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Auburn University · Alabama

Auburn scholarships and merit aid

Public flagship with a restructured Fall 2026 merit ladder. Spirit of Auburn for Alabama residents tops out at a new Presidential Excellence Award (full tuition and fees) for 4.0 GPA students with a 35-36 ACT. Non-residents have an Academic Presidential / Heritage / Charter ladder from $7,000 to $17,000 per year. December 1 Early Action deadline. Alabama-resident National Merit Finalists receive one of the richest resident packages in the SEC.

Verified Jul 20262 months ago

The short answer

Is Auburn worth a closer look?

Auburn is worth checking if your student has strong grades or scores. We found 10 published awards, and 8 are based on those numbers.

See our full reasoning

Worth optimizing for if your student is a high-stat Alabama resident chasing full tuition. Out-of-state, the automatic award never covers the OOS bill, so treat it as a discount, not a deal.

Auburn's automatic merit splits hard by residency. In-state, the ladder climbs $5,000 (University, 28-29 ACT) to $9,000 (Founders, 30-32) to $11,000 (Presidential, 33-36) and tops out at the Presidential Excellence Award covering full in-state tuition and fees (about $13,572/yr) for a 4.0 GPA and 35-36 ACT. The biggest in-state step is the 28-29 to 30-32 ACT jump: +$4,000/yr. Out-of-state, the entry bar is now a 29 ACT for the $7,000 Academic Charter; below that, non-residents get no automatic merit. The OOS top tier is $17,000/yr (35-36 ACT) against a $60,752 cost of attendance, so it is a discount, not a full ride. Hard deadline both tracks: apply Early Action by December 1. Stacking is capped at cost of attendance, so large outside awards layered on a top tier can displace dollar-for-dollar; Auburn does not publish the reduction order, so confirm before chasing big outside scholarships.

Merit tiers108 based on grades or scores
First-year students with school awards45%First-year students, CDS 2024-2025
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team
Samford Hall at Auburn University

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Published scholarships

These amounts and requirements come from the school’s own published pages. Open an award to see who qualifies and how to keep it.

Where you landAutomatic merit aid by ACT compositeEach bar marks the ACT score range that qualifies for the tier.
Spirit of Auburn Presidential Excellence AwardFull tuition and fees
ACT 35–36SAT 1530–1600 · GPA 4.0
Academic Presidential Scholarship (non-resident top tier)$17,000/yr
ACT 35–36SAT 1530–1600 · GPA 3.5+
Spirit of Auburn Presidential Scholarship$11,000/yr
ACT 33–36SAT 1450–1600 · GPA 3.5+
Academic Presidential Scholarship (non-resident 33-34 ACT band)$15,000/yr
ACT 33–34SAT 1450–1520 · GPA 3.5+
Academic Heritage Scholarship$11,000/yr
ACT 31–32SAT 1390–1440 · GPA 3.5+
Spirit of Auburn Founders Scholarship$9,000/yr
ACT 30–32SAT 1360–1440 · GPA 3.5+
Academic Charter Scholarship$7,000/yr
ACT 29–30SAT 1330–1380 · GPA 3.5+
Spirit of Auburn University Scholarship$5,000/yr
ACT 28–29SAT 1300–1350 · GPA 3.5+

Not on this ladder: National Scholars Presidential Scholarship (Alabama residents), National Merit Finalist Stipend — application required, holistic, or scored on a different axis.

View as table
TierACT compositeAward
Spirit of Auburn Presidential Excellence Award35–36Full tuition and fees (approximately $13,572/year for 2026-2027)
Academic Presidential Scholarship (non-resident top tier)35–36$17,000/year ($68,000 over 4 years)
Spirit of Auburn Presidential Scholarship33–36$11,000/year ($44,000 over 4 years)
Academic Presidential Scholarship (non-resident 33-34 ACT band)33–34$15,000/year ($60,000 over 4 years)
Academic Heritage Scholarship31–32$11,000/year
Spirit of Auburn Founders Scholarship30–32$9,000/year ($36,000 over 4 years)
Academic Charter Scholarship29–30$7,000/year
Spirit of Auburn University Scholarship28–29$5,000/year ($20,000 over 4 years)
Full tuition and fees…Full tuition and fees (approximately $13,572/year for 2026-2027)

Spirit of Auburn Presidential Excellence Award

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
4.0
SAT
1530–1600
ACT
35–36
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Alabama resident. Apply to Auburn by December 1 Early Action.

