California merit scholarships for a 4.0 GPA
A student with a 4.0 GPA (4.0 scale) meets the published GPA threshold at 13 colleges in California in our verified dataset, before any test-score condition is considered. 5 of those colleges guarantee the award automatically for students who meet the full published criteria; 8 automatically consider students, with amounts that are not guaranteed. Each row shows the college's top award reachable at this GPA, with its test-score threshold where the grid also requires one. All figures come from the colleges' own published pages, verified 2026-11-02.
Guaranteed automatic awards
Each award below is labelled guaranteed automatic because the college's own page explicitly says the award is automatic for students who meet the published criteria. Amounts are exact published figures. The award shown is the top published award at this college that the band on this page reaches — its remaining conditions (GPA, residency, deadlines) are on its row.
| College — top award | Min GPA | Min SAT | Min ACT | $/year | 4-yr total | Residency | Deadline | Separate app? | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Baptist University Riverside, CA Trustees Scholarship Guaranteed — published by the college | 4.0 | — | — | $18,000 | $72,000 | both | No | Official source Verified 2026-11-02 | |
| Pacific Union College Angwin, CA President's Scholarship Guaranteed — published by the college | 3.75 | 1350 | 29 | $16,000 | $64,000 | both | No | Official source Verified 2026-11-02 | |
| The Master's University Santa Clarita, CA Distinguished Academic Scholarship Guaranteed — published by the college | 3.75 | — | — | $11,000 | $44,000 | both | No | Official source Verified 2026-11-02 | |
| San Diego Christian College Santee, CA Honor's Scholarship Guaranteed — published by the college | 3.8 | — | — | $11,000 | $44,000 | both | No | Official source Verified 2026-11-02 | |
| Occidental College Los Angeles, CA 3.6+ GPA Scholarship Guarantee (minimum merit scholarship) Guaranteed — published by the college | 3.6 | — | — | $10,000 | $40,000 | both | No | Official source Verified 2026-11-02 |
Automatically considered — amount not guaranteed
For the awards below, the college automatically considers students who meet the published criteria, but the amount is not guaranteed. Figures shown are the college's published amounts a student may be awarded — read the official source for how selection and funding work.
| College — top award | Min GPA | Min SAT | Min ACT | $/year | 4-yr total | Residency | Deadline | Separate app? | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Lutheran University Thousand Oaks, CA Public Price Promise Scholarship Consideration — amount not guaranteed | 3.9 | — | — | $34,000 (published figure — not guaranteed) | $136,000 (published figure — not guaranteed) | in_state | No | Official source Verified 2026-11-02 | |
| Dominican University of California San Rafael, CA Trustee Scholarship Consideration — amount not guaranteed | 3.85 | — | — | $28,000 (published figure — not guaranteed) | $112,000 (published figure — not guaranteed) | both | No | Official source Verified 2026-11-02 | |
| Point Loma Nazarene University San Diego, CA President's Gold Consideration — amount not guaranteed | 3.95 | 1430 | 32 | $26,000 (published figure — not guaranteed) | $104,000 (published figure — not guaranteed) | both | No | Official source Verified 2026-11-02 | |
| Biola University La Mirada, CA William Blackstone Transfer Academic Scholarship Consideration — amount not guaranteed | 4.0 | — | — | $23,500 (published figure — not guaranteed) | $94,000 (published figure — not guaranteed) | both | No | Official source Verified 2026-11-02 | |
| Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA Provost's Scholarship Consideration — amount not guaranteed | 4.0 | — | — | $23,000 (published figure — not guaranteed) | $92,000 (published figure — not guaranteed) | both | No | Official source Verified 2026-11-02 | |
| Concordia University Irvine Irvine, CA Regents Scholarship Consideration — amount not guaranteed | 3.9 | — | — | $22,000 (published figure — not guaranteed) | $88,000 (published figure — not guaranteed) | both | No | Official source Verified 2026-11-02 | |
| Fresno Pacific University Fresno, CA President's Scholarship Consideration — amount not guaranteed | 4.0 | — | — | $19,000 (published figure — not guaranteed) | $76,000 (published figure — not guaranteed) | both | No | Official source Verified 2026-11-02 | |
| William Jessup University Rocklin, CA Trustees Scholar Consideration — amount not guaranteed | 4.0 | — | — | $14,000 (published figure — not guaranteed) | $56,000 (published figure — not guaranteed) | both | No | Official source Verified 2026-11-02 |
Common questions
How many California colleges guarantee a merit scholarship at a 4.0 GPA?
5 colleges in California guarantee an award automatically at a 4.0 GPA, when the student also meets the award's other published conditions. 8 more consider students automatically at this GPA, but their amounts are not guaranteed.
What is the biggest merit award in California at a 4.0 GPA?
The tables above are sorted by the published amount per year, separately for guaranteed awards and for automatic-consideration awards — the top row of each table is the largest published amount at this GPA in the state.
Where do these amounts come from?
Every figure is taken from the college's own published merit page and was verified on 2026-11-02. Always confirm on the official source before applying.
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