ACT Scores and Scholarships: Using Your Test Results To Help Pay for School
Find Scholarships That Respect Your ACT Score!
Your ACT score can play an important role in helping you qualify for scholarships that can fuel your future and help with college costs!
ACT test scores are a big factor in merit scholarships and awards based on academic achievement. On average, students who take the test more than once increase their score and can take advantage of an ACT Superscoring – using the average of your top scores from each subject from multiple test attempts to calculate a superscore reflecting your best efforts.
We've pulled together a list of more than 80 scholarships that require an ACT score. Using your early high school years to find a range of scholarships that intersect with your interests gives you the time you need to set goals and plan for success.
A single test point can give you access to thousands of dollars in financial aid to pay for college!
How To Find Scholarships Using Your ACT Score
Finding scholarships based on ACT scores isn’t as difficult as you might think. You can:
- Check out our scholarship list above for a quick way to get started.
- Visit popular scholarship search websites and filter by ACT score.
- Search your prospective colleges' websites for available scholarships; you might find some based on your test score there as well.
- See if your state offers automatic scholarships for certain scores.
Keep detailed notes of each scholarship so you don’t miss any deadlines and have your ACT scores ready in time. Get additional tips on how to find scholarships.
What Is a Good ACT Score for Scholarships?
A good ACT score for scholarships will vary depending on your personal goals. Often, academic scholarships will require a higher ACT score than scholarships for extracurricular activities, athletic skills, financial need, or other criteria. Spend time researching scholarships to get an idea of an ACT score you would like to aim for.
Remember that an ACT score is likely just one part of the scholarship application requirements. Applicants typically need to submit transcripts, a letter of recommendation, an essay, and more. Don’t count yourself out even if their desired ACT score is higher than yours.
Scholarships for High ACT Scores
Ready to start the search for scholarships using your ACT score? Here are just a few examples of scholarships available to students with a high ACT score:
Air Force ROTC Scholarships
- Application deadline: December 31
- Application window: Open year-round
- Amount: Full tuition and fees + annual book stipend
- Minimum ACT Composite score(s) required: 26
University of Illinois Chicago Chancellor's Fellows
- State residence: Illinois
- Application deadline: November 1
- Application window: August 1 – November 1
- Amount: Up to $7,500 annually
- Minimum ACT Composite score(s) required: 33
Colorado Christian University Trustees’ Scholarship
- Application deadline: April 1
- Application window: Open year-round
- Amount: Up to $18,000 annually
- Minimum ACT Composite score(s) required: 28
Engebretson Foundation Scholarship
- Application deadline: March 1
- Application window: January 1 – March 1
- Amount: $5,000 per semester
- Minimum ACT Composite score(s) required: 28
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Scholarships
- Application deadline: October 15
- Application window: June – October
- Amount: Varies by score
- Minimum ACT score(s) required: 27+ composite and 27+ in Math
View more scholarships by ACT score using the form above.
How an ACT Score Impacts Scholarships and College Admission
High school students from Hauppauge High School in New York discuss the importance of an ACT score and how it impacts scholarships and college admissions.
Learn More About Paying for College
ACT provides comprehensive college planning resources to help you make informed decisions about your educational and professional path. Explore our paying for college resources to gain valuable insights on financial aid, scholarship tips and much more!