How to keep it

Renewable for up to 8 semesters with a minimum cumulative, unadjusted 3.0 Auburn GPA and 24 Auburn credit hours earned per academic year

Notes

New top tier of the Fall 2026 Spirit of Auburn ladder. Covers full in-state tuition and student services fees. Only available to 4.0 GPA Alabama residents with a 35 or 36 ACT (or SAT equivalent).

Source

$11,000/year ($44,000 over 4 years)

Spirit of Auburn Presidential Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.5+
SAT
1450–1600
ACT
33–36
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Alabama resident. Apply to Auburn by December 1 Early Action.

How to keep it

Renewable for up to 8 semesters with a minimum cumulative, unadjusted 3.0 Auburn GPA and 24 Auburn credit hours earned per academic year

Notes

Fall 2026 restructure: 4.0 GPA students with a 35-36 ACT receive the higher Presidential Excellence Award; this Presidential Scholarship tier covers 3.5+ GPA students at 33-36 ACT who do not qualify for the Excellence award. Note: Auburn's general scholarships index lists this tier at $11,500/year while the dedicated first-year scholarship page lists $11,000/year ($44,000 over 4 years); using the dedicated first-year page as authoritative. conflict_found; verify directly with Auburn Financial Aid before relying on a specific figure.

Source

$9,000/year ($36,000 over 4 years)

Spirit of Auburn Founders Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.5+
SAT
1360–1440
ACT
30–32
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Alabama resident. December 1 Early Action deadline.

How to keep it

Renewable for up to 8 semesters with a minimum cumulative, unadjusted 3.0 Auburn GPA and 24 Auburn credit hours earned per academic year

Source

$5,000/year ($20,000 over 4 years)

Spirit of Auburn University Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.5+
SAT
1300–1350
ACT
28–29
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Alabama resident. December 1 Early Action deadline.

How to keep it

Renewable for up to 8 semesters with a minimum cumulative, unadjusted 3.0 Auburn GPA and 24 Auburn credit hours earned per academic year

Source

$17,000/year ($68,000 over 4 years)

Academic Presidential Scholarship (non-resident top tier)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.5+
SAT
1530–1600
ACT
35–36
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Non-resident. Apply to Auburn by December 1 Early Action.

How to keep it

Renewable for up to 8 semesters with a minimum cumulative, unadjusted 3.0 Auburn GPA and 24 Auburn credit hours earned per academic year

Notes

Top non-resident automatic tier. Requires Early Action admission by early February.

Source

$15,000/year ($60,000 over 4 years)

Academic Presidential Scholarship (non-resident 33-34 ACT band)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.5+
SAT
1450–1520
ACT
33–34
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Non-resident. Apply to Auburn by December 1 Early Action.

How to keep it

Renewable for up to 8 semesters with a minimum cumulative, unadjusted 3.0 Auburn GPA and 24 Auburn credit hours earned per academic year

Notes

Fall 2026 addition: non-residents at the 33–34 ACT band now receive the Academic Presidential title at $15,000/year, just below the top $17,000/year tier.

Source

$11,000/year

Academic Heritage Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.5+
SAT
1390–1440
ACT
31–32
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Non-resident. December 1 Early Action deadline.

How to keep it

Renewable for up to 8 semesters with a minimum cumulative, unadjusted 3.0 Auburn GPA and 24 Auburn credit hours earned per academic year

Source

$7,000/year

Academic Charter Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.5+
SAT
1330–1380
ACT
29–30
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Non-resident. December 1 Early Action deadline.

How to keep it

Renewable for up to 8 semesters with a minimum cumulative, unadjusted 3.0 Auburn GPA and 24 Auburn credit hours earned per academic year

Notes

Current entry tier of Auburn's non-resident automatic ladder for Fall 2026. The older Non-Resident Merit entry tier ($4,000/year at ACT 26+) was removed in the Fall 2026 restructure; non-residents below a 29 ACT no longer qualify for automatic merit.

