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MeritPlaybook / Take-home research

Nebraska–Kearney (UNK)
Decision sheet

Nebraska · Research checked 2026-06-03 · School research, not an aid offer

The starting point

UNK runs a fully automatic ACT/GPA merit ladder — $2,000–$7,000/yr toward tuition (plus housing dollars at the top tiers) for anyone with a 3.7+ GPA and 22+ ACT — and waives out-of-state tuition for every non-resident via the New Nebraskan Scholarship, which stacks on top of the merit 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 8 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

Full Cost of Attendance plus a $5,000 annual stipend · Published award terms

Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.

GPA: 3.7+ HS GPA (general eligibility floor) · ACT: 36

Eligibility: Admitted to UNK with official transcripts and scores received by March 1

Renewal: Listed among the renewable automatic merit scholarships; the page does not publish a specific renewal GPA. Initial award is based on the cumulative GPA at the end of the sixth semester (junior year), converted to a 4.0 scale.

Other terms: Top of the automatic ladder, for a 36 ACT. SAT-equivalent cutoffs are not published on the page; ask the aid office. The $5,000 figure is an annual stipend on top of full cost of attendance.

https://www.unk.edu/first-time-freshmen-scholarships.php

Regents Scholarship

Full Tuition AND room waiver for campus housing · Published coverage or package

Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.

ACT: 32+

Eligibility: Open to Nebraska Residents only; admitted with transcripts and scores by March 1

Renewal: Renewable up to 120 credit hours.

Other terms: Nebraska residents only. Covers full tuition plus a room waiver for campus housing; no fixed dollar amount is published (value tracks tuition + housing). SAT equivalent not stated.

https://www.unk.edu/first-time-freshmen-scholarships.php

UNK Chancellor's Scholarship

$7,000 toward tuition and $2,000 toward campus housing, annually · Published coverage or package

Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.

GPA: 3.9+ HS GPA · ACT: 28+

Eligibility: Admitted with transcripts and scores by March 1

Renewal: Renewable up to 4 years.

Other terms: Automatic for a 28+ ACT and 3.9+ HS GPA. SAT equivalent not published.

https://www.unk.edu/first-time-freshmen-scholarships.php

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: Institutional awards stack with each other (the non-resident New Nebraskan tuition waiver can be held alongside a UNK Academic Merit Scholarship). For OUTSIDE/private scholarships, UNK is required by law to adjust FEDERAL aid first if outside awards create an excess (over-award) — implying outside money displaces federal aid before institutional merit, though the page does not spell out an explicit order beyond 'federal aid.'

Our unanswered questions / Family notes

Keep the sources with the decision

Full research, award details and source context: https://meritplaybook.com/colleges/university-of-nebraska-kearney/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.