Valley City State University: merit scholarships by ACT score
Valley City State University publishes merit aid criteria as a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 26 and reach $4,000 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
Only students paying North Dakota, Minnesota, MSEP or WUE tuition rates qualify — VCSU states that other non-residents do not qualify for these awards at all. The bottom two rungs pay for TWO years, not four. VCSU does not state that the awards are automatic.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — an ACT 29 with a 3.60 GPA
Clock Tower Scholarship
$3,000 — $1,500 per year for TWO years / year
About $6,000 over four years, if it renews.
There is no higher band to reach at this GPA — more points would not change the award here. They may still matter for admission, for honours programmes, or at other schools on the list.
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 Valley City State merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Valley City State University’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.
New freshman scholarships
Limited to students on North Dakota, Minnesota, MSEP or WUE tuition rates. The President's award needs a 4.0 GPA AND a 26 ACT — both, not either.
$16,000 — $4,000 per year for four years
President's Scholarship
ACT 26–36 · 4.0
$10,000 — $2,500 per year for four years
Leadership Scholarship
No score needed
$3,000 — $1,500 per year for TWO years
Clock Tower Scholarship
No score needed
$1,500 — $750 per year for TWO years
Footbridge Scholarship
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| President's Scholarship | ACT 26–36 · 4.0 | $16,000 — $4,000 per year for four years |
| Leadership Scholarship | — | $10,000 — $2,500 per year for four years |
| Clock Tower Scholarship | — | $3,000 — $1,500 per year for TWO years |
| Footbridge Scholarship | — | $1,500 — $750 per year for TWO years |
Source: Scholarships · verified 2026-10-24
Does Valley City State superscore for scholarships?
Not stated. VCSU's scholarship page does not use the word, so a student close to the President's 26 threshold should confirm in writing whether sittings can be combined.
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 Valley City State’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 Valley City State University’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 award requires a 4.0 GPA AND a 26 ACT. A 3.99 with a 30 lands in Leadership at $2,500 instead.
- Clock Tower and Footbridge pay for TWO years, not four — their published totals are $3,000 and $1,500.
- Students who do not qualify for North Dakota, Minnesota, MSEP or WUE tuition rates receive nothing from this grid at any GPA.
- VCSU never states that these awards are automatic, so meeting a rung makes a student eligible rather than entitled.
- A STARS Waiver of $1,000 a year for five years is available to other non-residents at a 3.25, and is separate from this grid.
- VCSU publishes no renewal condition for these awards and no entry year for the figures.
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 Valley City State University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Valley City State?
Automatic merit aid at Valley City State University starts at an ACT composite of 26, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches $4,000 a year 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 Valley City State test-optional?
The scholarship page does not state the admission testing requirement, so nothing is claimed about it here. For merit aid the answer is different: only the President's award uses a score, and it needs a 26 alongside a 4.0 GPA. The other three rungs are keyed to GPA alone, so a student without a score can still reach $2,500 a year. 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 Valley City State?
On Valley City State's published grid for the current cycle, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Clock Tower Scholarship at $1,500 a year, about $6,000 over four years if it renews.
Does Valley City State superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Not stated. VCSU's scholarship page does not use the word, so a student close to the President's 26 threshold should confirm in writing whether sittings can be combined.
Is this Valley City State scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Valley City State University'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.
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What to do next
You know what a score is worth at Valley City State. 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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