Scholarship Calculator

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What the scholarship calculator does and when to use it

Will your GPA and ACT or SAT score get you money for college? Pick your state, enter both numbers, and the calculator checks you against every state merit scholarship in its list: which ones you meet, which ones are close, and what each one pays.

Use it junior year, while there is still time to raise a test score, and again before senior-year deadlines. It covers 10 states with statewide merit programs, from Florida Bright Futures to Georgia HOPE. It doesn’t cover need-based aid, which the FAFSA decides, or awards a single college offers on its own.

How to use the scholarship calculator

Three steps get you a result, and your numbers save on this device.

1. Pick your stateChoose it in State on the line above the inputs. The result lists that state’s programs right away, with their minimums.
2. Enter your GPA and scoreType your GPA under GPA and your best ACT composite or SAT total under ACT/SAT (optional). The number tells the calculator which test it is; leave it blank if you haven’t tested yet.
3. Match your situationOpen Options ▾ to set GPA type (unweighted or weighted) and Graduating class. South Carolina students also see Class rank.

Not sure what to type? Show an example fills in the Florida student used in the next section. To come back to your result, use Save this calculation, Email to me, Print / PDF or Copy link under the result.

How state merit scholarships are checked, with one worked example

Each program sets minimums, and you have to meet all of them. Most pair a GPA with an ACT or SAT score; a few accept either one, and South Carolina’s LIFE Scholarship takes 2 of 3.

Say you’re a Florida senior in the class of 2026 with a 3.6 weighted GPA and a 27 on the ACT. Florida Bright Futures has two main awards:

Award	GPA minimum	Your GPA	ACT minimum	Your ACT	Result
Florida Medallion Scholars	3.00 weighted	3.6	24	27	Meets the minimums
Florida Academic Scholars	3.50 weighted	3.6	29	27	Close: 2 points short

Your GPA clears both bars, so the test score decides it. A 27 beats Medallion’s 24, so you meet Medallion’s minimums; it falls 2 points short of Academic Scholars’ 29. The calculator shows “1 of 2” and names Academic Scholars as close.

One catch: Florida counts its own Bright Futures GPA, weighted over 16 college-prep credits. Your school’s GPA can come out higher or lower, so confirm yours with your counselor before you count on an award.

How to read your scholarship result

The big number shows how many of your state’s programs you meet out of how many there are. The sentence under it names them and the closest miss, and Your next steps lists what to do now.

Under it, each program gets a card with one of four statuses, its award and a checklist of its minimums next to your numbers:

Status	What it means	What to do
Meets the minimums	Your numbers clear every published minimum	Check the other requirements and apply by the deadline
Close	One minimum is just out of reach: 0.2 GPA, 2 ACT points or 80 SAT points	Retest, or plan the GPA you need
Not yet	You’re further from one minimum, or short on more than one	Look at the programs you’re closer to
Needs info	A number is missing, like your test score or class rank	Add it in the calculator

Award shows what the state publishes, like 75% of tuition or up to $5,000 a year. Kentucky’s KEES award is worked out from your GPA and score with KHEAA’s tables.

What changes your scholarship eligibility

Your state’s GPA. Several states recalculate your GPA their own way. Georgia’s HOPE GPA counts core classes only, removes your school’s weighting and adds 0.5 for AP, IB and dual-enrollment grades. Tennessee and South Carolina use a Uniform Grading Policy GPA, and Louisiana counts only TOPS core courses.

Your graduating class. Minimums move from year to year. Florida raises the Medallion ACT minimum from 24 to 25 for the class of 2027, so set Graduating class in Options. West Virginia hasn’t published class of 2027 scores yet, so the calculator shows class of 2026 for now.

GPA or test, not both. Tennessee HOPE takes a 3.0 GPA or a 21 ACT. Nevada’s Millennium Scholarship lets an ACT 21 or SAT 1070 stand in for its 3.25 GPA. Arkansas pairs a 3.0 GPA with any test score on record, or a lower GPA with an ACT 19.

Rules beyond the numbers. Each program also has residency, coursework and application rules. Florida asks for 75 to 100 service or work hours, and South Carolina’s Palmetto Fellows need a top 6% class rank on the main route.

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