Profile · Merit aid by stats
Best Colleges for 3.25 GPA + 36 ACT Merit Aid
6 U.S. colleges where a 3.25 GPA and 36 ACT unlock automatic merit aid — with award names, amounts, and stacking rules from each school's published policy.
What this page shows
6 schools where a 3.25 GPA + 36 ACT clears at least one published automatic-merit tier.
These are not generic “you'll qualify for something” pages. Every school below has a published rule the student would clear with their actual stats, plus the school’s own outside-scholarship treatment so families can see which awards are worth chasing on top. Schools without a published automatic tier at this profile aren’t listed.
Schools matching 3.25 GPA + 36 ACT
Alabama
Alabama · Public
Foundation in Excellence (Alabama residents)
$9,000/year
Alabama residents only. Two qualifying bands: 3.0–3.49 GPA with a 30–36 ACT, or 3.5+ GPA with a 29 ACT. New tier in Alabama's Fall 2026 in-state ladder.
Renewable — Renewable for up to 8 semesters with a cumulative 3.0 UA GPA AND completion of at least 67% of cumulative UA credit hours attempted
Oklahoma
Oklahoma · Public
Non-Resident Honor Award
$44,000 total ($11,000/year × 4 years)
Mid-tier entry for non-residents who are at the 26 ACT / 1230 SAT band but below the 3.5 GPA threshold. Fills the gap between the higher-GPA Academic Achievement tier and the entry Merit Award.
Renewable — Renewable with a 3.0 cumulative GPA, full-time enrollment, and 24 credit hours per academic year
Ole Miss
Mississippi · Public
Academic Merit Scholarship (non-residents)
$3,000–$20,160/year based on GPA × ACT grid (see notes for full chart)
Full 2026-2027 non-resident chart by HS GPA band. 3.0–3.49 GPA: $3,000 (no test) / $4,000 (24–25 ACT) / $5,000 (26–27) / $8,000 (28–29) / $10,000 (30–31) / $15,000 (32+). 3.5–3.74 GPA: $5,000 / $7,000 / $8,000 / $10,000 / $15,000 / $20,160. 3.75–4.0 GPA: $8,000 / $9,000 / $10,000 / $12,000 / $18,000 / $20,160. The $20,160 top value equals the 2026-27 non-resident fee, so a 3.75+ GPA / 32+ ACT applicant has the non-resident premium entirely covered by this single scholarship.
Renewable — Renewable for up to 8 consecutive fall/spring semesters. Fee-specific — scholarship amount is tied to the non-resident fee and does not automatically increase with tuition hikes beyond the year-one amount.
Mississippi State
Mississippi · Public
Freshman Academic Excellence Scholarship (Mississippi residents)
$1,000–$10,500/year based on HS GPA × ACT grid (see notes for full chart)
Full 2025-2026 resident chart by HS GPA × ACT band. 3.0–3.29 GPA: 21–24 ACT = $1,000/yr; 25–29 ACT = $2,000; 30–32 ACT = $3,000; 33–36 ACT = $4,000. 3.30–3.59 GPA: 21–24 ACT = $1,500; 25–29 ACT = $2,500; 30–32 ACT = $5,000; 33–36 ACT = $6,000. 3.6+ GPA: 21–24 ACT = $3,500; 25–29 ACT = $5,000; 30–32 ACT = $8,000; 33–36 ACT = $10,500. Students scoring 34+ ACT (or SAT equivalent) additionally receive a one-year scholarship valued at the cost of their portion of a double-occupancy residence hall room on top of the FAES amount.
Renewable — Renewable for up to 8 semesters with a 3.0 cumulative college GPA and continuous full-time enrollment (12 credit hours per semester at MSU)
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma · Public
In-State University Assured Academic Excellence Award
$750/year at the GPA-only floor up to $3,000/year at 3.75+ GPA with 32+ ACT / 1420+ SAT. See notes for the full grid.
