The starting point
Morehead State automatically awards merit scholarships of $1,000–$8,000/yr to Kentucky freshmen based on a GPA/ACT grid, with full-tuition competitive awards for top scholars, and separate grids for out-of-state and Ohio regional 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 24 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.
Kentucky Automatic Merit Scholarship — Top Tier (3.8+ GPA / ACT 28+)
$8,000/yr · Published amount
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: 3.8+ (unweighted high school GPA) · SAT: 1300–1600 · ACT: 28+
Eligibility: Kentucky resident; automatically considered upon admission application
Renewal: Scholarships require on-campus housing for a minimum of 4 semesters; 50% reduction if housing requirement not met. Must be enrolled full-time. Renewal GPA for merit scholarships not stated on scholarship page; SAP policy requires cumulative 2.0 GPA for financial aid continuance. Specific merit renewal GPA not published — confirm with aid office.
Other terms: This is the maximum cell in the Kentucky Merit grid. Grid covers ACT 20–28+ and GPA 3.0–3.8+. For all cells see sourceExcerpt. Applies to 2026-27 new students per page header.
https://www.moreheadstate.edu/admissions/scholarships/kentucky
Kentucky Automatic Merit Scholarship — Full Grid (all cells)
$1,000–$8,000/yr depending on GPA/ACT combination · Published range
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: 3.0–3.8+ (unweighted high school GPA) · SAT: 1030–1600 · ACT: 20–28+
Eligibility: Kentucky resident; automatically considered upon admission application. No separate application required.
Renewal: Scholarships require on-campus housing for a minimum of 4 semesters; 50% reduction if housing requirement not met. Must be enrolled full-time. Specific merit renewal GPA not published on page.
Other terms: Full 5×5 grid. Lowest award: $1,000 (3.0–3.29 GPA, ACT 20 or ACT 21–23). Highest: $8,000 (3.8+ GPA, ACT 28+). Awards for GPA below 3.0 not listed — no merit award published for GPA under 3.0.
https://www.moreheadstate.edu/admissions/scholarships/kentucky
Ohio Regional Tuition Advantage Merit Scholarship — Full Grid (select Ohio counties)
$1,000–$8,000/yr depending on GPA/ACT combination · Published range
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: 3.0–3.8+ (unweighted high school GPA) · SAT: 1030–1600 · ACT: 20–28+
Eligibility: Must be from eligible Ohio counties: Adams, Athens, Brown, Gallia, Jackson, Highland, Lawrence, Meigs, Pike, Scioto, or Vinton. Reciprocity-based program offering in-state tuition rates.
Renewal: Automatically considered. Scholarships require on-campus housing for a minimum of 4 semesters; 50% reduction if housing requirement not met. Must be enrolled full-time.
Other terms: Identical dollar grid to Kentucky resident grid. These students receive in-state tuition rates AND a merit scholarship. Same 5×5 matrix.
https://www.moreheadstate.edu/admissions/scholarships/out-of-state
Ask before you decide
- Which entering-year policy and residency category apply to us? What are the admission and scholarship deadlines?
- What grades and credits are required to renew, and for how many terms?
- How would other school awards or outside scholarships change the offer?
Recorded stacking policy: Total financial aid from all sources cannot exceed the Cost of Attendance (COA). When an overaward occurs, MSU first eliminates loans (work-study, private, PLUS, unsubsidized federal, subsidized federal) before reducing institutional merit scholarships. The Pell Grant and KEES are never reduced. The Honors Scholarship is applied after other financial aid is posted. Transfer scholarships may only be combined with the Alumni Award and Phi Theta Kappa Transfer Scholarship. The International Student Scholarship cannot be combined with the non-resident tuition scholarship.
Our unanswered questions / Family notes
