These amounts and requirements come from the school’s own published pages. Open an award to see who qualifies and how to keep it.
Where does your student land?
University Scholar Award (Kansas resident)$5,500/year ($22,000 total)AutomaticRenewable
Published awardAcademic thresholds
University Scholar Award (Kansas resident)
$5,500/year ($22,000 total)
Published award termsAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.
GPA
3.85+ best GPA (weighted or unweighted)
SAT
1330+
ACT
29+ (1330+ SAT) for this column; lower test bands map to other awards
RenewableCheck the conditions
Open award details for University Scholar Award (Kansas resident)
Who qualifies
Kansas resident, incoming freshman; only ONE general university award may be earned. Test-optional — GPA alone determines eligibility.
How to keep it
Renewable for up to three additional years (four years, eight semesters total). Maintain a minimum K-State cumulative GPA of 3.0, continuous full-time enrollment each fall/spring, and 24 K-State credit hours per academic year.
Worth knowing
Top Kansas-resident general university award. Awarded automatically with admission if you apply by the priority date and meet the GPA/test cell. The published grid pairs GPA bands with ACT/SAT bands; 3.85+ with 29+ ACT/1330+ SAT earns this award.
Royal Purple Scholarship (Kansas resident)$4,000/year ($16,000 total)AutomaticRenewable
Published awardAcademic thresholds
Royal Purple Scholarship (Kansas resident)
$4,000/year ($16,000 total)
Published award termsAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.
GPA
3.85+ with 25-28 ACT/1200-1320 SAT, OR 3.70-3.84 with 29+ ACT/1330+ SAT (or 25-28 ACT/1200-1320 SAT)
SAT
1200-1320 or 1330+
ACT
25-28 or 29+ depending on GPA band
RenewableCheck the conditions
Open award details for Royal Purple Scholarship (Kansas resident)
Who qualifies
Kansas resident, incoming freshman; one award only.
How to keep it
Renewable up to three additional years (four years, eight semesters total) with a minimum K-State cumulative 3.0 GPA, continuous full-time enrollment, and 24 K-State credit hours per year.
Worth knowing
Second tier in the Kansas resident grid; reachable from either a 3.85+ GPA with a mid test band or a 3.70-3.84 GPA.
Published award termsAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.
GPA
3.50-3.69 best GPA (any of the listed test bands), or 3.70-3.84/3.85+ at the 22-24 ACT/1100-1190 SAT band
SAT
1100-1190 and up
ACT
22-24 and up depending on GPA band
RenewableCheck the conditions
Open award details for Wildcat Traditions Scholarship (Kansas resident)
Who qualifies
Kansas resident, incoming freshman; one award only.
How to keep it
Renewable up to three additional years (four years, eight semesters total) with a minimum K-State cumulative 3.0 GPA, continuous full-time enrollment, and 24 K-State credit hours per year.
Worth knowing
Mid-tier Kansas resident award; the 3.50-3.69 GPA row earns Wildcat Traditions across the 22-24, 25-28, and 29+ test columns.
Limestone Award (Kansas resident)$1,500/year ($6,000 total)AutomaticRenewable
Published awardAcademic thresholds
Limestone Award (Kansas resident)
$1,500/year ($6,000 total)
Published award termsAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.
GPA
3.25+ best GPA with no test score / ACT <=21 / SAT <=1090 (the test-optional column)
SAT
<=1090 or no score
ACT
<=21 or no score
RenewableCheck the conditions
Open award details for Limestone Award (Kansas resident)
Who qualifies
Kansas resident, incoming freshman; one award only. This is the column students with no ACT/SAT land in at GPA 3.50-3.84+.
How to keep it
Renewable up to three additional years (four years, eight semesters total) with a minimum K-State cumulative 3.0 GPA, continuous full-time enrollment, and 24 K-State credit hours per year.
Worth knowing
The Limestone Award is the award for Kansas residents with a 3.50+ GPA and no test score (or ACT <=21 / SAT <=1090).
1863 Landmark Award (Kansas resident)$1,000/year ($4,000 total)AutomaticRenewable
Published awardAcademic thresholds
1863 Landmark Award (Kansas resident)
$1,000/year ($4,000 total)
Published award termsAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.
