Frequently Asked Questions
We receive a number of inquiries about the availability of scholarships and the process for consideration and selection. Almost all of these questions are answered in the information provided throughout our site. Some of the most frequently asked questions, as well as some of the more unusual questions, may be found here.
Scholarship Application
First-year students accepted for admission by mid-January receive automatic consideration for competitive merit scholarships. First-year students and transfer students accepted for admission by mid-January receive automatic consideration for select-need based scholarships. A scholarship application is not required.
First-year students and transfer students accepted for admission by mid-January and current Auburn students can apply for consideration of other institutional scholarships, including general and departmental scholarships, by completing the Auburn University Scholarship Opportunity Manager (AUSOM) application within AU Access by the deadline. Students are only required to complete the AUSOM application once each academic year.
AUSOM can be found within AU Access on Admitted Students for incoming students and on My Finances for incoming students who have submitted the confirmation deposit and current students. Students use their AU Access User Name and Password to log in. The User Name is provided in the acceptance for admission letter for incoming students, and account activation is required prior to login.
When accessing AUSOM through secure home, office, or school networks, a firewall may block or prevent access. It may be helpful to access AUSOM through a network or computer in another location.
Students are encouraged to review Scholarship Dates & Deadlines to ensure maximum scholarship consideration. First-year students accepted for admission by mid-January receive consideration for first-year student scholarships. A scholarship application is not required for competitive merit scholarships.
February 15 is the scholarship deadline. Incoming and current Auburn students must complete the scholarship application through AUSOM to receive general and departmental scholarship consideration.
Transfer students accepted to the Nursing professional program as well as current Auburn students accepted to the Nursing or Veterinary Medicine professional program or enrolled in the Pharmacy professional program must complete the scholarship application through AUSOM by June 1 to receive departmental scholarship consideration.
The General Application includes consideration for many departmental scholarships. However, some colleges require completion of a Supplemental Application within AUSOM for departmental scholarship consideration. Supplemental Applications appear to students who must answer additional questions to receive consideration for department scholarships and are based on the student's major.
Students should only complete the questions that pertain to the academic major studying or planning to study. Students are encouraged to complete all Supplemental Applications as well as the General Application. Within the General Application, students have an opportunity to indicate interest in receiving consideration for certain special interest scholarships, which also requires completion of a Supplemental Application.
If there is a change in major, students should review their scholarship application to answer possible additional questions for department scholarship consideration in the new major.
In some cases, general scholarships awarded by the Office of University Scholarships and departmental scholarships awarded by the college in which enrolled or planning to enroll require additional information specific to individual scholarships. Students are encouraged to review the suggested list of these Recommended Opportunities and provide any information requested to receive further consideration for those scholarships. More information can be found on Application Types on AUSOM.
General Information
As a general practice, students are ineligible to receive more than one competitive merit scholarship and typically do not receive more than one general scholarship.
Students may receive a combination of competitive merit, select need-based, general, and departmental scholarships, provided the total amount awarded in institutional scholarships does not exceed Auburn’s annual estimated cost of attendance.
External scholarships do not contribute to this total, and Auburn University does not limit external scholarships by number or amount. However, any amount received in scholarships may affect the amount of federal financial aid for which students are eligible. Individual scholarships awarded by other internal or external sources may have restrictions which require them to be awarded or disbursed at a lesser amount.
Competitive merit scholarships are awarded mid-November, mid-December, and mid-February. Recipients are notified by email to their Auburn email account and by postal mail to their permanent address.
Select need-based scholarships are awarded late February. Recipients are notified by email to their Auburn email account.
General and departmental scholarships are awarded in late March. Recipients are notified by email to their Auburn email account.
Departmental scholarships in the College of Nursing, Harrison College of Pharmacy, and College of Veterinary Medicine are awarded in early July. Recipients are notified by email to their Auburn email account.
Visit Dates and Deadlines for more information.
Students who have been awarded a scholarship must accept their scholarship online through the Auburn University Scholarship Opportunity Manager (AUSOM). AUSOM can be found within AU Access on Admitted Students for incoming students and on My Finances for incoming students who have submitted the confirmation deposit and current students. Students should follow the instructions as prompted to review the scholarship offer and click “Accept” under the appropriate scholarship.
Competitive merit, select need-based, and general scholarships awarded by late March have a response deadline of May 1.
Response deadlines for departmental scholarships may vary, but most awarded by late March have a response deadline of May 1. If a response deadline earlier than May 1 is noted, recipients have the option to request in writing an extension of their decision until May 1.
Departmental scholarships awarded by the College of Nursing, Harrison College of Pharmacy, and College of Veterinary Medicine in early July have a response deadline of seven (7) days from offer date.
