Automatic merit · By state
Automatic Merit Scholarships in Texas
21 colleges in Texas automatically consider every admitted student for merit aid, with no separate scholarship application — 12 public and 9 private. Every award below is drawn verbatim from that school's own verified merit-aid page.
Verified Jul 20263 days ago· MP
What this page shows
21 Texas colleges award merit automatically, with no separate application.
Each school below publishes an automatic merit rule — an award the school hands out based on your admitted GPA and test score, or on your academic record at admission, with no separate scholarship form. Amounts are the school’s own verbatim figures, and each school links to its full published ladder, renewal rules, and stacking policy. Schools without a published automatic tier aren’t listed.
Every Texas school with automatic merit
| School | Type | Automatic tiers | Sample automatic awards |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Texas A&M | Public | 7 | Presidential Scholarship: $5,000/semester x up to 8 long semesters ($20,000 total value)Blue and Gold Freshman Scholarship — Tier 1: $2,000/semester x up to 8 long semesters ($8,000 total value)Blue and Gold Freshman Scholarship — Tier 2: $1,500/semester x up to 8 long semesters ($6,000 total value)+4 more on the school page |
| Lamar | Public | 1 | Automatic Academic Scholarship ladder (Cardinal Elite, Academic Excellence, Distinguished, University Scholars): $8,000-$40,000 |
| MSU Texas | Public | 11 | Freshmen Scholar (general academic merit): $3,500 per yearFreshmen Distinction (general academic merit): $2,500 per yearFreshmen Excellence (general academic merit): $2,000 per year+8 more on the school page |
| North Texas (UNT) | Public | 4 | UNT Excellence Scholarship — Top 1% class rank: $8,000–$12,000 per yearUNT Excellence Scholarship — Top 5% class rank: $6,000–$10,000 per yearUNT Excellence Scholarship — Top 10% class rank: $5,000–$8,000 per year+1 more on the school page |
| Prairie View A&M | Public | 2 | The Regents' Student Merit Scholarship: Tuition and mandatory fees, on-campus housing, meals and books ($600 per semester)Presidential Academic Scholarship: $11,400.00 per year |
| Sam Houston State | Public | 1 | Bearkat Transfer Scholarship: $2,000 total ($1,000 Fall + $1,000 Spring, single year) |
| SFA | Public | 1 | Academic Excellence Scholarship: $2,500-$6,000/year |
| TAMU-Corpus Christi | Public | 2 | 2026-2027 Institutional Scholarships (Presidential, Achieve, Islander): $1,500-$4,000Morris L. Lichtenstein Jr. Endowed Scholarship: $12,750 |
| Texas A&M | Public | 2 | National Merit Semifinalist Package: $13,000 over 4 years ($3,250/yr): President's Endowed $3,000 + one-time $1,000 study-abroad stipend+1 more on the school page |
| Texas State | Public | 3 | President's Honor Scholarship: $12,000 per year ($48,000 over 4 years)Texas State Achievement Scholarship: $6,000–$8,000 per year ($24,000–$32,000 over 4 years)Texas State Distinguished Scholarship: $4,000–$5,000 per year ($16,000–$20,000 over 4 years) |
| Texas Tech | Public | 4 | Presidential Merit Scholarship — 4.0 GPA × 1500-1600 SAT / 34-36 ACT: $9,000 per yearPresidential Merit Scholarship — 3.85-3.76 GPA × 1500-1600 SAT / 34-36 ACT: $7,000 per yearPresidential Merit Scholarship — 4.0 GPA × 1100-1190 SAT / 22-24 ACT: $5,000 per year+1 more on the school page |
| UTEP | Public | 1 | Paydirt Promise: 100% of tuition and fees (TX resident, family income ≤$100,000) |
| ACU | Private (religious) | 3 | Merit-Based Scholarships (ACU Academic Scholarships grid): $10,000-$22,000National Merit Finalists, Semi-Finalists and Commended Scholars: Full tuition (Finalists/Semi-Finalists) + $1,500/yr stipend; $2,000/yr (Commended Scholars)Transfer Merit-Based Awards (2026-2027 grid): $10,000-$19,000 |
| Baylor | Private (religious) | 1 | Baylor Merit-Based Scholarship (internally the Baylor Distinction Award): Ranges from $1,000 to full cost of attendance |
| Hardin-Simmons | Private (religious) | 10 | Trustee Scholarship: $22,000 per yearPresidents Scholarship: $20,000 per yearDeans Scholarship: $18,000 per year+7 more on the school page |
| TCU | Private (religious) | 6 | Dean's Scholarship: $32,000/yearFaculty Scholarship: $30,000/yearTCU Scholarship: $27,000/year+3 more on the school page |
| Texas Lutheran | Private (religious) | 7 | Regents' Scholarship: $28,000 per yearPresidential Scholarship: $26,000 per yearDistinction Scholarship: $24,000 per year+4 more on the school page |
| Texas Wesleyan | Private (religious) | 2 | See full ladder |
| UDallas | Private (religious) | 2 | Freshman Academic Achievement Scholarship (automatic merit grid): $28,000-$36,000Transfer Scholarship (automatic grid): $28,000-$35,000 |
| Trinity (TX) | Private | 5 | Trustees' Scholarship: $18,000 – $30,000 annuallyMurchison Scholarship: $18,000 – $30,000 annuallyDean's Scholarship: Merit award; Trinity does not publish a specific dollar amount publicly.+2 more on the school page |
| UMHB | Private | 4 | Vice Presidents Scholarship: $64,000Presidents Scholarship: $76,000Deans Scholarship: $44,000+1 more on the school page |