid carries no cycle year, and the nearest dates on the page point at a Fall 2026 entry while its admissions page has moved to 2027 — so treat these as current-as-published and confirm before planning around them. The grid starts at an ACT of 23: there is no published band for 19-22, and a 3.0 GPA is a hard floor. Four cells pay 'Full Tuition' rather than a dollar amount, capped at the Arts & Sciences rate.

Which grid applies?
29
3.60

Unweighted, as the school asks for it.

← Drag either slider to your own numbers

Example — an ACT 29 with a 3.60 GPA

USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

$5,500 / year

About $22,000 over four years, if it renews.

What the next points are worth

1 more point (a 30) moves you to USA Freshman Admission Scholarship — $7,000 a year. That is $1,500 more a year, or $6,000 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.

Who's this for?
Where a 29 is worth the most →

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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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This page is one school. We have read the published grids at 501, and the email sends the ten that pay you most — five public, five private — with what each one awards. No account.

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Can you get merit aid at South Alabama without an ACT score?

Yes. Genuinely optional, and USA is unusual in saying what the optional path pays: the 'GPA Only' row of the grid. It still recommends submitting a score from about a 21 upward, because every other row pays more.

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.

“Students who choose the test optional track will also be eligible for scholarships. Scholarships for test-optional students will be awarded based on strength of curriculum, grades, and a variety of other factors.”

The published South Alabama merit aid grid

Reproduced in full from University of South Alabama’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.

Alabama residents

The top row is USA's own 'GPA Only' row — what the award is worth with no test score submitted. Every other row requires a score.

  • $2,500

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    No score needed · GPA 3.00

  • $3,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    No score needed · GPA 3.50

  • $3,500

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    No score needed · GPA 3.75

  • $4,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    No score needed · GPA 4.00

  • $3,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    ACT 23–24 · 3.0-3.49

    Without a score: not available

  • $3,500

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    ACT 23–24 · 3.5 - 3.74

    Without a score: not available

  • $4,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    ACT 23–24 · 3.75 & 3.99

    Without a score: not available

  • $4,500

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    ACT 23–24 · 4.0 & Higher

    Without a score: not available

  • $3,500

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    ACT 25–26 · 3.0-3.49

    Without a score: not available

  • $4,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    ACT 25–26 · 3.5 - 3.74

    Without a score: not available

  • $5,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    ACT 25–26 · 3.75 & 3.99

    Without a score: not available

  • $6,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    ACT 25–26 · 4.0 & Higher

    Without a score: not available

Show the other 12 published rows

  • $4,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    ACT 27–29 · 3.0-3.49

    Without a score: not available

  • $5,500

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    ACT 27–29 · 3.5 - 3.74

    Without a score: not available

  • $6,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    ACT 27–29 · 3.75 & 3.99

    Without a score: not available

  • $7,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    ACT 27–29 · 4.0 & Higher

    Without a score: not available

  • $4,500

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    ACT 30–31 · 3.0-3.49

    Without a score: not available

  • $7,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    ACT 30–31 · 3.5 - 3.74

    Without a score: not available

  • $8,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    ACT 30–31 · 3.75 & 3.99

    Without a score: not available

  • Full Tuition at the published College of Arts & Sciences rate, up to 30 credit hours a year

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    ACT 30–31 · 4.0 & Higher

    Without a score: not available

  • $5,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    ACT 32–36 · 3.0-3.49

    Without a score: not available

  • Full Tuition at the published College of Arts & Sciences rate, up to 30 credit hours a year

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    ACT 32–36 · 3.5 - 3.74

    Without a score: not available

  • Full Tuition at the published College of Arts & Sciences rate, up to 30 credit hours a year

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    ACT 32–36 · 3.75 & 3.99

    Without a score: not available

  • Full Tuition at the published College of Arts & Sciences rate, up to 30 credit hours a year

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship

    ACT 32–36 · 4.0 & Higher

    Without a score: not available

Source: USA Freshman Admission Scholarship Programs · verified 2026-10-21

Out-of-state residents — Talent and Ability

The dollar figures are identical to the in-state grid, but the award carries something worth far more than the scholarship: winning one grants in-state residency for tuition purposes for its whole duration.

  • $2,500

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    No score needed · GPA 3.00

  • $3,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    No score needed · GPA 3.50

  • $3,500

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    No score needed · GPA 3.75

  • $4,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    No score needed · GPA 4.00

  • $3,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    ACT 23–24 · 3.0-3.49

    Without a score: not available

  • $3,500

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    ACT 23–24 · 3.5 - 3.74

    Without a score: not available

  • $4,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    ACT 23–24 · 3.75 & 3.99

    Without a score: not available

  • $4,500

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    ACT 23–24 · 4.0 & Higher

    Without a score: not available

  • $3,500

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    ACT 25–26 · 3.0-3.49

    Without a score: not available

  • $4,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    ACT 25–26 · 3.5 - 3.74

    Without a score: not available

  • $5,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    ACT 25–26 · 3.75 & 3.99

    Without a score: not available

  • $6,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    ACT 25–26 · 4.0 & Higher

    Without a score: not available

Show the other 12 published rows

  • $4,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    ACT 27–29 · 3.0-3.49

