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Tuskegee University · Alabama

Tuskegee scholarships and merit aid

Tuskegee awards a published, no-extra-application freshman GPA/test grid where the top two tiers (Distinguished Presidential and University Merit, 3.5+ GPA / 25+ ACT) cover full tuition, scaling down to flat $10,000, $8,000 and $5,000 grants — but test-optional applicants are locked out of the two full-tuition awards.

Verified Jul 20262 months ago

The short answer

Is Tuskegee worth a closer look?

Tuskegee is worth checking if your student has strong grades or scores. We found 8 published awards, and 8 are based on those numbers.

Merit tiers88 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

Published scholarships

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 you landAutomatic merit aid by ACT compositeEach bar marks the ACT score range that qualifies for the tier.
University Merit ScholarshipFull tuition
ACT 25-27SAT 1200-1290 · GPA 3.5 unweighted
University Achievement Scholarship$10,000
ACT 22-24SAT 1100-1190 · GPA 3.3 unweighted
Tuskegee University Grant$8,000
ACT 20-21SAT 1030-1090 · GPA 3.1 unweighted
Alabama Incentive Grant$5,000
ACT 20-21SAT 1030-1090 · GPA 2.8 unweighted

Not on this ladder: Distinguished Presidential Scholarship, Tuskegee University Merit Scholarship (Transfer), Tuskegee University Transfer Grant, Alabama Transfer Incentive Grant — application required, holistic, or scored on a different axis.

View as table
TierACT compositeAward
University Merit Scholarship25-27Full tuition
University Achievement Scholarship22-24$10,000
Tuskegee University Grant20-21$8,000
Alabama Incentive Grant20-21$5,000 plus housing
Full tuition…Full tuition, room/board, fees, and $300 eBook voucher

Distinguished Presidential Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.8 unweighted
SAT
1300-1420+
ACT
28-32+
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

ONLY for applicants who apply for Standard (test-required) Admission; completed application by Dec. 1; test-optional applicants are NOT eligible. SUPERSCORED ACT/SAT not permitted.

How to keep it

Renewal CGPA/credit attainment listed as 3.5/30 — maintain a 3.5 cumulative GPA and earn 30 Tuskegee University credits within Fall and Spring each academic year. External, summer, and superscored credits do not count.

Notes

Top tier of the published freshman grid. No separate scholarship application — awarded on the admissions application. This is the only freshman award that explicitly covers room/board and fees in addition to full tuition.

Source

Full tuition

University Merit Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.5 unweighted
SAT
1200-1290
ACT
25-27
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

ONLY for applicants who apply for Standard (test-required) Admission; completed application by Jan. 15; test-optional applicants are NOT eligible. SUPERSCORED ACT/SAT not permitted.

How to keep it

Renewal CGPA/credit attainment listed as 3.25/30 — maintain a 3.25 cumulative GPA and earn 30 Tuskegee University credits within Fall and Spring each academic year.

Notes

Second tier of the freshman grid. Covers full tuition only (not room/board/fees like the Presidential). No separate application.

Source

$10,000

University Achievement Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.3 unweighted
SAT
1100-1190
ACT
22-24
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

No separate scholarship application; awarded on admissions application. SUPERSCORED ACT/SAT not permitted.

How to keep it

Renewal CGPA/credit attainment listed as 3.0/30 — maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA and earn 30 Tuskegee University credits within Fall and Spring each academic year.

Notes

Third tier of the published freshman grid; flat $10,000 award (not full tuition).

Source

$8,000

Tuskegee University Grant

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.1 unweighted
SAT
1030-1090
ACT
20-21
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

No separate scholarship application; awarded on admissions application. SUPERSCORED ACT/SAT not permitted.

How to keep it

Renewal CGPA/credit attainment listed as 3.0/30 — maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA and earn 30 Tuskegee University credits within Fall and Spring each academic year.

Notes

Fourth tier of the freshman grid; flat $8,000 grant.