Source

Approximately $46,000 over 4 years…Approximately $46,000 over 4 years; coverage breakdown (tuition vs housing vs stipend) is not currently published on Auburn's site

National Scholars Presidential Scholarship (Alabama residents)

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Alabama resident AND National Merit Finalist AND list Auburn as first choice with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation by May 1.

How to keep it

Renewable for 4 years. Replaces any previously awarded Spirit of Auburn tier.

Notes

Auburn's top NMF package for Alabama residents. Confidence: needs_confirmation. Auburn does not currently publish a dedicated NMF scholarship page, and the $46,000 figure was previously sourced from a third-party aggregator. Verify the dollar amount and coverage components (tuition vs housing vs meals vs stipend) directly with Auburn Financial Aid (334-844-4634 or finaid@auburn.edu) before relying on these figures. Missing the NMSC #1-choice step forfeits this award even if the student is a confirmed Finalist. The Presidential Excellence Award is specifically carved out and is NOT displaced by this package.

Source

$4,000 over 4 years ($1,000/year)

National Merit Finalist Stipend

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

National Merit Finalist AND list Auburn as first choice with NMSC by May 1

How to keep it

4 years

Notes

Available to every NMF who names Auburn, not just Alabama residents. Supplemental to automatic tiers. Up to an additional $1,000/year may be added based on FAFSA need. Confidence: needs_confirmation. Auburn does not currently publish a dedicated NMF scholarship page; verify the $4,000 amount and the FAFSA-based supplement directly with Auburn Financial Aid before relying on these figures.

Source

See what could change an award

Rules that could change the answer

These are the rules we would flag for your family. Each comes from Auburn's published information.

  • Cutoff cliffOne ACT point can move the award by +$4,000/yr ($9,000 Founders − $5,000 University)

    Auburn publishes a tier ladder where crossing In-state 3.5 GPA · 28-29 → 30-32 ACT changes the marginal value by +$4,000/yr ($9,000 Founders − $5,000 University). Largest single step on the Alabama-resident ladder; a near-doubling of the entry award.

  • Aid capHard $63,540 cost-of-attendance ceiling

    Institutional aid at Auburn cannot push the package past $63,540. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

Straight from the aid office

What Auburn's aid office says

Per University Scholarships, Auburn University, August 2026. How we verify

The deadline that decides merit

What deadline actually has to be hit for competitive merit consideration?

Two gates, not one. The complete admission file — application, fee, official test scores from the testing agency, and transcript — must be in by December 1, and the student must also be admitted by early February. Miss either and competitive merit is off the table. The office gave these dates for students enrolling in Fall 2026 and pointed families to the website for the Fall 2027 cycle.

“a complete admissions application must have been on file no later than December 1 (application, application fee, official test scores from the testing agency, and high school transcript) and the student must be accepted form admissions by early February to be considered for a competitive merit scholarship.”
Test-score cutoff

Is there a separate, earlier deadline for updated test scores to count?

Yes, and it is the one families miss. Updated scores must reach Auburn from the official testing agency by January 12 — a score that arrives after that date will not be looked at for competitive merit, even if the student is still in the admission process.

“Updated highest scores from individual tests must have been received by Auburn, from the official testing agency by January 12. Scores received after this deadline will not be reviewed for competitive merit scholarship consideration.”
Superscoring

Does Auburn superscore for scholarship consideration?

Yes, on both tests. Auburn accepts the ACT Superscore Report and calculates a superscore itself for the SAT and for individual ACT score reports, then uses only the best result for scholarship consideration.

“Auburn 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.”
GPA used for scholarships

Which GPA does Auburn use to decide scholarship eligibility?

The same GPA that decided admission eligibility — there is no second, scholarship-specific recalculation to plan around.

“The high school GPA that determined eligibility for admission will be the same GPA that determines eligibility for scholarships.”
Losing the award is permanent

If a first-year scholarship is cancelled, can a student earn it back?

