As of October 2026. Every number below is sourced; the list is at the end.
As of October 2026, the largest merit awards tied to a score pay the whole bill -- tuition, fees, housing and meals, for four years. Reach tracks published merit awards at 63 colleges. The biggest ones are competitive, and only a few students a year win them. The biggest sure thing is smaller and far more common: at the University of Alabama, an out-of-state student with a 32 ACT (1420 SAT) and a 3.50 GPA is listed at $28,000 a year, and no separate application is required.
This is merit money. It turns on a score and a transcript, not on family income.
Automatic and competitive are two different things
An automatic award is a published grid. Your student's score, GPA and home state land on a cell, and that cell pays. There is no extra essay and no interview.
A competitive award asks for an application or a nomination. A score is a floor there, not a gate. The dollars are much larger and the odds are long. USC gives about 100 Trustee Scholarships a year. Boston University names about 30 Trustee Scholars. Tulane picks about 5 Stamps Scholars. Indiana's Wells Scholars take about 20 students from roughly 700 nominees.
Plan around the automatic money. Apply for the competitive money.
The 14 biggest, as each college publishes them
| College | Award | What it pays, per year | Score and GPA, as published | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tulane | Stamps Scholarship | Full cost of attendance + enrichment fund | 1500 SAT / 33 ACT, 3.7 core GPA (typical recipients) | Competitive |
| University of Chicago | Stamps Scholars | Full cost of attendance + enrichment funds | 1500 SAT / 34 ACT (typical recipients) | Competitive |
| University of Miami | Stamps Scholars | Full cost of attendance + enrichment grant | 1500 SAT / 34 ACT (typical recipients) | Competitive |
| UT Dallas | Eugene McDermott Scholars | Full cost of attendance + travel and research stipend | 1500 SAT / 34 ACT (typical recipients) | Competitive |
| Vanderbilt | Ingram Scholars | Full tuition, fees and housing + summer stipend | 1500 SAT / 34 ACT (typical recipients) | Competitive |
| Indiana University Bloomington | Wells Scholars | Full cost of attendance + $5,000 summer enrichment | 1500 SAT / 34 ACT (typical recipients) | Competitive |
| USC | Trustee Scholarship | Full tuition | 1500 SAT / 34 ACT (typical recipients) | Competitive |
| Boston University | Trustee Scholarship | Full tuition | 1500 SAT / 34 ACT (typical recipients) | Competitive |
| University of Alabama | Presidential | $28,000 | 1420 SAT / 32 ACT and a 3.50 GPA, out-of-state | Automatic |
| UAB | Presidential Elite | $28,500 | 1420 SAT / 32 ACT and a 4.0 GPA, out-of-state | Automatic |
| UA Huntsville | Atlas D | $19,000 | 1420 SAT / 32 ACT and a 4.0 GPA, out-of-state | Automatic |
| West Virginia University | Climb Higher | $17,000 | 1360 SAT / 30 ACT and a 3.8 GPA, out-of-state | Automatic |
| Arizona State | New American University, Provost | $16,500 | 1300 SAT / 29 ACT and a 3.5 GPA, out-of-state | Automatic |
| University of Kentucky | Bluegrass Spirit | $12,500 | 1360 SAT / 30 ACT and a 3.5 GPA, out-of-state | Automatic |
The full set, with each college's own source link, is on Reach's merit scholarship page.
Notice who prints a grid
Every automatic award in that table pays an out-of-state student at a public university. That is the pattern. A public university recruiting from other states will publish its price for a score. A selective private college usually publishes no chart at all, and hands the same money out by committee.
So a family shopping for merit should look at strong publics outside their own state, not only at the famous names.
Three of our own students
A 31 ACT drew a $112,000 offer at TCU. A 30 ACT drew $144,000 at Chapman. A 1330 SAT drew $91,000 at SMU. Those are four-year merit awards, as the families reported them to us. Roughly half of all scholarships are tied to a GPA and an ACT or SAT score, and many of our students are offered $10,000 to $30,000 a year.
Each of those students sat the whole exam and put in the weeks first.
Before you plan around a number
Every grid carries a date, and colleges rewrite them each year. A grid tells you what a tier pays. It does not tell you an offer will come. Read the college's own page for the year your student applies. Our score-improvement results show what a focused program typically moves.
The move
This month, have your student sit one full-length practice SAT and one full-length practice ACT, then pick the better fit. Both mocks are free: prepgurus.com/take-the-next-step. Next, write down the award tier just above their current score at two or three target colleges, and the dollar gap. Then block 6 to 12 weeks and prepare for the whole SAT or ACT every sitting, never one section. Or call 949.229.5359 and we will map it with you.
Questions parents ask
Which colleges give the most merit money for a high SAT or ACT score?
The largest awards pay a student's full cost of attendance or full tuition, and they are competitive: Tulane, the University of Chicago, Miami, UT Dallas, Vanderbilt, Indiana, USC and Boston University all name recipients who typically scored 1500 SAT or 34 ACT.
Is there merit aid my child is guaranteed to get with a certain score?
Yes, at colleges that publish an automatic grid: your student's score, GPA and home state land on a cell, and that cell pays. The University of Alabama lists $28,000 a year for an out-of-state student with a 32 ACT (1420 SAT) and a 3.50 GPA, and no separate application is required.
Do we have to show financial need to get this money?
No. This is merit money -- it turns on a score and a transcript, not on family income. A 31 ACT drew a $112,000 offer at TCU for one of our students, and a 1330 SAT drew $91,000 at SMU.
Written by Nick Standlea, founder of Test Prep Gurus. Updated October 2026.
Sources
- https://highschoolreach.com/merit-scholarships
- https://afford.ua.edu/scholarships/out-of-state-freshman/
- https://admission.tulane.edu/tuition-aid/merit-scholarships
- https://admission.usc.edu/scholarship-guide/
- https://www.prepgurus.com/frequently-asked-questions