To be eligible for a Michigan Merit Award, a student must:

• Take all four MEAP high school tests prior to the end of the student's senior year of high school ... Writing, Reading, Mathematics and Science. Social Studies and Listening are not required to earn a Michigan Merit Award.
• Achieve Level I ("Exceeded Michigan Standards") or Level II ("Met Michigan Standards") on all four tests.
• Meet all other eligibility requirements.

Alternate Ways to Qualify

If a student takes all four of the MEAP tests, achieves Level I or Level II on at least two of the tests, and meets all other eligibility requirements, there are two alternate ways to qualify for an award:

• Alternate "A" - The student also scores at or above the 75th percentile on the ACT or SAT tests. The qualifying ACT and SAT scores may differ year-to-year, based on national norms for each test. Currently, the qualifying score for ACT is a Sum score of 94 or higher (or, a Composite score of 24 or higher); the qualifying score for SAT is 1170 or higher. These scores are not expected to change.

• Alternate "B" - The student also achieves qualifying scores on the WorkKeys job skills assessment test. The Michigan Merit Award Board defines WorkKeys qualifying scores (Class of 2002 and after):
  • Reading for Information test (a score of 5)
  • Applied Mathematics test (a score of 5)
  • Locating Information test (a score of 4)
  • Writing test (a score of 3)
  • Teamwork test - Not required

Details about taking the WorkKeys job skills assessment test.

If a student wishes to qualify through Alternate "A" or "B", all applicable tests must be taken prior to the end of the student's senior year of high school.

May I qualify for a Merit Award simply by doing well on the ACT or SAT tests? - No. To receive a Michigan Merit Award, students must take all four MEAP High School Tests and meet all other eligibility requirements.

If I think I qualify under Alternate "A," what must I do to ensure the Michigan Merit Award program receives my ACT or SAT scores?

• ACT - The Michigan Department of Treasury routinely receives ACT scores. Students need not take any additional action. When a Michigan student takes the ACT test, the student authorizes ACT to release test scores to the State of Michigan for scholarship purposes (unless the student expressly states otherwise).
• SAT - Students who take the SAT test must make a formal request to SAT to send their scores to the Michigan Merit Award Program (code #1173).

May scores from different ACT or SAT test administrations be combined to reach the qualifying ACT or SAT score? - No. Only the highest ACT or SAT Sum score from a single test administration will be considered. A student may not "combine" scores from different ACT or SAT test administrations.

Other Eligibility Requirements

In addition to achieving qualifying scores on the high school MEAP tests (and other authorized tests, as needed), a student must:

• Graduate from a Michigan high school, acquire the GED, or as a Michigan resident graduate from an out-of-state high school.
• Have never been convicted of a felony involving an assault, physical injury or death.
• Enroll at an approved postsecondary educational institution.
• Use award monies for eligible costs.