The starting point
MSU Northern's Merit Scholarship is automatic and earned (no application) for new in-state Montana freshmen on a small GPA-and-ACT grid — $1,000 to $2,500 per year — with a separate $2,000/year Chancellor's Scholarship and a roughly $40,000 four-year WUE tuition discount for qualifying Western-state students.
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 5 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 Scholarship Program — top tier (in-state)
$2,500 per year · Published amount
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: 4.0-3.5 high school GPA · ACT: 25 and up
Eligibility: Must be In-State (attended high school in Montana), New (Montana freshman coming to MSU-Northern immediately after graduating high school), and First-Year (not already enrolled at MSU-Northern). Dual enrollment does not disqualify. No application required.
Renewal: Renewable for all four years of the degree if a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 and full-time status are maintained.
Other terms: Awarded automatically at the time of admittance based on the GPA-and-ACT grid; you do not apply. Official test scores and final GPAs on official high school transcripts must be on file for the award to be applied. The grid requires BOTH a GPA band and an ACT band; the page presents the three bands as paired (4.0-3.5 with ACT 25+, 3.49-3.25 with ACT 24-22, 3.24-3.00 with ACT 21-20). Confirm with the office how a split profile (e.g., high GPA, lower ACT) is placed.
https://www.msun.edu/admissions/scholar.aspx
Merit Scholarship Program — middle tier (in-state)
$1,500 per year · Published amount
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: 3.49-3.25 high school GPA · ACT: 24-22
Eligibility: In-State, New, and First-Year Montana freshman (see top tier). No application required.
Renewal: Renewable for all four years of the degree if a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 and full-time status are maintained.
Other terms: Automatic, earned at admittance; no separate application. Same renewal terms (3.25 GPA, full-time) as the other Merit Scholarship tiers.
https://www.msun.edu/admissions/scholar.aspx
Merit Scholarship Program — base tier (in-state)
$1,000 per year · Published amount
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: 3.24-3.00 high school GPA · ACT: 21-20
Eligibility: In-State, New, and First-Year Montana freshman (see top tier). No application required.
Renewal: Renewable for all four years of the degree if a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 and full-time status are maintained.
Other terms: Automatic, earned at admittance; no separate application. The grid only runs down to a 3.00 GPA / ACT 20 — students below those marks are not shown an automatic Merit Scholarship amount on this page.
https://www.msun.edu/admissions/scholar.aspx
