Virginia State University: merit scholarships by GPA
Virginia State University awards automatic merit aid from a published grid keyed to GPA — the ACT is not used. Awards start at a 3.5 GPA and reach $8,000 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
VSU's freshman requirements page still says scores are required to be considered for merit scholarships, and names Presidential, Provost and Presidential STEM awards that no longer appear on the scholarship page. The live grid names no score at any rung, so it is published as GPA-only — but a student near a boundary should ask which system is in force. The GPA is read at the time of application, so senior-spring grades cannot move the rung.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — a 3.60 GPA
Trojan Trailblazer Scholarship
$2,000 annual reward / year
About $8,000 over four years, if it renews.
Virginia State 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 Virginia State merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Virginia 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.
First-time freshmen
Each rung is keyed to the GPA held at the time of the initial application for admission. Below a 3.50 the grid publishes nothing.
$8,000 annual reward
Academic Excellence (Honors) Scholarship
No score needed
$4,500 annual reward
Orange and Blue Scholarship
No score needed
$2,000 annual reward
Trojan Trailblazer Scholarship
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Excellence (Honors) Scholarship | — | $8,000 annual reward |
| Orange and Blue Scholarship | — | $4,500 annual reward |
| Trojan Trailblazer Scholarship | — | $2,000 annual reward |
Source: Scholarship opportunities — first-time freshman grid · verified 2026-10-24
Does Virginia State superscore for scholarships?
Yes. VSU does superscore — it uses the highest score achieved in each category across sittings. But the current scholarship grid reads no score at any rung, so a superscore buys nothing on this page today.
“When the test is taken more than once, the highest score achieved in each category is the one used in the calculation.”
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.
Virginia State scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Scholarship acceptance | May 1 |
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 Virginia 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.
- Scholarship opportunities — first-time freshman gridverified 2026-10-24
- Freshman requirements — test and superscore policyverified 2026-10-24
- Half a grade point separates nothing from $8,000 a year. Below a 3.50 the grid publishes no award.
- The step from a 3.99 to a 4.00 is worth $3,500 a year on its own.
- The GPA is read at the time of the initial application, so senior-spring improvement comes too late.
- VSU's requirements page still describes an older Presidential and Provost system with score thresholds. Those awards are not on the scholarship page, so they are not bands here.
- VSU superscores, taking the highest score in each category across sittings — but nothing on the current grid reads a score.
- The CET Scholarship ($3,000 at a 3.0+) is restricted to computer science and computer engineering majors, so it is not a general band.
- The page does not say whether the GPA is weighted or unweighted, and names no residency condition.
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 Virginia State University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Virginia State?
Virginia State University publishes a merit aid grid keyed to ACT score and GPA. See the tables on this page for the current bands.
Is Virginia State test-optional?
VSU's requirements page describes test-optional admission and also states that scores are required for first-term freshmen under 21, so the two halves contradict each other and neither is claimed here. For merit aid the answer is different: no rung of the live grid names a test score — all three are keyed to GPA at application. VSU's requirements page still says scores are needed for merit consideration, but the awards it names are no longer published, so on the current grid a score moves nothing. 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 Virginia State?
On Virginia State's published grid for the current cycle, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Trojan Trailblazer Scholarship at $2,000 a year, about $8,000 over four years if it renews.
Does Virginia State superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Yes. VSU does superscore — it uses the highest score achieved in each category across sittings. But the current scholarship grid reads no score at any rung, so a superscore buys nothing on this page today. When the test is taken more than once, the highest score achieved in each category is the one used in the calculation.
When are Virginia State scholarship deadlines?
Scholarship acceptance: May 1. 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 Virginia State scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Virginia 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.
Other schools to check
What to do next
Virginia State awards on GPA — but the ACT still decides what you're worth elsewhere.
Most schools in this comparison are score-keyed even though Virginia State is not, so the same test still moves the money everywhere else on the list.
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