The University of North Dakota runs one of the simplest automatic scholarship structures in this cluster -- just three tiers, no separate resident and non-resident tables -- but its top tier has a genuine "either/or" structure worth understanding before you assume you need both a strong GPA and a strong test score.
See all 17 real automatic scholarship charts covered this cycle for how this compares to other public universities' own tables.
The chart
| Unweighted, Cumulative High School GPA | Total Award | Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 3.90+ | $14,000 | $3,500 |
| 30+ ACT (1370+ SAT) with 3.00+ GPA | $14,000 | $3,500 |
| 3.70–3.89 | $11,000 | $2,750 |
| 3.50–3.69 | $1,500 (one-time, non-renewable) | — |
Both top-tier rows pay the identical $14,000 over four years ($3,500/year) -- they're two separate doors into the same award, not two different awards.
The part that surprises people: a 0.9-point GPA gap between the two paths to the same award
A student with a 3.90 GPA and no test score reaches UND's top $14,000 award. So does a student with only a 3.00 GPA -- a full 0.9 points lower -- as long as they submit a 30+ ACT or 1370+ SAT. Both land on the exact same dollar figure. This is a meaningfully different structure from a school where GPA and test score are just two separate hurdles you both have to clear: at UND, a strong enough test score substitutes for nearly a full GPA point, not just a fraction of one.
The bottom tier is a real cliff, not a gradual step-down
The gap between the second and third tiers isn't proportional to the others. Moving from 3.70-3.89 GPA ($11,000 total) down to 3.50-3.69 GPA doesn't step down to a smaller renewable amount -- it drops to a single, non-renewable $1,500 payment. A student just under the 3.70 line loses not just dollar value but the entire four-year renewable structure in one step.
What this means for you
- A strong test score can make up for a GPA well below 3.90. If your GPA sits in the 3.00–3.89 range, submitting a 30+ ACT or 1370+ SAT is worth doing even if you'd otherwise skip testing -- it can be the difference between the top tier and a lower one.
- Don't assume the two 3.90+ and 30+ ACT rows are separate awards. They're two ways to qualify for the identical $14,000 total.
- The step from 3.70-3.89 down to 3.50-3.69 is much larger than it looks. It's the difference between $11,000 renewable over four years and a one-time $1,500 payment.
- Hit the February 1 priority deadline. UND requires a completed admission application, official transcripts, and (if using the test-score path) official test scores by that date.