The Academic Common Market (ACM) is an agreement among participating Southern Regional Education Board states to help ensure students have broad access to a wide range of educational programs. According to the agreement, if a participating state does not offer a particular degree program through its state-supported (public) institutions, a resident of that state may be eligible to enroll in that degree program at an institution in one of the other states without having to pay out-of-state tuition. In addition to Alabama, states participating in ACM include:
Arkansas
Delaware
Georgia
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maryland
Mississippi
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Tennessee
Virginia
West Virginia
Auburn University currently accepts up to twenty-five (25) total students per academic year for admission into its ACM program. Students selected to participate in the program may receive in-state tuition for up to four semesters. Selection is competitive and is based on student performance (e.g., cumulative GPA, cumulative hours, etc.) as well as space available in the ACM program. Students cannot apply to the Academic Common Market until they are at the junior level. Accepted students must also meet academic success metrics to remain in the program.
It is important to note that the program inventory is subject to change without prior notice. Should a student apply to a program that a home state has removed from Auburn’s program inventory, the application will not be considered.
Auburn’s ACM program is not available for second undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, or first-professional programs such as pharmacy, nursing, and veterinary medicine.
Minimum Criteria to Apply
Students who meet the following minimum criteria may apply for Auburn’s ACM program:
Be accepted into a degree program that qualifies for academic common market status
Have a minimum GPA of 3.00 for all college-level course work attempted
Have completed a minimum of 60 semester hour credits (junior standing) by the term they wish to be enrolled as an academic common market student
Minimum Criteria to Remain in the Program
Once selected to participate in Auburn’s ACM program, a student may continue in the program for up to four semesters provided that the student:
Remains in the originally approved program
Maintains a 3.00 minimum un-gapped cumulative GPA for all Auburn course work attempted
Completes at least 12 degree applicable hours per semester
Continuous enrollment does not require summer attendance. Breaks in continuous enrollment for university-approved activities (e.g., a Co-op program) may also be accommodated with prior approval.
An audit will be conducted each semester for all students participating in the program to verify that all of the above conditions are met. Students who do not meet the established criteria will be removed from the program immediately.
Application Process
Students who meet the minimum criteria may apply as follows:
Submit the AU-ACM Application to the Office of Academic Affairs, 306 Samford Hall, Auburn, AL 36849 or email the form to au-acm@auburn.edu.
Auburn University will evaluate applications, make preliminary acceptance decisions, and inform the student and the student’s state ACM coordinator that the student is eligible for the ACM program.
Students who receive preliminary acceptance must then certify their state of residency by contacting their home-state ACM coordinator. Different states have different requirements to certify residency. Contact information for each state ACM Coordinator can be found at: https://www.sreb.org/state-contacts
Upon receipt of residency verification, Auburn will notify the student through a letter of final acceptance into the ACM program.
Application Deadlines
Application deadlines are as follows:
Applications for Fall Semester open April 1 and close May 31
Applications for Spring Semester open August 1 and close September 30
