Iowa State University — Automatic Merit Scholarships
Ames, Iowa · 3 published award(s) in our verified dataset.
Guaranteed — published by the college
These figures come from Iowa State University's own published merit grid / scholarship page, whose wording makes the awards automatic for students who meet the criteria. Every row links to its official source and shows its verification date. Admission is not guaranteed by meeting a merit threshold.
Guaranteed automatic awards
Each award below is labelled guaranteed automatic because the college's own page explicitly says the award is automatic for students who meet the published criteria. Amounts are exact published figures.
| Award | Min GPA | Min SAT | Min ACT | $/year | 4-yr total | Residency | Deadline | Separate app? | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recognition Award Guaranteed — published by the college GPA 3.80+ with ACT 32/SAT 1450. | 3.8 | 1450 | 32 | $3,000 | $12,000 | in-state | No | Official source Verified 2026-11-02 | |
| Recognition Award Guaranteed — published by the college GPA 3.60+ with ACT 28/SAT 1300. | 3.6 | 1300 | 28 | $2,000 | $8,000 | in-state | No | Official source Verified 2026-11-02 | |
| Recognition Award Guaranteed — published by the college GPA 4.00 with no test score. | 4.0 | — | — | $1,500 | $6,000 | in-state | No | Official source Verified 2026-11-02 |
Score ROI — what the next tier takes at Iowa State University
Computed only from this college's own published thresholds above: for each pair of adjacent tiers, the score/GPA gap to the next award and what that gap is worth. Retesting only pays if the higher tier is actually reached and the award renews — check the published conditions.
| From tier | What it takes | Next tier | $ unlocked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recognition Award ($1,500/yr) | meeting the higher tier's published criteria | Recognition Award ($2,000/yr) | +$500/yr · +$2,000 over 4 years (guaranteed) |
| Recognition Award ($2,000/yr) | +4 ACT points and +150 SAT points and +0.2 GPA | Recognition Award ($3,000/yr) | +$1,000/yr · +$4,000 over 4 years (guaranteed) |
Published conditions & source wording
- Test-score basis: Superscore from official score results
- Application deadline: March 1, 2027 (priority)
- Renewal GPA: 2.5
The awards are automatically awarded to Iowa students who have been offered admission to Iowa State.
Questions
Does Iowa State University offer automatic merit?
Yes — the awards above are guaranteed automatic per the college's published source(s), verified 2026-11-02. Confirm current terms on the official page before applying.
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