Amount and certainty are separate.
A precise dollar figure can still be a competitive award. Automatic consideration means your application is reviewed; it does not always mean the scholarship is guaranteed.
The college field guideEight SEC schools / Side by side
A closer look at your options
Best SEC colleges for merit aid in 2026
The biggest award is only part of the answer.
Compare what an award covers, who can receive it, and what it takes to keep it. Start with two schools. Follow the differences.
Open the comparison deskThe comparison deskPut your options
Put your options
on the same page.
Choose two or threetwo schools. Each column follows one named award or award group, with its own year and conditions.
| Compare the details | Tuscaloosa, Alabama | Oxford, Mississippi |
|---|---|---|
| The award | The awardAutomaticPresidential Scholarship$28,000 / year Published amount2027 entering freshmen | The awardAutomaticAcademic Merit Scholarship$3,000–$20,790 / year Published range2026–2027 chart |
| What’s different? | What’s different? A fixed annual award tied to published grades and scores. | What’s different? The award pays toward the non-resident fee, with different amounts across the grid. |
| Who this applies to | Who this applies to Out-of-state and international students | Who this applies to Non-resident entering freshmen |
| How to qualify | How to qualify 3.50+ GPA and 32–36 ACT or 1420–1600 SAT. Official scores from one test date; no superscore. | How to qualify Minimum 3.0 high school GPA. Amount varies by GPA and ACT/SAT; test-optional awards exist. Superscores accepted. |
| How to keep it | How to keep it Maintain a cumulative 3.0 UA GPA and earn at least 67% of attempted UA credits. Review each semester. | How to keep it Up to four years, subject to the award terms. The source summary does not specify the renewal GPA. |
| Dates to check | Dates to check December 4, 2026 for summer/fall 2027: application and official scores. Later consideration depends on funds. | Dates to check Qualifying tests must be taken before freshman enrollment. Confirm the dates for your entering class. |
| Before you count on it | Before you count on it Presidential Elite is a separate tuition-based package with higher thresholds. This example is the Presidential award. | Before you count on it Fixed amounts do not stack with Academic Success NR. This is the published 2026–2027 chart, not a 2027–2028 offer. |
| School sources Checked 2026-09-14 | School sourcesAward, eligibility & dates for Alabama (opens in a new tab)Renewal policy for Alabama (opens in a new tab) | School sourcesPublished chart & conditions for Ole Miss (opens in a new tab) |
| Keep exploring | Open Alabama’s chapter | Open Ole Miss’s chapter |
Compare like with like: an annual award, a tuition benefit and a multi-year package cover different things. These are published examples, not estimated net prices or a prediction of your student’s award. Use the school source for your entering year.
The same number can mean very different things.
Keep the years attached.
A one-year award and a five-year package are different units. A chart for an earlier entering class is a reference, not a promise for next year. The desk keeps each source’s period visible.
Finish with the cost that remains.
Tuition is one part of a college budget. Compare housing, meals, fees and other expenses too. Ask the school how awards combine before subtracting them from its published cost.
Explore all eight schools.
Alabama
Automatic · Presidential Scholarship
2027 entering freshmen
Award details & school sources
$28,000 / year · Published amount
- Who qualifies
- Out-of-state and international students. 3.50+ GPA and 32–36 ACT or 1420–1600 SAT. Official scores from one test date; no superscore.
- Renewal
- Maintain a cumulative 3.0 UA GPA and earn at least 67% of attempted UA credits. Review each semester.
- Dates
- December 4, 2026 for summer/fall 2027: application and official scores. Later consideration depends on funds.
- Before you count on it
- Presidential Elite is a separate tuition-based package with higher thresholds. This example is the Presidential award.
Ole Miss
Automatic · Academic Merit Scholarship
2026–2027 chart
Award details & school sources
$3,000–$20,790 / year · Published range
- Who qualifies
- Non-resident entering freshmen. Minimum 3.0 high school GPA. Amount varies by GPA and ACT/SAT; test-optional awards exist. Superscores accepted.
- Renewal
- Up to four years, subject to the award terms. The source summary does not specify the renewal GPA.
- Dates
- Qualifying tests must be taken before freshman enrollment. Confirm the dates for your entering class.
- Before you count on it
- Fixed amounts do not stack with Academic Success NR. This is the published 2026–2027 chart, not a 2027–2028 offer.
