The starting point
ACU automatically considers every admitted freshman for a five-level named merit award of $10,000-$22,000 per year off its annual block tuition, with National Merit Finalists and Semi-Finalists guaranteed full tuition plus a $1,500 room-and-board stipend.
More than one award path. Some awards use published academic thresholds. Others have different selection criteria. A score chart does not describe every award at this school.
Awards to discuss
First 3 of 8 recorded awards, in chapter display order. This is a selection, not a ranking. Read the full chapter for all awards. Amounts retain the original units and conditions; confirm the entering year with the school.
Merit-Based Scholarships (ACU Academic Scholarships grid)
$10,000-$22,000 · Published range
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: Core GPA considered (no published cutoffs per tier) · SAT: SAT/CLT superscore considered (no published cutoffs per tier) · ACT: ACT superscore considered (no published cutoffs per tier)
Eligibility: Overall class rank considered; if your school does not provide class rank, core GPA is factored twice. Test-optional applicants are still considered for these awards. Must be admitted to ACU.
Renewal: Renewal GPA published per award: 3.0 GPA for the Royce L. Money Chancellor's Award and John C. Stevens Award; 2.5 GPA for the A.B. Barret Award, Dean's Award and University Award.
Other terms: All admitted students are considered automatically from the admission application; ACU does not publish the GPA/test thresholds for each of the five award levels.
https://acu.edu/admissions-aid/scholarships/first-year
National Merit Finalists, Semi-Finalists and Commended Scholars
Full tuition (Finalists/Semi-Finalists) + $1,500/yr stipend; $2,000/yr (Commended Scholars) · Published coverage or package
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
Eligibility: National Merit Finalist, Semi-Finalist or Commended Scholar status; must submit the FAFSA and provide a copy of the National Merit Certificate to an admissions counselor. No application is required.
Renewal: Recorded as renewable. Full renewal conditions are not recorded here; request them from the school.
Other terms: Full tuition is delivered 'when coordinated with federal, state and institutional grants' — i.e., other grant aid counts toward the full-tuition guarantee rather than stacking on top. The $1,500 stipend helps with room and board but the guarantee itself is tuition-only, not a full ride.
https://acu.edu/admissions-aid/scholarships/first-year
Transfer Merit-Based Awards (2026-2027 grid)
$10,000-$19,000 · Published range
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: Cumulative GPA from all previous colleges: 2.3-2.84 = $10,000; 2.85-3.29 = $13,000; 3.3-3.59 = $16,000; 3.6-3.79 = $17,000; 3.8-4.0 = $19,000
Eligibility: Undergraduate students transferring to ACU to complete their first Bachelor's degree; notified of scholarship level at the time of acceptance.
Renewal: Renewal GPA 2.5 for awards earned with a 2.3-3.59 transfer GPA; renewal GPA 3.0 for awards earned with a 3.6-4.0 transfer GPA.
https://acu.edu/admissions-aid/scholarships/transfer/