GPA
3.25-3.49 best GPA (all test columns)
SAT
any (all columns)
ACT
any (all columns)
RenewableCheck the conditions
Open award details for 1863 Landmark Award (Kansas resident)
Who qualifies
Kansas resident, incoming freshman; one award only. Floor of the Kansas resident grid.
How to keep it
Renewable up to three additional years (four years, eight semesters total) with a minimum K-State cumulative 3.0 GPA, continuous full-time enrollment, and 24 K-State credit hours per year.
Worth knowing
Entry tier of the Kansas resident grid; a 3.25-3.49 GPA earns the 1863 Landmark Award regardless of test score.
Wildcat Nonresident Award — 100% tier (out-of-state, 3.90+ GPA)
$17,694/year ($70,776 total)
Published award termsAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.
GPA
3.90+ best GPA (weighted or unweighted), measured through sixth semester
SAT
Not used
ACT
Not used — no ACT/SAT needed
RenewableCheck the conditions
Open award details for Wildcat Nonresident Award — 100% tier (out-of-state, 3.90+ GPA)
Who qualifies
Non-Kansas resident; domestic or international degree-seeking Manhattan or Salina campus student enrolling in at least 12 credit hours fall and spring. Award is a 100% discount on the nonresident portion of tuition (equals in-state tuition). Estimate based on 30 credit hours/year.
How to keep it
Renewable for up to three additional years (four years, eight semesters total). Maintain a minimum K-State cumulative 3.0 GPA, continuous full-time enrollment, and 24 K-State credit hours per academic year.
Worth knowing
Primary out-of-state merit pathway. GPA-only (test-blind). At 3.90+ the discount is 100% of the nonresident tuition surcharge, making the student pay in-state tuition; K-State estimates that discount at $17,694/year. The dollar figure is an ESTIMATE based on 30 credit hours and current tuition, not a fixed scholarship.
Wildcat Nonresident Award — 80% tier (out-of-state, 3.75-3.89 GPA)
$14,155/year ($56,620 total)
Published award termsAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.
GPA
3.75-3.89 best GPA (weighted or unweighted), through sixth semester
SAT
Not used
ACT
Not used
RenewableCheck the conditions
Open award details for Wildcat Nonresident Award — 80% tier (out-of-state, 3.75-3.89 GPA)
Who qualifies
Non-Kansas resident freshman; 80% discount on the nonresident portion of tuition. Estimate based on 30 credit hours/year.
How to keep it
Renewable up to three additional years (four years, eight semesters total) with a minimum K-State cumulative 3.0 GPA, continuous full-time enrollment, and 24 K-State credit hours per year.
Worth knowing
Second nonresident tier; 80% off the nonresident tuition surcharge, estimated at $14,155/year.
Wildcat Nonresident Award — 60% tier (out-of-state, 3.50-3.74 GPA)
$10,616/year ($42,464 total)
Published award termsAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.
GPA
3.50-3.74 best GPA (weighted or unweighted), through sixth semester
SAT
Not used
ACT
Not used
RenewableCheck the conditions
Open award details for Wildcat Nonresident Award — 60% tier (out-of-state, 3.50-3.74 GPA)
Who qualifies
Non-Kansas resident freshman; 60% discount on the nonresident portion of tuition. Estimate based on 30 credit hours/year.
How to keep it
Renewable up to three additional years (four years, eight semesters total) with a minimum K-State cumulative 3.0 GPA, continuous full-time enrollment, and 24 K-State credit hours per year.
Worth knowing
Third nonresident tier; 60% off the nonresident tuition surcharge, estimated at $10,616/year.
Wildcat Nonresident Award — 50% tier (out-of-state, 3.25-3.49 GPA)
$8,847/year ($35,388 total)
Published award termsAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.
GPA
3.25-3.49 best GPA (weighted or unweighted), through sixth semester
SAT
Not used
ACT
Not used
RenewableCheck the conditions
Open award details for Wildcat Nonresident Award — 50% tier (out-of-state, 3.25-3.49 GPA)
Who qualifies
Non-Kansas resident freshman; 50% discount on the nonresident portion of tuition. Estimate based on 30 credit hours/year.
How to keep it
Renewable up to three additional years (four years, eight semesters total) with a minimum K-State cumulative 3.0 GPA, continuous full-time enrollment, and 24 K-State credit hours per year.
Worth knowing
Entry nonresident tier; 50% off the nonresident tuition surcharge, estimated at $8,847/year.
Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.
Start with the award’s published eligibility.
RenewableCheck the conditions
Open award details for Presidential Scholarship (competitive)
Who qualifies
Competitive — committee selection / selective interview. Recognizes outstanding academics and student leadership. Only two Presidential Scholarships awarded each year. Supplemental application due 5 p.m. Dec. 15, 2025.
How to keep it
Renewable for up to four years total.
Worth knowing
K-State's largest and most selective award. NOT automatic — requires the competitive supplemental application (apply2.ksu.edu portal) by Dec. 15.
Vanier Family Business Administration Best of Kansas Scholarship (competitive)$80,000 totalNot automaticRenewable
Published awardOther selection criteria
Vanier Family Business Administration Best of Kansas Scholarship (competitive)
$80,000 total
Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.
Start with the award’s published eligibility.
RenewableCheck the conditions
Open award details for Vanier Family Business Administration Best of Kansas Scholarship (competitive)
Who qualifies
Competitive College of Business award; outstanding academics and student leadership. Supplemental application due Dec. 15, 2025.
How to keep it
Renewable for up to four years total.
Worth knowing
Largest and most selective College of Business award; awarded each year. Competitive, not automatic.
Robert E. Campbell Scholarship (competitive, University Honors Program)$6,000 per yearNot automaticRenewable
Published awardOther selection criteria
Robert E. Campbell Scholarship (competitive, University Honors Program)
$6,000 per year
Published amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.
Start with the award’s published eligibility.
RenewableCheck the conditions
Open award details for Robert E. Campbell Scholarship (competitive, University Honors Program)
Who qualifies
Competitive; for select high-achieving students in the University Honors Program (UHP). Campbell Scholars live in Honors housing (Strong Complex) their first year. Supplemental application due Dec. 15, 2025.
How to keep it
Renewable for up to four years total ($3,000 per semester).
Worth knowing
Honors-program award; requires UHP participation and the competitive application.
Robert E. Campbell Scholarship — Engineering Scholar (competitive)$10,000 per yearNot automaticRenewable
Published awardOther selection criteria
Robert E. Campbell Scholarship — Engineering Scholar (competitive)
$10,000 per year
Published amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.
Start with the award’s published eligibility.
RenewableCheck the conditions
Open award details for Robert E. Campbell Scholarship — Engineering Scholar (competitive)
Who qualifies
Competitive; for engineering students with outstanding academics and leadership. Must meet all Campbell Scholar requirements, including University Honors Program participation. Supplemental application due Dec. 15, 2025.
How to keep it
Renewable for up to four years total ($5,000 per semester), including the Robert E. Campbell Scholarship and the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering supplement.
Worth knowing
Engineering version of the Campbell award; combines the base Campbell Scholarship with a Carl R. Ice College of Engineering supplement.
Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.
Start with the award’s published eligibility.
Open award details for Nancy Landon Kassebaum Scholarship (competitive)
Who qualifies
Competitive; recognizes students aspiring to careers in public service. Up to five students receive this award annually. Supplemental application due Dec. 15, 2025.
Renewal terms
Non-renewable, freshman-year award only.
Worth knowing
One-time freshman-year award for public-service-minded students; recipients can work with the prestigious-scholarships director on Truman and other national awards.
Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.
Start with the award’s published eligibility.
Open award details for Civic Leadership Scholarship (competitive)
Who qualifies
Competitive; rewards high school seniors with a demonstrated commitment to serving their community, school, or place of worship. Supplemental application due Dec. 15, 2025.
Renewal terms
Non-renewable, freshman-year award.
Worth knowing
Placed award (1st/2nd/3rd); one-time freshman-year award for service and community-impact projects.
This page covers one school.
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“it told me what to ask and what the renewal GPA looked like, which I was not going to find on my own”Melissa
The fine print
Renewal ruleUniversity Scholar Award (Kansas resident): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Renewable for up to three additional years (four years, eight semesters total). Maintain a minimum K-State cumulative GPA of 3.0, continuous full-time enrollment each fall/spring, and 24 K-State credit hours per academic year. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
Outside awardsNo published displacement order
Kansas State's policy doesn't specify whether outside scholarships hit loans, grants, or only the COA ceiling. Get a written aid-office answer before chasing private awards.
