I heard a rumor if you get at least 30 on any sub-test on the ACT, you can get a scholarship.
I got a 31 on my Science Reasoning sub-test. Since I don’t have a science related major, I was told that the score is useless and cannot get a scholarship.
Is either or both parts of this rumor true?
Depends on the school. Your best bet is to contact the individual college or university you’re hoping to attend and ask them.
If you’re in a non-science major, and you’ve done significantly worse on the non-science ACTs, that might look bad, but I think, generally speaking, any high standardized test score acts as support for merit-based aid because it shows an aptitude for academic work.
Check with your colleges. I got a 30 on my ACT and got a very nice “full boat” scholarship to a small college. I think they pay more attention to the total score rather than any one section.
And a note: I made a 25 the first time I took the test - and my sectional scores varied widely. I followed my advisor’s suggestion and took the test again. This time my scores were closely grouped and my advisor said that I probably would not improve my score by retaking. You might take the test again and see if you do better overall.
I had a 30 on my ACT and was given a scholarship because of it. Of course I didn’t find out until 1/2 way through my first sememster that they revoked the scholarship because of my parent’s income. What fun to have your classes dropped, zeros reported and a huge unexpected bill in your first semester of college. Luckily I got it all straightened out in the end. I never did get my scholarship money until after I was no longer considered a “dependent” (23) even though my parents didn’t pay a single cent of my tuition.
The college I’m currently attending offers scholarships to students with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 and over and who scored upwards of 23 on the ACT. I have been kicking myself repeatedly for my own academic apathy. With the ACT bracket I’m in, I’ll be entitled to $2,500 a semester as soon as I get my grades up.
Depends on the school. Here in Mississippi, getting above a 30 puts you in a place to get a near-free ride, providing you keep your GPA up.
I have a 33, but I’m a transfer student 
Transfer students get the shaft when it comes to scholarships.
My nephew’s in the same position as mambozzy - He dropped out of high school, but took the ACT for fun. He scored a cumulative ACT score of 34, but didn’t get any college offers, even after he took (and passed) the GED.
StG
Totally depends on the school. But I think that it is almost always the overall score that is used, not any section scores.
Plus, while I believe that the ACT is overall a generally good measure of your test-taking ability and whatnot, I think the section tests are an awful indicator of your actual knowledge and experience in that area. For example: I made a 29 in the Science-Reasoning section, and I thought it was the hardest one. Guess what - I’m majoring in the sciences (biology and chemistry, specifically) with a 4.0 and one of the top students in my major at my small college. My other scores? 36 in Math, 34 in Reading, and 33 in English. I’ll be the first to admit my abilities in those “subjects” are somewhat lacking. This is the case with several people I know. In any case, my full ride scholarship was based on my 33 overall score (plus GPA).
Bottom line: I think most of what you heard is a big fat rumor, spurred by either a certain school or a misunderstanding. And congratulations on your good scores! Unless your others are on the fairly low end, you probably have an overall score that could be in contention for a scholarship. Take Ace309’s suggestion and check the schools you’re interested in.
I’m in Mississippi, and my ACT 24 got my tuition slashed in half. If I had made one point higher (one measy point!) I would have gotten a free tuition. Had I made a 30, I would have received free tuition, board, and books.
I would definitely say it depends on the school. I went to the UW-Madison and didn’t get anything from them (though the College of Engineering and my specific department gave me scholarships, those weren’t based on ACT scores).
You can wheedle some concessions out of any school that is willing to admit you, simply by going in for an interview, making a good impression, and appearing motivated.
Standardized scoring is merely a broad sorting factor, it may get your foot in the door, but if you’re a lazy uninterested bastard, and it shows, you’re not going to get anything… even if you have 99th percentile scores.
I’ll chime in with saying it depends on the school. My boyfriend and I both had 4.0 high school GPAs, scored a 34 and 33 respectively on the ACT and still recieved little from our state university. Nothing close to covering tuition, let alone housing or books. Sorry, I don’t want to turn this into a rant…
Anway, you may have more luck finding private scholarships through local service organizations and the like. Good luck.
I’ll second Amazinggrace’s comment on state schools not being terribly inclined to give resident students much in the way of tuition assistance, regardless of what wonderful students they may be.
I don’t know if this is just because you’re getting in at a cheaper rate to begin with (and so, out-of-state students think they’re getting a bunch when really they’re just getting their fees knocked down to resident levels), or because it’s something to do with diversity.