No. The office was explicit: a first-year student scholarship cancelled for missing the annual renewal requirements cannot be regained in a later semester. That makes the first bad term at Auburn a four-year decision, not a one-year setback.

“If a student receives a first year student scholarship and they do not meet the annual renewable requirements that results in cancelation of their scholarship, they will not be able to get it back in future semesters.”
Outside scholarships

Do outside scholarships stack with an Auburn award?

Yes — the office confirmed external scholarships are stackable with the institutional scholarships a student receives. Auburn separately publishes a cost-of-attendance cap on combined aid, so report outside awards early rather than after disbursement.

“If a student received an external scholarship, they are stackable with institutional scholarships the student may receive.”
The published dates are cycle-specific

Do the scholarship dates on Auburn’s website apply to next year’s applicants?

No — in a follow-up on August 10, 2026 the office confirmed the dates and criteria on its site govern students enrolling in summer or fall 2026 only, with the page refreshed annually as amounts, deadlines, and criteria change. A family planning for a later entry term should treat every published Auburn number as last cycle’s until the annual update lands.

“The information listed on our website is for students planning to enroll summer or fall 2026.”

What families often miss

  1. Every Spirit of Auburn tier and every Academic Presidential / Heritage / Charter award requires the student to submit a complete Auburn application by December 1 AND be admitted Early Action. Students who apply Regular Decision in January or February are not eligible for automatic merit consideration even with perfect stats. This single deadline decides whether the student qualifies for any automatic merit at Auburn.

  2. The National Scholars Presidential Scholarship (Alabama residents, roughly $46,000 over 4 years) is contingent on naming Auburn first choice with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation by the May 1 deadline. Admission to Auburn alone does not trigger the package; the NMSC step is separate and families regularly forget it, forfeiting the largest resident merit award Auburn offers.

  3. Auburn evaluates the automatic tier ladder on GPA and test score together. Test-optional applicants can be admitted but typically will not receive the full automatic merit award a test score would have triggered. For a strong-stats student, submitting scores is a one-way ratchet; it can only help merit consideration.

  4. AUSOM has a February 16 priority date, separate from the December 1 admissions deadline. Many additional Auburn awards (departmental, endowed, restricted) are only routed through AUSOM. Students who only complete the admissions application miss this entire layer of merit consideration. Applications submitted after February 16 are still accepted but receive lower-priority review.

See award cutoffs and special programs

What the stats actually buy at Auburn

Auburn's automatic tiers are residency-split: Alabama residents and non-residents run on separate ladders. Every figure below is a named tier from Auburn's first-year scholarship page. Test percentiles cited are from the verified 2024-2025 Common Data Set (SAT 1260-1380, ACT 26-31 mid-50%); no other admit statistics are asserted.

Student profileLikely outcome
OOS · 3.5 GPA · 29-30 ACTAcademic Charter — $7,000/yrCurrent OOS entry tier for Fall 2026. Below a 29 ACT, non-residents get no automatic merit (the old 26+ ACT entry tier was removed).
In-state · 3.5 GPA · 28-29 ACTSpirit of Auburn University — $5,000/yrAlabama-resident entry tier.
In-state · 3.5 GPA · 30-32 ACTSpirit of Auburn Founders — $9,000/yrOne ACT band up from the entry tier nearly doubles the award.
OOS · 3.5 GPA · 31-32 ACTAcademic Heritage — $11,000/yr
In-state · 3.5 GPA · 33-36 ACTSpirit of Auburn Presidential — $11,000/yrSource conflict: Auburn's general index lists $11,500/yr while the first-year page lists $11,000/yr. Confirm with Financial Aid before relying on a figure.
In-state · 4.0 GPA · 35-36 ACTPresidential Excellence — full tuition + fees (~$13,572/yr)Covers full in-state tuition and fees only, not total cost of attendance. Not a full ride.
OOS · 3.5 GPA · 35-36 ACTAcademic Presidential — $17,000/yrHighest OOS automatic award, but against a $60,752 OOS cost of attendance it is a discount, not a full ride.

