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Monitor your financial aid application status through AU Access > My Finances. Log in using your AU username and password to access your account. Most tasks and submissions can be managed through our Student Forms portal.
Your financial aid eligibility is determined by several factors including your Student Aid Index (SAI) as calculated by your FAFSA, timeliness of application, estimated cost of attendance, classification, receipt of outside aid, satisfactory academic progress, minimum credit hour requirements, and availability of funds. Your financial aid offer may consist of scholarships, grants, loans, Federal Work Study, or a combination of these programs. Scholarships and grants do not have to be repaid. Loans must be repaid. Federal Work Study offers are earned, and bi-weekly payment is made for work performed.
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Visit AU Access > My Finances to check your status.
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Financial aid offers will be sent to your Auburn email address with instructions to view and Accept/Decline on My Finances.
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If you anticipate receipt of any external aid that is not displayed on your Aid Offer, you must report the source and amount to our office. Additional instructions will accompany the Financial Aid Offer Email.
Frequently Asked Questions
The estimated cost of attendance (COA) represents the approximate expenses associated with attending AU and residing in Auburn for an academic year. This figure includes estimated costs for tuition, books, housing and food, personal expenses, and transportation. Actual expenses may vary based on individual spending habits.
Student Aid Index is the formal evaluation of a student’s approximate financial resources to contribute toward their postsecondary education for a specific aid year. Your SAI is calculated based on the data that you provide on the FAFSA. We use the SAI, among other factors, to determine how much and what types of aid that you qualify for. Prior to aid year 2024-25, SAI was referred to as Expected Family Contribution (EFC).
Outside resources include other aid sources that either you have reported to us or we have identified on your student billing statement. These resources include but are not limited to fee waivers, AL GI Dependents Scholarship Program, Vocational Rehabilitation, and any other outside scholarships or loans.
Financial need is the difference between your estimated cost of attendance and your Student Aid Index (SAI). The formula is: COA minus SAI minus other aid = Financial Need. The need amount represents the limit of your eligibility to participate in need-based programs which include grants, Federal Direct Subsidized Loans, and Federal Work Study. If your calculated need is 0, you may qualify for non need-based aid such as Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans and/or Federal Parent PLUS Loans.
Unmet need represents the portion of need that cannot be fulfilled through need-based aid programs. It is calculated as Unmet need = Need minus need-based aid. Unmet need may exist even after you have been offered the maximum limits available through need-based programs.
The amount expected to be paid by the student and/or family for tuition, books, housing and food, personal expenses, and transportation equals the estimated cost of attendance minus total aid received. In most cases, the aid received might not cover the entire COA. Parent Loans and private alternative loans are available options to bridge the remaining gap.
A parent of a dependent undergraduate student can borrow an amount equal to the estimated cost of attendance minus the total aid expected to be received by the student.
