<p>1) As far as I am aware of, yes, everyone whose scores meet the requirements receives the 40K (provided they maintain a 2.5 GPA throughout their time here).</p>
<p>2) I do not know of any exceptions, although I definitely understand your reasoning and point of view. Maybe you could call and ask them, but I would venture the answer is no.</p>
<p>3) If you are an ethnic minority or a girl, you may consider applying for the President’s Scholar Program, which gives full tuition but is very competitive (it is in the link you posted).</p>
<p>If it were me, personally, I would retake the SAT to see if you can up it to the cutoff - you are almost there! I believe you can do it!</p>