<p>Does anyone know whether or not there's a "magical" ACT cut-off score for merit aid consideration? I'm know it's all generally dependent on the individual school, but I'm wondering if there's a certain benchmark ACT score that might make a difference between receiving merit aid or not being considered. My daughter took the ACT in April and will take the SAT tomorrow morning. She scored a 31 composite on the ACT and we're wondering if it might be wise to have her take it one more time and see if she can raise her score to a 32. I hate to see her suffer through anymore testing than necessary! I've seen some schools list very clear cut-off numbers, but others are vague. She's most likely looking to apply to LACs such as Macalester, Oberlin, and Whitman. Thanks for any thoughts on this subject!</p>
<p>General consensus among my D's high school friends was 33 and above for best scholarships. However, good merit seemed to come to 31 or 32, as well. There are schools that might be considered less selective than the ones you named where a 29 or 30 might net a decent scholarship. There really is no rule of thumb ...</p>
<p>As for retaking ACT, my D raised her score 3 points ... into best scholarship territory. Personally, I think it's worth a try IF the kid is willing.</p>
<p>I've seen a lot of cutoffs at 32. I got a 31 the first time I took the ACT and a 32 the second. I think retaking it was definitely worth it! It gave me a lot more peace of mind in regards to scholarships.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>My daughter got a pretty good one with a 32. If she had managed one extra point (actually the requirement was slightly odd - a 133 combined of all subscores so a 33.25) she would have go almost $2.5k more a year.</p>
<p>So yes I think it is worth the retake.</p>
<p>Thanks to all for the suggestions thus far. My daughter just returned from taking the SAT and is glad to be done with testing for awhile. I mentioned that it might be worth taking the ACT again in Sept. and she groaned, but I imagine she'd consider it after summer vacation! Any other thoughts on this issue?</p>
<p>My S scored 32 on his first try, and that is good enough. It is not worth making him retake as he is not applying to highly selective schools. Look at the websites of the schools your d is potentially interested in and go from there. If highly selective tier 1's, then a 31 or 32 isn't going to get $$. You'd be surprised at what scores qualify as you look at tier 2 and tier 3 schools.</p>
<p>lofquestions:</p>
<p>with score choice, your D can take the ACT just for "practice," even this June (just don't list any colleges nor your HS to receive reports). </p>
<p>But, The Mom is correct -- check out the websites of the schools your D is considering -- some have a table showing minimum cutoffs. For example, a 34 puts one in contention for a full tuition scholarship at UMiami, whereas a 32 is competitive for a lesser scholarship.</p>
<p>Aim for the highest you can get w/o becoming obsessed because Merit money is very elusive. The Mom is right, at highly selective schools not even a 36 will get you any money.</p>
<p>Our high school college and career center counselor says a 33 ACT is worth trying for to get the big money; she says it's the magic number for lots of schools. She showed me something from Montana State that indicated you could expect an extra $7000 (I think per year) if you achieved a 33.</p>
<p>My son scored 32 on the first go-round and we signed him up for a retake; unfortunately he decided to stay out until 3 a.m. the night before with his then-girlfriend and of course was in no position to take a test the following day. Perhaps when he is paying off the many extra thousands of $ in future years he will regret his decision :)</p>
<p>He is not at Montana State but received a fairly good FA package including a nice grant from the school he did end up accepting, so I'm sure the 32 had some effect.</p>
<p>Google "act scores merit scholarships" and lots of stuff comes up!</p>
<p>To my knowledge, Macalester doesn't give merit awards.</p>
<p>Whitman, Grinnell, and Kenyon offered merit for my daughter's 33ACT.</p>
<p>Macalester does have some merit awards, according to their website. Their focus is more on meeting need, though. As I recall, Kenyon doesn't have many merit awards, either (although that may have changed).</p>
<p>kelsmom:</p>
<p>You're right with Macalester. I reread the web page more carefully.</p>
<p>Kenyon offered $20,000. We have no financial need.</p>
<p>If your kid is going to retake the ACT, have him/her do some exam prep. Go to the library and check out all of the ACT prep materials (I like Princeton Review myself, but others favor other materials), and work through the exercises, and think carefully about test-taking strategies.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>My D ACT was 33 and she received a number of substantial merit ad offers. Of course colleges will look at the whole package, not just test scores.</p>
<p>The full ride scholarship that I received was at 33. Since I had a 33 at first and then 34 second time and was interested in getting a big scholarship, I did a lot of research. I don't recall any scholarships that had a cut-off of higher than 33. Most of the public university one's are based highly on ACT scores, so if you are looking for a full ride, a public school is definately your best bet if you can get a 33.</p>
<p>D got a 31 and got plenty of good merit aid offers. You will do fine with a 32, be sure to apply to a couple of acceptable tier 2 schools so you have a viable option if the top tier doesn't come through.</p>
<p>I agree that a 33 makes a huge difference. We live in OK and the sum score of 133 automatically qualifies for large merit aid at state universities. Just under $40K at Oklahoma State.</p>