    Without a score: not available

  • $5,500

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    ACT 27–29 · 3.5 - 3.74

    Without a score: not available

  • $6,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    ACT 27–29 · 3.75 & 3.99

    Without a score: not available

  • $7,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    ACT 27–29 · 4.0 & Higher

    Without a score: not available

  • $4,500

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    ACT 30–31 · 3.0-3.49

    Without a score: not available

  • $7,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    ACT 30–31 · 3.5 - 3.74

    Without a score: not available

  • $8,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    ACT 30–31 · 3.75 & 3.99

    Without a score: not available

  • Full Tuition at the published College of Arts & Sciences rate, up to 30 credit hours a year

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    ACT 30–31 · 4.0 & Higher

    Without a score: not available

  • $5,000

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    ACT 32–36 · 3.0-3.49

    Without a score: not available

  • Full Tuition at the published College of Arts & Sciences rate, up to 30 credit hours a year

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    ACT 32–36 · 3.5 - 3.74

    Without a score: not available

  • Full Tuition at the published College of Arts & Sciences rate, up to 30 credit hours a year

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    ACT 32–36 · 3.75 & 3.99

    Without a score: not available

  • Full Tuition at the published College of Arts & Sciences rate, up to 30 credit hours a year

    USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability

    ACT 32–36 · 4.0 & Higher

    Without a score: not available

Source: USA Freshman Admission Scholarship Programs · verified 2026-10-21

Does South Alabama superscore for scholarships?

Yes. Yes, though note where the evidence comes from: the freshman grid page itself never uses the word. USA's admission requirement is stated as a superscore, and its named merit awards are too — the Board of Trustees award goes to the candidate with the highest super score, and the Mitchell Business programme sets a 29 super score minimum.

“One award is given each year to the incoming Freshman candidate with the highest ACT/SAT super score and GPA combination (based on a 4.0 scale).”

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.

South Alabama scholarship deadlines

Entry termDue
Priority admission deadlineFebruary 15 (annually)
Freshman scholarship application deadlineFebruary 15 (annually)
Score and transcript re-evaluation windows for a higher awardEarly December, early February, early April

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 South Alabama’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 out-of-state award grants in-state residency for tuition purposes for the duration of the scholarship — for a non-resident this is worth considerably more than the award itself.
  • A score improvement can raise the award: USA re-evaluates updated transcripts and scores three times a year, though it qualifies this with 'as long as funds remain available'.
  • The renewal bar is 30 credit hours per ACADEMIC YEAR plus a 3.0 institutional GPA — stricter than the usual 12 hours a semester, and computed only on classes taken at USA.
  • A 3.0 high school GPA is a hard gate. Below it, no band on this grid applies.
  • The National Merit award is $2,000 a year and stacks on top of a Freshman Admission Scholarship, but requires Finalist status and naming USA first choice with NMSC.
  • The Mitchell Business scholarship and the Freshman Admission Scholarship are mutually exclusive — a business major awarded both has to choose.
  • The Board of Trustees award, the Flagship Leaders award and the Honors College Whiddon scholarship are all competitive and are not modelled here.
  • South Alabama is silent on the Enhanced ACT.

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 South Alabama.

Frequently asked questions

What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at South Alabama?

Automatic merit aid at University of South Alabama starts at an ACT composite of 23, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches $8,000 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 South Alabama test-optional?

Test-optional for 2027 entry. A 3.4 GPA or better is admitted automatically; below that the application goes to review. Students who do submit a score need an ACT superscore of at least 19. For merit aid the answer is different: genuinely optional, and USA is unusual in saying what the optional path pays: the 'GPA Only' row of the grid. It still recommends submitting a score from about a 21 upward, because every other row pays more. 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 South Alabama?

On South Alabama's published grid for the current cycle, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Alabama residents — USA Freshman Admission Scholarship at $7,000 a year, about $28,000 over four years if it renews; Out-of-state residents — Talent and Ability — USA Freshman Admission Scholarship-Talent and Ability at $7,000 a year, about $28,000 over four years if it renews.

How much is one more ACT point worth at South Alabama?

The most valuable single point on South Alabama's published grid is 29 to 30, at a 3.75 GPA: it moves the award by $2,000 a year, or $8,000 across a four-year degree on the Alabama 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 South Alabama?

Yes. South Alabama publishes separate grids: Alabama residents run $2,500 to full tuition a year, and Out-of-state residents — Talent and Ability run $2,500 to full tuition. Check which grid applies to you before planning around a figure.

Does South Alabama superscore the ACT for scholarships?

Yes. Yes, though note where the evidence comes from: the freshman grid page itself never uses the word. USA's admission requirement is stated as a superscore, and its named merit awards are too — the Board of Trustees award goes to the candidate with the highest super score, and the Mitchell Business programme sets a 29 super score minimum. One award is given each year to the incoming Freshman candidate with the highest ACT/SAT super score and GPA combination (based on a 4.0 scale).

When are South Alabama scholarship deadlines?

Priority admission deadline: February 15 (annually). Freshman scholarship application deadline: February 15 (annually). Score and transcript re-evaluation windows for a higher award: Early December, early February, early April. 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 South Alabama scholarship data current?

Every figure on this page was read from University of South Alabama'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

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