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Wichita State University · Kansas

Wichita State Merit Aid

Verified Jul 202615 days ago· HX-AUTO
Merit tiers1716 automatic on stats
Last verifiedJul 2026Analyst HX-AUTO

The merit-aid verdict at Wichita State

Wichita State runs a transparent automatic merit grid keyed to GPA and ACT for both Kansas residents and out-of-state students, layered with University Academic awards and an Honors College scholarship.

Rules that bite at Wichita State

The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Wichita State's own published policy, not generic advice.

  • capHard $29,970 cost-of-attendance ceiling

    Institutional aid at Wichita State cannot push the package past $29,970. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

Who this school is for

In-state and out-of-state applicants who can read their award straight off the GPA/ACT grid, and honors candidates seeking the Honors College scholarship.

Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $29,970 for 2026-2027. Source

Institutional merit aid tiers

Every tier below is sourced to the school’s own published financial aid pages. Renewal terms apply only if the student maintains the stated GPA.

$4,000

Freshman Merit KS — GPA 3.5, ACT 26–27

Automatic
GPA
3.5
Requirements & details
Notes

Official WSU snapshot Freshmen Merit Kansas Residents table lists ACT 26-27/SAT 1230-1290 and GPA 3.5-3.74 as $4,000 per year ($16,000 four-year total).

Source

$1,500

Univ Academic KS — GPA 3.5

Automatic
GPA
3.5
Requirements & details
Notes

Official WSU Freshmen University Academic Scholarships table is GPA-only/no test score required and lists Kansas residents with GPA 3.5-3.89 at $1,500 per year ($6,000 four-year total).

Source

$6,000

Freshman Merit KS — GPA 3.9, ACT 30

Automatic
GPA
3.9
Requirements & details
Notes

Official WSU snapshot Freshmen Merit Kansas Residents table lists ACT 30 or above/SAT 1360 or above and GPA 3.9 or above as $6,000 per year ($24,000 four-year total).

Source

$5,500

Freshman Merit KS — GPA 3.9, ACT 26–27

Automatic
GPA
3.9
Requirements & details
Notes

Official WSU snapshot Freshmen Merit Kansas Residents table lists ACT 26-27/SAT 1230-1290 and GPA 3.9 or above as $5,500 per year ($22,000 four-year total).

Source

$1,500

Freshman Merit Out-of-State — GPA 3.0, ACT 21–23

Automatic
GPA
3
Requirements & details
Notes

Official WSU snapshot includes the out-of-state Freshmen Merit amounts table; ACT 21-23/SAT 1060-1150 and GPA 3.0-3.24 is $1,500 per year ($6,000 four-year total).

Source

$3,000

Freshman Merit Out-of-State — GPA 3.5, ACT 30

Automatic
GPA
3.5
Requirements & details
Notes

Official WSU snapshot includes the out-of-state Freshmen Merit amounts table; ACT 30+/SAT 1360+ and GPA 3.5-3.74 is $3,000 per year ($12,000 four-year total).

Source

$2,000

Univ Academic KS — GPA 3.9

Automatic
GPA
3.9
Requirements & details
Notes

Official WSU Freshmen University Academic Scholarships table is GPA-only/no test score required and lists Kansas residents with GPA 3.9+ at $2,000 per year ($8,000 four-year total).

Source

$2,500

Univ Academic Out-of-State — GPA 3.5

Automatic
GPA
3.5
Requirements & details
Notes

Official WSU Freshmen University Academic Scholarships table is GPA-only/no test score required and lists out-of-state students with GPA 3.5-3.89 at $2,500 per year ($10,000 four-year total).

Source

$3,000

Univ Academic Out-of-State — GPA 3.9

Automatic
GPA
3.9
Requirements & details
Notes

Official WSU Freshmen University Academic Scholarships table is GPA-only/no test score required and lists out-of-state students with GPA 3.9+ at $3,000 per year ($12,000 four-year total).

Source

$3,500

Freshman Merit Out-of-State — GPA 3.775, ACT 30

Automatic
GPA
3.75
Requirements & details
Notes

Official WSU snapshot includes the out-of-state Freshmen Merit amounts table; ACT 30+/SAT 1360+ and GPA 3.75-3.89 is $3,500 per year ($14,000 four-year total).