Auburn
Competitive · Competitive Merit Scholarships
Previous-year range on current page
Award details & school sources
$7,000–$17,000 / year · Published range
- Who qualifies
- Non-residents; residents have a different range. Automatic consideration from the admission application, high school GPA and ACT/SAT superscore. No separate scholarship application.
- Renewal
- Up to eight semesters with a cumulative, unadjusted 3.0 Auburn GPA and 24 Auburn credits each academic year.
- Dates
- Complete admission materials by December 1; updated scores by January 11. Confirm the cycle with Auburn.
- Before you count on it
- Auburn labels these amounts as a previous-year range subject to change. No fixed score-to-dollar promise is made here.
Mississippi State
Automatic · Freshman Non-Resident Academic Scholarship
2027–2028 entering freshmen
Award details & school sources
$12,000–$19,000 / year · Published range
- Who qualifies
- Students assessed non-resident tuition. Grades 9–11 GPA: 3.30–3.59 earns $12,000; 3.60–4.09 earns $16,000; 4.10+ earns $19,000 annually.
- Renewal
- Up to eight semesters. Maintain a 3.0 overall college GPA and continuous full-time enrollment of 12 credits per semester.
- Dates
- Awarded upon admission. No separate award deadline is stated on this source page; confirm admission timing.
- Before you count on it
- Cannot combine with non-resident fee waivers, National Merit packages or Presidential Endowed. Amounts may combine institutional and private aid.
LSU
Competitive · Freshman Merit Scholarships
Current source; entering year not stated
Award details & school sources
$13,000–$23,000 / year · Published range
- Who qualifies
- Non-Louisiana residents. Holistic review of academics, test scores if submitted, and admission materials. Admission is required; the Common Application also serves as the scholarship application.
- Renewal
- The source page does not state the renewal terms for this range. Request the terms of the actual award.
- Dates
- Follow the admission deadline. The December 1 date on this page is specifically for Stamps and Chancellor’s Alumni consideration.
- Before you count on it
- Stamps and Chancellor’s Alumni are separate competitive full-cost awards. Their coverage is not the ordinary merit range shown here.
Kentucky
Competitive · Presidential Scholarship
Fall 2027 entering freshmen
Award details & school sources
Full tuition + mandatory fees · Published coverage
- Who qualifies
- Resident or non-resident tuition, as applicable. 3.50 unweighted GPA and 31 ACT/1390 SAT, or 4.00 GPA test-optional. Complete the competitive section of the admission application.
- Renewal
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment, at least 12 credits each semester, and a cumulative 3.0 GPA.
- Dates
- December 1, 2026 for admission, supporting documents and competitive section. Apply early; funding is limited.
- Before you count on it
- Only one listed UK scholarship may be received. Presidential is competitive; Singletary has different benefits and renewal rules.
Oklahoma
National Merit · National Merit Finalist Package
Fall 2026 package; deadlines passed
Award details & school sources
$153,450 total package · Multi-year package
- Who qualifies
- Non-resident National Merit Finalists. Admitted Finalists who designate OU as first choice under the published NMSC terms.
- Renewal
- Component rules differ: tuition waivers generally require 2.0 GPA; OU cash funding requires 3.25. Full-time enrollment and 24 OU credits annually apply.
- Dates
- Historical: apply by December 15, 2025 and name OU by April 30, 2026. Ask OU for the next entering-year package.
- Before you count on it
- Not full cost of attendance. Includes five-year tuition waivers, four-year cash awards and one-time benefits. Amounts may change.
Vanderbilt
Competitive · Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship
2026 application / March 2027 decisions
Award details & school sources
Full tuition + summer stipend · Published coverage
- Who qualifies
- No residency distinction stated for this award. Selection considers academic achievement, intellectual promise and leadership. Scholarship application through MyAppVU is strongly encouraged; preference goes to applicants.
- Renewal
- Renewed each year with at least a 3.0 GPA.
- Dates
- December 1, 2026 for the scholarship application; recipients notified at the end of March 2027.
- Before you count on it
- The summer stipend is one-time. Full tuition does not mean the full cost of attendance.
Check a school against your student’s numbers.
The free Merit Check uses our existing school research. Check the date on its result and the school’s current terms, especially when an entering-year policy has changed.