The University of Oklahoma publishes a full GPA-and-ACT/SAT-to-dollar ladder for both residents and non-residents -- and the non-resident version has a genuine structural quirk: the ranking by dollar amount doesn't track GPA the way you'd assume.
See all 17 real automatic scholarship charts covered this cycle for how this compares to other public universities' own tables.
The resident chart
| Scholarship Tier | ACT | SAT | GPA | Annual Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academic Achievement | 24–27 | 1160–1290 | 3.25+ | $2,000 |
| University Scholarship | 28 | 1300–1320 | 3.5+ | $2,500 |
| Distinguished Scholar | 29–30 | 1330–1380 | 3.5+ | $3,000 |
| Award of Excellence | 31+ | 1390+ | 3.5+ | $4,000 |
The non-resident chart
| Scholarship Tier | ACT | SAT | GPA | Annual Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merit Award | 24–25 | 1160–1220 | 3.5+ | $10,000 |
| Honor Award | 26 | 1230 | 3.25–3.49 | $11,000 |
| Academic Achievement | 26–27 | 1230–1290 | 3.5+ | $12,000 |
| University Scholarship | 28 | 1300–1320 | 3.5+ | $13,000 |
| Distinguished Scholar | 29–30 | 1330–1380 | 3.5+ | $15,000 |
| Award of Excellence | 31+ | 1390+ | 3.5+ | $17,000 |
All figures are per year, renewable for up to four years total ($8,000–$16,000 resident; $40,000–$68,000 non-resident).
The part that surprises people: the Honor Award beats the Merit Award with a lower GPA
Look at the bottom two rows of the non-resident chart. Merit Award needs a 3.5+ GPA and pays $10,000/year. Honor Award needs only a 3.25–3.49 GPA -- a full band lower -- and pays $11,000/year, more than Merit Award. The difference is the ACT: Honor Award's fixed 26 beats Merit Award's 24–25 range. At most schools with this kind of chart (see Alabama's, where a higher GPA band buys you slack on the test score at the same dollar amount), a higher GPA never costs you money outright. At OU's non-resident chart, it briefly can -- a student with a 3.6 GPA and a 24 ACT is locked into the lower Merit Award, while a student with a 3.30 GPA and a 26 ACT clears the more valuable Honor Award tier.
National Merit Semifinalists and Finalists sit outside this ladder
OU also lists separate, substantially larger awards for National Merit Finalists and Semifinalists who name OU their first-choice school -- a different mechanism entirely from the GPA/ACT chart above, and outside the scope of our National Merit cutoff coverage since it depends on Semifinalist/Finalist standing, not a raw test score. If National Merit standing applies to you, confirm the current award directly with OU's scholarship office rather than assuming it slots into the chart above.
What this means for you
- Don't assume a higher GPA always means a higher award. On OU's non-resident chart specifically, check both rows near your GPA band -- a slightly lower GPA with a higher ACT can out-earn a higher GPA with a lower ACT.
- The resident and non-resident charts use different GPA floors at the bottom tier. Resident's lowest tier accepts a 3.25 GPA; non-resident's lowest listed tier (Merit Award) requires 3.5+, with Honor Award as the only non-resident tier open to the 3.25–3.49 band.
- Test-optional applicants are reviewed holistically instead of by this chart. OU states scholarships for test-optional students go through holistic review, not the ACT/SAT-keyed ladder above.
- If you're a National Merit Semifinalist or Finalist, don't default to the chart above. Confirm your award directly, since that program runs on separate terms.