Source

$5,000 plus housing

Alabama Incentive Grant

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
2.8 unweighted
SAT
1030-1090
ACT
20-21
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

ONLY for qualified Alabama residents. No separate scholarship application. SUPERSCORED ACT/SAT not permitted.

How to keep it

Renewal CGPA/credit attainment listed as 3.0/30 — maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA and earn 30 Tuskegee University credits within Fall and Spring each academic year.

Notes

Fifth tier of the freshman grid; the page prints the award as "$5,000 * housing" (i.e., $5,000 plus housing). Restricted to Alabama residents.

Source

Full-tuition

Tuskegee University Merit Scholarship (Transfer)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.50 cumulative college GPA
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Incoming transfer students; 25 accepted transfer credit hours. No separate scholarship application.

How to keep it

Cumulative College GPA required for renewal 3.25; 30 earned hours required each year to renew (Fall + Spring, Tuskegee University credits).

Notes

Transfer-only grid (Table 1, 2026-2027). Full-tuition award. Set aside exclusively for incoming transfer students; awarded on the admissions application.

Source

$5,000 per year

Tuskegee University Transfer Grant

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.20 cumulative college GPA
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Incoming transfer students; 20 accepted transfer credit hours. No separate scholarship application.

How to keep it

Cumulative College GPA required for renewal 3.00; 30 earned hours required each year to renew.

Notes

Transfer-only grid (Table 1, 2026-2027). Flat $5,000 per year.

Source

$5,000 per year plus Housing

Alabama Transfer Incentive Grant

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.00 cumulative college GPA
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

ONLY for qualified Alabama residents; 15 accepted transfer credit hours. No separate scholarship application.

How to keep it

Cumulative College GPA required for renewal 3.00; 30 earned hours required each year to renew.

Notes

Transfer-only grid (Table 1, 2026-2027). $5,000/year plus housing; restricted to Alabama residents.

Source

See what could change an award

Rules that could change the answer

These are the rules we would flag for your family. Each comes from Tuskegee's published information.

  • Renewal ruleDistinguished Presidential Scholarship: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Renewal CGPA/credit attainment listed as 3.5/30 — maintain a 3.5 cumulative GPA and earn 30 Tuskegee University credits within Fall and Spring each academic year. External, summer, and superscored credits do not count. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

  • Aid capHard $39,160 cost-of-attendance ceiling

    Institutional aid at Tuskegee cannot push the package past $39,160. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

What families often miss

  1. Tuskegee's two full-tuition freshman awards (Distinguished Presidential and University Merit) are ONLY for applicants who apply under Standard (test-required) Admission. The Criteria-for-Freshmen page states plainly: 'Test Optional Applicants are not eligible for the Presidential or Merit Scholarships.' Going test-optional caps you at the $10,000 / $8,000 / $5,000 grant tiers.

  2. The page states 'SUPERSCORED ACT/SAT scores ARE NOT permissible for scholarship awards.' Your scholarship tier is set on a single test sitting, not a superscore.

  3. Completed applications must be received by Dec. 1 for Presidential consideration and by Jan. 15 for Merit consideration, and awards are made 'as long as funds remain available.' A late or incomplete file can cost the full-tuition award even with the right stats.

  4. Only the Distinguished Presidential covers room/board and fees. The University Merit and transfer Merit cover full TUITION only; the 2026-27 undergraduate total bill is $39,160, of which tuition is $22,480 — so a 'full tuition' award still leaves roughly $16,680 of fees, housing, board, insurance and book charges.

  5. Renewal requires the GPA AND 30 earned hours 'within the current Fall and Spring semesters with Tuskegee University credits.' 'External credits, courses, or grades will not count toward scholarship renewal. Summer semesters do not count toward scholarship renewal.'

  6. The page states 'Scholarship recipients must register for the Thurgood Marshall, UNCF and Tuskegee University scholarship portals annually.' Skipping this can jeopardize continued funding.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Strong test-submitting Alabama and out-of-state students entering a private HBCU who want a transparent, automatic GPA-plus-score scholarship grid; the biggest value goes to applicants with a 3.5+ GPA and a 25+ ACT / 1200+ SAT who apply early (Dec. 1 Presidential, Jan. 15 Merit) under Standard (test-required) Admission.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $39,160 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Tuskegee, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.

