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MeritPlaybook / Take-home research

CSU Pueblo
Decision sheet

Colorado · Research checked 2026-07-02 · School research, not an aid offer

The starting point

CSU Pueblo guarantees every admitted Fall 2026 freshman an automatic, no-extra-application merit award on a single-best-metric grid — $3,000, $5,000, or $8,000 per year — but the catch is it cannot be stacked with any other institutional scholarship except the $1,000 First Generation award.

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 12 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.

Presidential Scholar (Automatic Merit)

$8,000 per year · Published amount

Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.

GPA: Weighted 4.0 · SAT: 1370 · ACT: 30

Eligibility: Qualify with ANY ONE of: weighted GPA 4.0, Class rank Top 2%, or ACT/SAT 30/1370. Awards are based on the student's single highest metric of either ACT/SAT, Class Rank, or GPA. No separate application.

Renewal: Renewal GPA (CSU Pueblo): 3.5. Renewable up to 3 additional years with the GPA above and full-time enrollment.

Other terms: Automatic for first-time freshmen; no separate application. Submit admissions application, high school transcripts, and ACT/SAT scores (if applicable) by May 1. Cannot be combined with other institutional scholarships except the First Generation Scholarship.

https://www.csupueblo.edu/student-financial-services/scholarships/index.html

Distinguished Scholar (Automatic Merit)

$5,000 per year · Published amount

Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.

GPA: Weighted 3.75 · SAT: 1280 · ACT: 27

Eligibility: Qualify with ANY ONE of: weighted GPA 3.75, Class rank Top 5%, or ACT/SAT 27/1280. Single highest metric used. No separate application.

Renewal: Renewal GPA (CSU Pueblo): 3.0. Renewable up to 3 additional years with the GPA above and full-time enrollment.

Other terms: Automatic for first-time freshmen; no separate application. Submit application, transcripts, and ACT/SAT scores (if applicable) by May 1. Cannot be combined with other institutional scholarships except the First Generation Scholarship.

https://www.csupueblo.edu/student-financial-services/scholarships/index.html

Promising Scholar (Automatic Merit)

$3,000 per year · Published amount

Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.

GPA: Weighted 3.50 · SAT: 1180 · ACT: 24

Eligibility: Qualify with ANY ONE of: weighted GPA 3.50, Class rank Top 15%, or ACT/SAT 24/1180. Single highest metric used. No separate application.

Renewal: Renewal GPA (CSU Pueblo): 3.0. Renewable up to 3 additional years with the GPA above and full-time enrollment.

Other terms: Automatic for first-time freshmen; no separate application. Submit application, transcripts, and ACT/SAT scores (if applicable) by May 1. Cannot be combined with other institutional scholarships except the First Generation Scholarship.

https://www.csupueblo.edu/student-financial-services/scholarships/index.html

Ask before you decide

  1. Which entering-year policy and residency category apply to us? What are the admission and scholarship deadlines?
  2. What grades and credits are required to renew, and for how many terms?
  3. How would other school awards or outside scholarships change the offer?

Recorded stacking policy: The defining rule at CSU Pueblo: the automatic merit award (Presidential/Distinguished/Promising) CANNOT be combined with any other institutional scholarship, with the single exception of the $1,000 First Generation Scholarship. The Honors Program scholarship and the $1,000 Commitment to Colorado award are both explicitly called out as non-stackable with Automatic Merit. No published rule was found describing how third-party OUTSIDE scholarships displace institutional aid; the only related policy is that merit scholarships may be reduced if total aid exceeds cost of attendance.

Our unanswered questions / Family notes

Keep the sources with the decision

Full research, award details and source context: https://meritplaybook.com/colleges/colorado-state-university-pueblo/merit-aid

The research date is not a guarantee that a policy still applies. Confirm current amounts, deadlines and conditions with the school before making a financial decision.