Competitive merit scholarships are over awarded based on the response rate from previous years and are not re-awarded if declined. All other scholarships are re-awarded if declined.
Scholarship opportunities intended to support Auburn University’s goal of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion among its student body, which is key to its educational mission, are awarded by the Office of University Scholarships and each of the 12 colleges. Scholarships are available through the Auburn University Scholarship Opportunity Manager (AUSOM) and can be found by browsing “All” scholarships and searching by the keywords or phrases:
- Accessibility
- Financial need
- First-generation
- Pell grant
Students can also find links to specific scholarship foundations or organizations with a focus on diversity under Scholarship Resources or by using a recommended external scholarship search engine. Additionally, students of Native American descent should contact their local tribal council regarding scholarship opportunities.
The Alabama GI Dependents' Scholarship program is an academic scholarship program administrated by the State of Alabama, Department of Veterans’ Affairs, and applies to the dependents of Alabama’s disabled veterans. Additional information about this program may be found here.
The Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) program offers education and training opportunities to eligible dependents of veterans who are permanently and totally disabled due to a service-related condition or died while on active duty or as a result of a service-related condition.
Additional scholarship opportunities for veterans and their dependents are available through the Auburn University Scholarship Opportunity Manager (AUSOM), found by browsing “All” scholarships and searching by the keywords or phrases “veteran,” "armed forces," "military," or "American Legion." Students are also encouraged to contact Auburn University’s Veteran Resource Center for additional information and benefits available to veterans and their dependents.
The State of Alabama does not have a state-sponsored merit-based scholarship for its residents. Auburn is unable to match funds awarded through state-sponsored merit-based scholarship programs by other states to its residents. This includes funds awarded through, but not limited to, the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship, Georgia HOPE Scholarship, Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES), Louisiana's Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS), South Carolina Palmetto Fellows Scholarship, and Tennessee HOPE Scholarship.
Residency is determined by the Office of the Registrar. For more information on residency requirements, please visit Residency or call (334) 844-2544.
Beneficiaries of Alabama Prepaid Affordable College Tuition (PACT) Program or another prepaid tuition plan should complete the Prepaid Tuition Plan Notification form located on AU's Student Financial Service's website to request payment of funds. The website can also be accessed on My Finances in AU Access. Having a prepaid tuition plan does not adversely affect a student’s consideration for scholarships.
Invoking the Grade Adjustment Policy will adjust a student’s cumulative Auburn GPA. For general scholarship consideration and competitive merit scholarship renewal, the Office of University Scholarships only reviews a student's unadjusted, cumulative Auburn GPA. The unadjusted, cumulative Auburn GPA includes the grade(s) earned before the Grade Adjustment Policy was invoked. The Undergraduate Grade Adjustment Policy (GAP) provides more information.
First-Year Student Scholarships
For students enrolling fall 2024, first-year student scholarships will be awarded as competitive merit scholarships, achievement scholarships, and leadership scholarships. Consideration for competitive merit scholarships is based on high school GPA and standardized test score. Consideration for achievement and leadership scholarships is based on high school GPA and information provided on the scholarship application.
Verify Auburn has received your most recent academic information in the Applicant Portal. Auburn University will accept the ACT Superscore Report. Auburn will also calculate a superscore for the SAT and any individual score reports from ACT. Only your best testing result will be used for scholarship consideration. Updated highest scores from individual tests must be received by Auburn by January 10. Scores received after this deadline will not be reviewed for competitive merit scholarship consideration.
For students who apply for admission as traditional applicants, standardized test score may also be considered. For students who apply for admission as test optional applicants, the academic assessment during the evaluation for admission may also considered.
More information on competitive merit scholarships, including estimated award amounts, can be found in first-year student scholarships.
Students who graduate in May or June of their senior year and enroll summer term at another postsecondary institution receive their first-year student scholarship as awarded beginning fall term when they enroll at Auburn. These students are not penalized for summer enrollment prior to enrolling at Auburn.
Students who graduate in December or January of their senior year and enroll at Auburn the spring term immediately following high school graduation may be considered for first-year student scholarships for the upcoming academic year beginning fall term. Students who enroll at another postsecondary institution the spring term following high school graduation and prior to enrollment at Auburn are transfer students and ineligible for freshman scholarship consideration.
Students who graduate in May or June of their junior year and enroll at Auburn the summer or fall term immediately following high school graduation receive consideration for first-year student scholarships. Students who enroll at another postsecondary institution the fall or spring term following high school graduation are automatically transfer students and ineligible for freshman scholarship consideration.
