Winthrop University: merit scholarships by ACT score
Winthrop University awards automatic merit aid from a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 20 and reach $6,000 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
Winthrop words every criterion as what recipients "typically have an average" of, so these are profiles rather than guaranteed thresholds. The bands here are the OUT-OF-STATE tiers, on a 4.0 scale; Winthrop's in-state tiers use South Carolina's five-point Uniform Grading Policy (the top rung is a 5.22) which this four-point axis cannot represent, so those figures are in the notes instead. Out-of-state awards are mostly a tuition waiver — the cash part is $1,000 to $6,000 a year.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — an ACT 29 with a 3.60 GPA
Blue Line Scholarship (score route)
$1,500 a year plus the out-of-state tuition waiver / 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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Can you get merit aid at Winthrop without an ACT score?
Yes. A score is optional and it lowers the GPA each tier needs rather than unlocking money a GPA cannot reach. Winthrop evaluates on GPA, or on GPA and scores together, taking whichever is more advantageous — so submitting a score can only help. Out of state a 29 is worth 0.15 of a GPA point at the top tier.
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.
“evaluated on high school GPA or high school GPA and SAT/ACT scores … (whichever is more advantageous for student)”
The published Winthrop merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Winthrop University’s own pages for Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
Non-residents
Each tier has a GPA route and a slightly lower GPA paired with a score. Winthrop reads whichever is more advantageous. Every award also carries the out-of-state tuition waiver.
$6,000 a year plus the out-of-state tuition waiver
Premier Scholarship (GPA route)
No score needed · GPA 4.00
$6,000 a year plus the out-of-state tuition waiver
Premier Scholarship (score route)
ACT 29–36 · 3.85 average
Without a score: not available
$4,000 a year plus the out-of-state tuition waiver
Gold Scholarship (GPA route)
No score needed · GPA 3.88
$4,000 a year plus the out-of-state tuition waiver
Gold Scholarship (score route)
ACT 26–36 · 3.83 average
Without a score: not available
$2,500 a year plus the out-of-state tuition waiver
Garnet Scholarship (GPA route)
No score needed · GPA 3.65
$2,500 a year plus the out-of-state tuition waiver
Garnet Scholarship (score route)
ACT 22–36 · 3.61 average
Without a score: not available
$1,500 a year plus the out-of-state tuition waiver
Blue Line Scholarship (GPA route)
No score needed · GPA 3.40
$1,500 a year plus the out-of-state tuition waiver
Blue Line Scholarship (score route)
ACT 22–36 · 3.24 average
Without a score: not available
$1,000 a year plus the out-of-state tuition waiver
Eagle Promise Scholarship (GPA route)
No score needed · GPA 3.10
$1,000 a year plus the out-of-state tuition waiver
Eagle Promise Scholarship (score route)
ACT 20–36 · 2.86 average
Without a score: not available
| Award | With a score | No score | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premier Scholarship (GPA route) | — | GPA 4.00 | $6,000 a year plus the out-of-state tuition waiver |
| Premier Scholarship (score route) | ACT 29–36 · 3.85 average | not available | $6,000 a year plus the out-of-state tuition waiver |
| Gold Scholarship (GPA route) | — | GPA 3.88 | $4,000 a year plus the out-of-state tuition waiver |
| Gold Scholarship (score route) | ACT 26–36 · 3.83 average | not available | $4,000 a year plus the out-of-state tuition waiver |
| Garnet Scholarship (GPA route) | — | GPA 3.65 | $2,500 a year plus the out-of-state tuition waiver |
| Garnet Scholarship (score route) | ACT 22–36 · 3.61 average | not available | $2,500 a year plus the out-of-state tuition waiver |
| Blue Line Scholarship (GPA route) | — | GPA 3.40 | $1,500 a year plus the out-of-state tuition waiver |
| Blue Line Scholarship (score route) | ACT 22–36 · 3.24 average | not available | $1,500 a year plus the out-of-state tuition waiver |
| Eagle Promise Scholarship (GPA route) | — | GPA 3.10 | $1,000 a year plus the out-of-state tuition waiver |
| Eagle Promise Scholarship (score route) | ACT 20–36 · 2.86 average | not available | $1,000 a year plus the out-of-state tuition waiver |
Source: Academic scholarships — resident and non-resident tiers · verified 2026-10-24
Does Winthrop superscore for scholarships?