Full 2026-27 resident grid by HS GPA × test-score band. 3.75–4.0+ GPA: 24–25 ACT = $2,000/yr; 26–27 ACT = $2,250/yr; 28–29 ACT = $2,500/yr; 30–31 ACT = $2,750/yr; 32–36 ACT = $3,000/yr. 3.5–3.74 GPA: 24–25 ACT = $1,500/yr; 26–27 ACT = $1,750/yr; 28–29 ACT = $2,000/yr; 30–31 ACT = $2,250/yr; 32–36 ACT = $2,500/yr. 3.0–3.49 GPA: 24–25 ACT = $1,000/yr; 26–27 ACT = $1,250/yr; 28–29 ACT = $1,500/yr; 30–31 ACT = $1,750/yr; 32–36 ACT = $2,000/yr. GPA-only alternative: 3.5–4.0+ GPA without a test score = $1,000/yr; 3.25–3.49 GPA without a test score = $750/yr. Students may also receive a $250 or $500/year unmet-need bonus on top of the grid award based on FAFSA need level.
Renewable — 4-year partial tuition waiver. Renewal subject to the published GPA and full-time enrollment terms.
Arizona
Arizona · Public
Arizona Tuition Award (non-resident)
$4,000–$20,000 per academic year range. Comprised of the Arizona Excellence Tuition Award and Arizona Distinction Tuition Award subtiers, which are not separately priced cell-by-cell on Arizona's published terms and conditions.
The Arizona Tuition Award is published as a $4,000–$20,000/year range, not a cell-by-cell GPA × test grid. Awards are comprised of Arizona Excellence and Arizona Distinction components that are combined at award time. The November 1 Early Action deadline is the priority window for maximum consideration. 2026-27 program names are confirmed but dollar amounts are not yet published; 2025-26 figures above should be used for modeling until Arizona publishes the new cycle.
Renewable — 8 consecutive semesters (fall + spring only). Initial offers are based on self-reported grades at admission; final awards are finalized after admissions grade verification.
How outside scholarships behave at these schools
The automatic award is only the start. At 6 of these schools, the published stacking policy decides whether outside wins lower the family bill or quietly displace institutional aid. Treatment varies — verify before relying on stacking math.
Alabama
Cost-of-attendance cap
Alabama applies a cost-of-attendance cap to institutional scholarships. Outside scholarships don't trigger the loan-first or grant-first displacement some privates use; they count toward the COA ceiling and only reduce UA's own institutional award if total aid exceeds COA.
Oklahoma
Displacement policy unclear
OU's National Merit Finalist package explicitly allows outside scholarships to be added on top of the base package up to cost of attendance. Stacking for non-NMF students is less clearly published.
Ole Miss
Loan-first displacement
Ole Miss uses loan-first displacement. Outside scholarships reduce loan awards before touching other aid, and total aid cannot exceed cost of attendance.
Mississippi State
Cost-of-attendance cap
Mississippi State caps total aid at Cost of Attendance. The published policy warns that institutional scholarships may be adjusted or canceled if outside awards push a student over COA, and MSU does not publish a loan-first or grant-first displacement order.
Oklahoma State
Cost-of-attendance cap
Oklahoma State enforces a Cost of Attendance cap across all aid sources and publishes explicit rules on how awards combine. Automatic qualifier awards cannot exceed COA when combined with other aid. Exceptions: Oklahoma's Promise and Cowboy Covenant are explicitly stackable. A student may only have one tuition scholarship in effect at any time, and the University Assured and Partnered categories pay only the highest-value award from each category (except OK Promise and Cowboy Covenant).
Arizona
Loan-first displacement
The University of Arizona reduces undisbursed loans first when outside scholarships would create an over-award. Arizona Tuition Award and Wildcat Tuition Award cannot be combined with each other or with the National Scholars Tuition Award base. NMF and NMSF supplements layer on top of the base tuition award rather than replacing it.