Students who graduate in May or June of their senior year and do not enroll at Auburn the summer or fall term immediately following high school graduation are ineligible for first-year student scholarship consideration. In limited or extenuating circumstances, students accepted for summer or fall term and awarded a merit scholarship may request a deferment subject to review and approval of their admission and scholarship until spring term. Students enrolling spring term and not previously approved for an admission and scholarship deferment may apply for general and departmental scholarships as current students during that term for the following academic year.
Students who wish to take a gap year, a year off between high school graduation and enrollment at Auburn, should apply for admission for the following fall term. Eligibility for admission and first-year student scholarships will be evaluated with the applicants for the following year, and students are subject to the scholarship requirements and award amounts for that year. Students who enroll at another postsecondary institution during a gap year are automatically transfer students and ineligible for freshman scholarship consideration.
General and Departmental Scholarships
Additionally, priority consideration for general scholarships is given to:
- First-year students who havee a high school GPA and a standardized test score at or above our middle 50%.
- Transfer students who have a minimum 3.5 transfer GPA and a minimum 45 transfer hours.
- Current students who are pursuing a first undergraduate degree; have a minimum 3.5 cumulative, unadjusted Auburn GPA at the conclusion of fall semester; and are projected to achieve junior class standing at the conclusion of spring semester.
Most general and departmental scholarships are awarded to one recipient and at an average award amount of $1,500 to $2,000 for one year. Award amounts vary based on available funding for each scholarship.
External Scholarships
External scholarship electronic payments should be sent using a preferred institutional payment method automated clearing house (ACH), E-Check, or credit card. New external scholarship donors may contact our scholarship specialist for assistance setting up their account for payments. Funds received via a preferred institutional payment method will be credited to the student's billing account within 3 business days.
Alternately, external scholarship checks may be sent to University Scholarships at 108 Mary Martin Hall for processing. All external scholarship checks should include the student’s full name and the student’s identification number.
Please note delays associated with the mail services provider may impact when the check is received by our office. It may take up to 7 business days following receipt for funds to be credited to the student's billing account.
External scholarship checks may be mailed to:
Office of University Scholarships
Attn: External Scholarships
108 Mary Martin Hall
Auburn University, Alabama 36849-5145
externalscholar@auburn.edu
Occasionally, external scholarship donors require proof of enrollment prior to sending funds. If so, a student may obtain an Enrollment Verification in AU Access under My Academics tab or by visiting the Office of the Registrar. The Office of the Registrar is located in Langdon Hall and can be reached at (334) 844-4770. Visit Enrollment Verification for more information on requesting enrollment verification.
External scholarship donors may also require that current students provide proof of academic standing to continue to receive funding. If so, students should contact the Office of the Registrar or visit Requesting an Official Transcript for information on requesting an official transcript.
Scholarship Payment and Renewal
Competitive merit scholarship recipients must earn a minimum of 24 Auburn credit hours from fall to spring semester of each academic year and achieve a minimum 3.0 cumulative, unadjusted Auburn GPA by the end of each spring semester to be eligible for renewal of their scholarship for the next academic year. Eligibility for scholarship renewal for the upcoming academic year is reviewed at the end of spring semester.
Competitive merit scholarship guidelines are provided with the student's award notification and can be viewed in the Auburn University Scholarship Opportunity Manager (AUSOM).
The Family Portal allows students to grant access to parents and families to view their academic schedule and grades. More information about access to this resource can be found on the Parent & Family Programs' Access to Resources.
Four-year scholarships awarded by the Office of University Scholarships are available for eight semesters. When you participate in a co-op program, the end term for your scholarship is extended each semester that you are working until you have used all eight semesters of your scholarship as an undergraduate student.
Our office routinely generates reports of students who are participating in co-op each semester, and we automatically adjust scholarships accordingly, so there is no need to notify us when you co-op or when you return. We will send an email to your Auburn email address when your scholarship is adjusted.
The tables below show typical co-op schedules and the criteria that will be reviewed to determine your eligibility for scholarship renewal for the following academic year.
| Term | Schedule | Renewal |
| Fall | AU | Must earn a total of 24 Auburn hours between fall and summer and |
| Spring | Co-op | maintain a 3.0 cumulative, unadjusted Auburn GPA. |
| Summer | AU |
| Term | Schedule | Renewal |
| Fall | Co-op | Must earn a total of 12 Auburn hours during spring semester and |
| Spring | AU | maintain a 3.0 cumulative, unadjusted Auburn GPA. |
| Summer | Co-op |
Yes, during a student's co-op schedule, there will be a year where it will be necessary to enroll summer term to stay on course to renew a four-year competitive merit scholarship. Similar to enrollment for fall or spring term, students must enroll for a minimum of 12 credit hours during summer term for the scholarship to disburse.