What makes Kansas State different
Every admitted K-State freshman who applies by the priority date is automatically considered, with no separate form, for a guaranteed GPA-based merit award — up to $5,500/year ($22,000) for Kansas residents and a separate nonresident-tuition discount worth up to $17,694/year ($70,776) for out-of-state students.
Merit tiers169 based on grades or scores
First-year students with school awards40%First-year students, CDS 2023-2024
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team
More than one award path
Separate the two paths.
Some awards use published academic thresholds. Others have different selection criteria. A score chart does not describe every award at this school.
Match the published criteria
Use all requirements together, including residency and the entering class.
Check the application dates
Confirm the current admission and scholarship deadlines directly with the school.
Know what happens next year
Check renewal, credit requirements and how other aid affects the award.
The fine print / Three questions to carry forward
Before you count on it.
Does it apply to us? Confirm the entering year, residency and every eligibility condition.
Can we keep it? Check renewal GPA, credits and how long the award lasts.
Can we combine it? Ask how outside scholarships and other school awards change the offer.
A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.
See what could change an award+
What families often miss
Those named dollar awards are for KANSAS RESIDENTS. Out-of-state students instead receive the Wildcat Nonresident Award — a percentage discount on the nonresident portion of tuition (50%-100% by GPA), which K-State expresses as an estimated dollar value based on 30 credit hours, not a fixed scholarship.
The amounts ($17,694/year, etc.) are ESTIMATES based on 30 credit hours and current nonresident tuition. The actual benefit is a percentage discount on the nonresident tuition surcharge, so the dollar value moves with your credit load and with tuition rates.
Awards are based on the academic info K-State has received by April 1 of your senior year. Send an updated transcript (through first semester senior year) and official ACT/SAT (best score) by April 1 — info sent after April 1 cannot raise your award for a fall start.
K-State is test-optional for scholarships: GPA alone determines eligibility, and there is a no-test column / the entirely GPA-based Wildcat Nonresident Award. Submitting a strong test score can move you to a higher resident-grid cell, but it is never required.
The resident grid awards and Wildcat Nonresident Award are automatic with admission by the priority date. The big-ticket Presidential ($80,000) and Vanier ($80,000) awards are COMPETITIVE — they require a separate supplemental application by Dec. 15 and a committee/interview, and only two Presidential Scholarships are given per year.
K-State's 2025-2026 Manhattan estimate is $12,694 tuition & mandatory fees for a Kansas resident, but the full on-campus cost of attendance is $30,552 (resident) / $48,246 (non-resident) once housing/food, books, transportation, and personal costs are included.
See costs and school data+
Who this school may work for
Students with a strong unweighted-or-weighted GPA (roughly 3.25+) who want a predictable, automatic, test-optional merit award at a major public land-grant university — especially out-of-state students, who can knock 50-100% off the nonresident portion of tuition on GPA alone.
Published yearly cost: Approximately $30,552 for 2025-2026. Source
Cost and graduation facts
Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Kansas State, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.
Average annual net price by family income at Kansas State, academic year 2021-22 — in-state, Title-IV aid recipients only
Family income
Average net price paid
$0–$30,000
$13,178
$30,001–$48,000
$14,143
$48,001–$75,000
$15,369
$75,001–$110,000
$20,110
$110,001+
$23,665
All income levels (average)
$19,406
Sticker price vs. what students actually pay
Published tuition & fees (in-state), AY 2022-23
$11,221
Published tuition & fees (out-of-state), AY 2022-23
$28,568
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$19,406
That works out to roughly a 29% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $27,402 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).
Kansas State is a public school; Scorecard's net price figure covers in-state, Title-IV-aid-recipient payers only — there is no comparable federal figure for out-of-state students.
Outcomes for students who enrolled here
Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
71%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
86%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$21,250 (~$225/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$57,262
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
21%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
41%
See other scholarships and cost examples+
If your student brings another scholarship
K-State states a student may earn only ONE general university scholarship or award (the GPA-based resident grid award OR the Wildcat Nonresident Award). Competitive awards (Presidential, Vanier, Campbell, Edgerley-Franklin, Kassebaum, Civic Leadership) and KSN college/departmental awards are separate tracks and are not constrained by the 'one general university award' rule on the pages reviewed. No published rule was found on these pages describing how outside (third-party) scholarships displace institutional aid.