Winthrop superscores the SAT for scholarships, combining the best Evidence-Based Reading/Writing and Math results to meet the minimum. It does not say whether it does the same for the ACT, so an ACT retaker should confirm in writing.
“We will super-score the best raw scores from the current SAT (Evidence-Based Reading/Writing and Math) to meet the minimum SAT requirement for scholarships.”
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 Winthrop’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.
Winthrop scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Completed admission application | February 1, 2026 |
| Scores arriving after this date do not trigger an automatic upgrade | February 1, 2026 |
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 Winthrop 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.
- Every tier publishes two routes, so the exchange rate between a score and a transcript is explicit rather than inferred.
- Winthrop says it reads whichever route is more advantageous for the student, so submitting a score cannot hurt.
- Out of state, the cash is $1,000 to $6,000 a year and the out-of-state tuition waiver is the larger part — Winthrop quotes four-year values up to $80,160.
- The in-state tiers are on South Carolina's five-point Uniform Grading Policy scale and pay: Premier $8,000 at a 5.22 average, or 5.17 with a 29 ACT; Gold $6,500 at 4.97, or 4.85 with a 26; Garnet $5,000 at 4.65, or 4.48 with a 23; Blue Line $3,500 at 4.35, or 4.07 with a 20; Eagle Promise $2,000 at 3.95, or 3.69 with an 18.
- Those in-state figures are not reproduced as bands here because a 5.22 floor cannot be reached on the four-point GPA axis this tool uses.
- Do not mix the two scales: in state the GPA is weighted SC UGP, out of state it is a 4.0.
- Every number is worded as a typical average rather than a minimum.
- A score arriving after February 1 does not automatically upgrade an award — Winthrop says it may be considered only if funding remains.
- Out of state, the Blue Line score route names a 22 ACT, the same as Garnet's, while its SAT figure is lower. That is as printed.
- Full-time enrolment of twelve or more credit hours each semester is required, and competency-based students are excluded.
- Palmetto Boys State and Girls State adds $1,000 a year on top, but it is participation-based rather than academic.
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 Winthrop University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Winthrop?
Automatic merit aid at Winthrop University starts at an ACT composite of 20, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches $6,000 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 Winthrop test-optional?
Winthrop's application accepts SAT or ACT scores or a test-optional form. For merit aid the answer is different: a score is optional and it lowers the GPA each tier needs rather than unlocking money a GPA cannot reach. Winthrop evaluates on GPA, or on GPA and scores together, taking whichever is more advantageous — so submitting a score can only help. Out of state a 29 is worth 0.15 of a GPA point at the top tier. 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 Winthrop?
On Winthrop's published grid for Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 entry, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Blue Line Scholarship (score route) at $1,500 a year, about $6,000 over four years if it renews.
How much is one more ACT point worth at Winthrop?
The most valuable single point on Winthrop's published grid is 28 to 29, at a 3.85 GPA: it moves the award by $2,000 a year, or $8,000 across a four-year degree. 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 Winthrop superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Winthrop superscores the SAT for scholarships, combining the best Evidence-Based Reading/Writing and Math results to meet the minimum. It does not say whether it does the same for the ACT, so an ACT retaker should confirm in writing. We will super-score the best raw scores from the current SAT (Evidence-Based Reading/Writing and Math) to meet the minimum SAT requirement for scholarships.
When are Winthrop scholarship deadlines?
Completed admission application: February 1, 2026. Scores arriving after this date do not trigger an automatic upgrade: February 1, 2026. 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 Winthrop scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Winthrop 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 Winthrop. The question is whether you can move it.
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