Average annual net price by family income at Tuskegee, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$34,324
$30,001–$48,000$34,069
$48,001–$75,000$34,855
$75,001–$110,000$37,772
$110,001+$36,778
All income levels (average)$35,013

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$25,386
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$35,013

That works out to roughly a 19% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $43,454 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
55%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
81%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$27,000 (~$286/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$49,641
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
54%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
48%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Tuskegee enforces a cost-of-attendance cap: institutional scholarships and grants, once combined with federal student aid and any external (outside) awards, cannot exceed the total cost of attendance. The page does not state which award is reduced first if the cap is hit, so the displacement order is unclear.

The grid awards do not carry per-award stacking language; instead the global policy is the COA cap. Outside scholarships may be applied directly to the student's bill by the Office of the Bursar. No explicit rule states whether an outside award reduces the institutional merit scholarship, need-based aid, or self-help first.

Source

Other Tuskegee scholarships worth checking

These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.

AmountUp to $5,000 for the academic yearEligibilityIncoming freshmen meeting minimum CS qualifications; recipient's academic performance is evaluated at the end of each semester to determine continuation.

Departmental award on top of the admissions-based grid. Contact the Department of Computer Science at 334-727-4593.

Source

AmountVariesEligibilityStudents demonstrating the required level of athletic ability in basketball, baseball, softball, tennis, cross country, track, volleyball or football.

Contact the Department of Athletics. Not a merit/academic award.

Source

AmountVaries (tuition coverage)EligibilityStudents participating in ROTC programs at Tuskegee.

Federal/military program, not an institutional merit award. Naval ROTC: 334-724-4994.

Source

AmountUp to $5,000 per studentEligibilitySophomore, junior or senior students majoring in science-related subjects in the College of Arts & Sciences who plan to pursue professional programs in biomedical sciences.

Departmental endowed award; not for incoming freshmen. Listed on the CAS scholarships page.

Source

Tuskegee merit aid FAQ

  • Do I need a separate application for Tuskegee's freshman scholarships?

    No. 'There is no separate scholarship application. All students are considered for these opportunities on the basis of their admissions applications and supporting documentation (e.g. official high school transcripts, etc.).' But you must apply by Dec. 1 (Presidential) or Jan. 15 (Merit) under Standard Admission, and funds are limited.

  • Can I get a full-tuition award if I apply test-optional?

    No. The Distinguished Presidential and University Merit (the two full-tuition awards) are only for Standard (test-required) Admission applicants. Test-optional applicants are explicitly not eligible for the Presidential or Merit Scholarships; they can still be considered for the $10,000 Achievement, $8,000 Tuskegee University Grant, and $5,000 Alabama Incentive Grant tiers, as long as funds remain available.

  • What GPA do I need to keep my scholarship?

    It depends on the award: Distinguished Presidential renews at a 3.5 cumulative GPA, University Merit at 3.25, and the Achievement/Tuskegee University Grant/Alabama Incentive Grant tiers at 3.0 — each also requires earning 30 Tuskegee University credits across Fall and Spring (summer and transfer credits do not count).

  • If I win an outside scholarship, will it cut my Tuskegee award?

    Possibly. Tuskegee caps total aid: 'Scholarships and grant funds awarded, once combined with Federal Student Aid and any external awards cannot exceed the total cost of attendance.' The page does not say which award is reduced first if you hit the cap — confirm the order with the financial aid office.

See sources and other schools

How Tuskegee compares

  • 235 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.

    Tuskegee is in a recognizable cluster (235 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

  • 665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Tuskegee 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 Tuskegee’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

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  • Alabama merit aid. Alabama public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • Auburn merit aid. Alabama public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • Athens State merit aid. Alabama public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.

Keep exploring Tuskegee merit aid