Source

$3,500

Freshman Merit Out-of-State — GPA 3.9, ACT 26–27

Automatic
GPA
3.9
Requirements & details
Notes

Official WSU snapshot includes the out-of-state Freshmen Merit amounts table; ACT 26-27/SAT 1230-1290 and GPA 3.9+ is $3,500 per year ($14,000 four-year total).

Source

$3,500

Freshman Merit Out-of-State — GPA 3.9, ACT 28–29

Automatic
GPA
3.9
Requirements & details
Notes

Official WSU snapshot includes the out-of-state Freshmen Merit amounts table; ACT 28-29/SAT 1300-1350 and GPA 3.9+ is $3,500 per year ($14,000 four-year total).

Source

$4,000

Freshman Merit Out-of-State — GPA 3.9, ACT 30

Automatic
GPA
3.9
Requirements & details
Notes

Official WSU snapshot includes the out-of-state Freshmen Merit amounts table; ACT 30+/SAT 1360+ and GPA 3.9+ is $4,000 per year ($16,000 four-year total), with automatic consideration by priority admission deadline stated above the chart.

Source

$1,000

Univ Academic KS — GPA 3.0

Automatic
GPA
3
Requirements & details
Notes

Official WSU Freshmen University Academic Scholarships table is GPA-only/no test score required and lists Kansas residents with GPA 3.0-3.49 at $1,000 per year ($4,000 four-year total).

Source

$1,500

Univ Academic Out-of-State — GPA 3.0

Automatic
GPA
3
Requirements & details
Notes

Official WSU Freshmen University Academic Scholarships table is GPA-only/no test score required and lists out-of-state students with GPA 3.0-3.49 at $1,500 per year ($6,000 four-year total).

Source

$2,500

Freshman Merit KS — GPA 3.0, ACT 21–23

Automatic
GPA
3
Requirements & details
Notes

Official WSU snapshot Freshmen Merit Kansas Residents table lists ACT 21-23/SAT 1060-1150 and GPA 3.0-3.24 as $2,500 per year ($10,000 four-year total).

Source

$500

College Merit Scholarship

Application
View requirements
Notes

Official WSU Honors College Merit Scholarship snapshot says incoming freshmen and transfers admitted to WSU and accepted into Cohen Honors College are eligible; award covers up to $1,000 over two years ($500/year) and only tuition/student fees.

Source

Outside scholarship stacking policy

Outside scholarships only trigger an aid adjustment if total aid would exceed the cost of attendance (or the student's aid eligibility cap); below that ceiling, awards are not displaced.

Verified policy language (2026-07-02): Federal and state regulations require the OFA to adjust or cancel your federal and/or state aid if additional resources or other financial assistance cause your awards to exceed the Cost of Attendance or financial need criteria, even if your aid has already disbursed. These resources may include, but are not limited to: tuition rate waivers/reductions; graduate assistantships; outside scholarships; and third-party payments, such as employers or vocational rehabilitation. Separately, the school's own award-stacking rules: The Honors College Merit Scholarship may be combined with the Freshmen Merit Scholarship or the Transfer Merit Scholarship if the student qualifies for both. (per https://www.wichita.edu/administration/financial_aid/scholarships/merit/Honors_merit.php)

Source

Wichita State merit aid FAQ

  • What is the deadline for Deadline Honors Merit Priority?

    Honors College Merit Scholarship priority dates: November 1 for incoming freshmen; February 1 for transfer students.

  • What is the deadline for Deadline Official Scores July1?

    Scholarships will not pay without official graduation transcripts and official ACT/SAT test scores on file at Wichita State by July 1.

How Wichita State compares across our verified dataset

  • 242 of 750 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.

    Wichita State is in a recognizable cluster (242 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

Sources used on this page

Every claim is checked against Wichita State’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

  • Kansas State merit aid — Kansas public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • Pitt State merit aid — Kansas public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • Kansas merit aid — Kansas public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • Emporia State merit aid — Kansas public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.

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