University of West Florida: merit scholarships by ACT score
University of West Florida awards automatic merit aid from a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 24 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
The GPA thresholds are read as minimums rather than the exact ranges UWF prints, so a high GPA with a mid-range score still returns an award here — confirm the row with UWF. Separately, UWF requires subject-area subscores in addition to a composite, but does not publish which subjects or what level is needed. Meeting the GPA and composite below is necessary rather than sufficient — ask UWF what the subscore requirement is before counting on an award.
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 under Out-of-state students. That is not a verdict on admission — only on automatic merit.
Knowing where a score sits is the easy part. Moving it starts with knowing exactly which questions they're being missed, and why.
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The published West Florida merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from University of West Florida’s own pages for 2027-28 entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
Out-of-state students
Alabama residents are NOT paid from this column — UWF groups Florida and Alabama together on the in-state schedule.
$8,000
Admissions Academic Merit Scholarship — Out-of-state
ACT 31–36 · 4.00+
$6,000
Admissions Academic Merit Scholarship — Out-of-state
ACT 27–36 · 3.80+
$2,000
Admissions Academic Merit Scholarship — Out-of-state
ACT 24–36 · 3.70+
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Admissions Academic Merit Scholarship — Out-of-state | ACT 31–36 · 4.00+ | $8,000 |
| Admissions Academic Merit Scholarship — Out-of-state | ACT 27–36 · 3.80+ | $6,000 |
| Admissions Academic Merit Scholarship — Out-of-state | ACT 24–36 · 3.70+ | $2,000 |
Source: Freshman Scholarships — Admissions Academic Merit Scholarship · verified 2026-10-23
Florida and Alabama residents
UWF publishes Florida and Alabama as a single residency column, so an Alabama student receives the in-state schedule rather than the out-of-state one.
$4,000
Admissions Academic Merit Scholarship — Florida and Alabama
ACT 31–36 · 4.00+
$3,000
Admissions Academic Merit Scholarship — Florida and Alabama
ACT 27–36 · 3.80+
$2,000
Admissions Academic Merit Scholarship — Florida and Alabama
ACT 24–36 · 3.70+
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Admissions Academic Merit Scholarship — Florida and Alabama | ACT 31–36 · 4.00+ | $4,000 |
| Admissions Academic Merit Scholarship — Florida and Alabama | ACT 27–36 · 3.80+ | $3,000 |
| Admissions Academic Merit Scholarship — Florida and Alabama | ACT 24–36 · 3.70+ | $2,000 |
Source: Freshman Scholarships — Admissions Academic Merit Scholarship · verified 2026-10-23
Does West Florida superscore for scholarships?
Not stated. The word does not appear on UWF's freshman scholarships page, so whether multiple sittings can be combined for these awards is an open question worth asking.
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 West Florida’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.
West Florida scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Scholarship priority consideration — complete file, Summer/Fall 2027 entry | December 1, 2026 |
| Argo Spirit Scholarship — admitted by | March 1, 2027 |
| Admissions Foundation Scholarships application | June 1, 2027 |
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 West Florida’s own published pages, linked below with the date we last confirmed them. We do not estimate a missing band or interpolate a value.
- Alabama residents are paid on the Florida schedule. UWF publishes 'Florida and Alabama' as one residency column.
- The non-resident premium disappears at the bottom tier — both columns pay $2,000 at a 3.70 GPA with a 24 to 26.
- Both conditions must be met. This is an AND grid: a 31 with a 3.8 GPA is a middle-tier award, not a top one.
- Unspecified subject-area subscores are also required, which UWF does not detail anywhere on this page.
- The CLT is accepted alongside the ACT and SAT at every tier.
- Florida's Bright Futures is a state programme, not UWF money, and is not in the grid. UWF applies its own merit award on top of it, to housing and meals.
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 West Florida.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at West Florida?
Automatic merit aid at University of West Florida starts at an ACT composite of 24, 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 West Florida test-optional?
UWF's admission test requirement is not stated on its scholarship pages. What is clear is that a score is part of a complete file for merit consideration. For merit aid the answer is different: a score is required, and so are unspecified subject-area subscores. UWF accepts the CLT as a third option alongside the ACT and SAT at every tier. Being admitted without a score and qualifying for money without a score are two separate questions.
How much is one more ACT point worth at West Florida?
The most valuable single point on West Florida's published grid is 26 to 27, at a 3.8 GPA: it moves the award by $4,000 a year, or $16,000 across a four-year degree on the Out-of-state students 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 West Florida?
Yes. West Florida publishes separate grids: Florida and Alabama residents run $2,000 to $4,000 a year, and Out-of-state students run $2,000 to $8,000 — a difference of $4,000 a year at the top. Check which grid applies to you before planning around a figure.
Does West Florida superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Not stated. The word does not appear on UWF's freshman scholarships page, so whether multiple sittings can be combined for these awards is an open question worth asking.
When are West Florida scholarship deadlines?
Scholarship priority consideration — complete file, Summer/Fall 2027 entry: December 1, 2026. Argo Spirit Scholarship — admitted by: March 1, 2027. Admissions Foundation Scholarships application: June 1, 2027. 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 West Florida scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from University of West Florida's own published pages and last verified on 2026-10-23. 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 West Florida. 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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