The Kansas Resident Awards page and the filter page both state: 'You may only earn one general university scholarship or award.' That limit is WITHIN the general university grid; it does not say competitive or KSN awards cannot be added. The official outside-scholarship displacement behavior (whether an external award reduces K-State institutional aid or only need-based/self-help aid) was not located on the reviewed pages.
Merit penetrationHow likely is merit aid here?From Kansas State’s Common Data Set: the share of first-year students who receive institutional merit and the average dollar amount when they do.
40%of admitsget merit
Average award$4,341Covers ~14% of $30,552 cost of attendance
At Kansas State, roughly 1 in 3 first-year admits receive institutional merit aid. The average award is $4,341 — about 14% of total cost.
As filed in Kansas State's CDS Section H2A: of 3,124 first-time, full-time degree-seeking freshmen, 1,249 had no financial need and received institutional merit (non-need) scholarship or grant aid, averaging $4,341. Across all full-time degree-seeking undergraduates: 5,058 of 13,553, averaging $4,670. Athletic awards are excluded per the CDS definition.
Receive institutional merit40%First-year students, Common Data Set 2023-2024
Average merit award$4,341Across recipients, Common Data Set 2023-2024
These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.
Amount$2,000/year ($6,000 total)EligibilityIn-state transfer with cumulative college GPA 3.5+.
Automatic on admission for in-state transfers meeting the GPA; apply by the Dec. 1 (spring) or May 1 (summer/fall) priority date. Renewable up to two additional years.
Amount$1,000 one-time, non-renewableEligibilityTransfer students with cumulative college GPA 3.5+ who are a PTK member during the last semester before attending K-State and designate PTK on the admission application.
Automatically considered when PTK membership is designated on the application.
AmountVariesEligibilityAdmitted students complete a KSN profile (freshmen by Feb. 1; transfers/international by March 15 / KSN states March 15) to be matched to college, departmental, alumni/legacy, and other awards.
Separate from general university and competitive awards; many require the KSN profile and some need supplemental applications.
AmountVaries (limited number)EligibilityStudents whose parent, step-parent, grandparent, or legal guardian is a K-State graduate; preference for those with a family member who is an Alumni Association member.
Awarded by the university scholarship committee; applied for via KSN after admission. Funded through the K-State License Plate Program.
Do I have to apply separately for K-State merit scholarships?
No, not for the automatic awards. Your application for admission doubles as your general university scholarship/award application. Apply by the priority application date, provide your GPA (and test scores if you have them), and if you meet the grid your award is ensured. Only the competitive awards (Presidential, Vanier, Campbell, Edgerley-Franklin, Kassebaum, Civic Leadership) require a separate supplemental application, due Dec. 15, 2025.
What's the deadline?
Apply for admission by the priority application date for your entry term for full scholarship consideration. To be considered for a higher award (upgrade), K-State must have your updated transcript and official ACT/SAT by April 1 of your senior year. Competitive scholarship applications are due 5 p.m. Dec. 15, 2025. KSN profiles are due Feb. 1 (freshmen) for full consideration.
Are K-State merit awards test-optional?
Yes. GPA (weighted or unweighted) determines eligibility; there is a no-test-score column in the resident grid, and the out-of-state Wildcat Nonresident Award uses GPA only with no ACT/SAT. A strong test score can move a Kansas resident to a higher grid cell, but it is never required.
How do I renew my K-State scholarship?
For incoming freshmen, renewable general university awards (and the Wildcat Nonresident Award) renew for up to three additional years (four years / eight semesters total) if you maintain a minimum K-State cumulative 3.0 GPA, continuous full-time enrollment each fall/spring, and 24 K-State credit hours per academic year. Five-year College of Architecture, Planning & Design programs can renew longer.
Can I combine (stack) K-State scholarships?
You may earn only ONE general university scholarship or award (the resident grid award or the Wildcat Nonresident Award). Competitive awards and KSN college/departmental awards are separate tracks not covered by that one-award limit. K-State's published pages do not state how third-party outside scholarships affect your institutional aid — confirm with the aid office.
See sources and other schools+
How Kansas State compares
133 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use unclear or unpublished displacement.
Kansas State is in a recognizable cluster (133 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
133 of 749 verified schools publish no clear displacement order.
Kansas State is one of them. The right move is the aid-office email script below, not a guess.
665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Kansas State is one of them. The cohort minority (84 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.
Sources used on this page
Every claim is checked against Kansas State’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