Where one more ACT point pays at Auburn

Each marginal value is the difference between two named automatic tiers. In-state and OOS ladders are computed separately because they never overlap. Tiers compared all appear in Auburn's published Fall 2026 ladder.

ThresholdMarginal value
In-state 3.5 GPA · 28-29 → 30-32 ACT+$4,000/yr ($9,000 Founders − $5,000 University)Largest single step on the Alabama-resident ladder; a near-doubling of the entry award.
OOS 3.5 GPA · sub-29 → 29-30 ACT+$7,000/yr ($7,000 Charter − $0)The hardest cliff: below a 29 ACT non-residents get no automatic merit at all, so clearing 29 turns nothing into the $7,000 Charter.
OOS 3.5 GPA · 29-30 → 31-32 ACT+$4,000/yr ($11,000 Heritage − $7,000 Charter)
OOS 3.5 GPA · 31-32 → 33-34 ACT+$4,000/yr ($15,000 Academic Presidential 33-34 band − $11,000 Heritage)Fall 2026 added the 33-34 band at $15,000/yr just under the top tier.
OOS 3.5 GPA · 33-34 → 35-36 ACT+$2,000/yr ($17,000 top − $15,000 band)Diminishing return at the very top of the OOS ladder.
In-state 33-36 ACT · 3.5 → 4.0 GPA (with 35-36 ACT)+~$2,572/yr (~$13,572 full tuition+fees − $11,000 Presidential)Approximate: the Excellence award is quoted as full in-state tuition and fees (~$13,572/yr), and the Presidential figure carries a published source conflict ($11,000 vs $11,500), so treat this delta as approximate.
See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Students with a 3.5+ GPA and an ACT of at least 28 (Alabama residents) or 29 (non-residents) who will apply to Auburn by the December 1 Early Action deadline. The Fall 2026 restructure raised the floor: non-residents below 29 ACT and AL residents below 28 ACT no longer qualify for automatic merit. Non-residents at the 31+ ACT level can stack Academic Heritage and Presidential awards meaningfully against out-of-state tuition. Alabama-resident National Merit Finalists who name Auburn with NMSC by May 1 qualify for the top-tier National Scholars Presidential package.

Cost of attendance$39,516–$63,540 for 2026-2027Each bar is the full published cost for that scenario, sized against the highest figure so totals compare at a glance.
Out-of-state, on-campus$63,540
In-state, on-campus$39,516
  • Tuition & fees
  • Housing & food
  • Books
  • Travel
  • Personal

Official page updated to 2026-2027.

Auburn cost-of-attendance source

Cost and graduation facts

Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Auburn, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.

Average annual net price by family income at Auburn, academic year 2021-22 — in-state, Title-IV aid recipients only
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$16,681
$30,001–$48,000$17,627
$48,001–$75,000$20,558
$75,001–$110,000$25,808
$110,001+$29,547
All income levels (average)$24,323

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees (in-state), AY 2022-23
$12,890
Published tuition & fees (out-of-state), AY 2022-23
$34,922
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$24,323

That works out to roughly a 30% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $34,919 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

Auburn is a public school; Scorecard's net price figure covers in-state, Title-IV-aid-recipient payers only — there is no comparable federal figure for out-of-state students.

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
82%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
95%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$21,000 (~$223/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$65,337
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
12%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
27%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Auburn allows institutional scholarships and outside awards to stack up to published cost of attendance. Families must notify Auburn of outside awards to avoid over-award repayment situations.

Auburn does not limit the number of outside scholarships a student can receive, but the combined total of grants and scholarships cannot exceed the published cost of attendance. Auburn's specific order of reduction (loans first vs. grants first) is not clearly published in searchable documentation; families should confirm with the financial aid office before committing time to high-dollar outside scholarship applications layered on top of a top-tier automatic award. The National Scholars Presidential explicitly replaces lower Spirit of Auburn tiers rather than stacking with them.

Source

More school data

From the Auburn Common Data Set 2024-2025:

Merit penetrationHow likely is merit aid here?From Auburn’s Common Data Set: the share of first-year students who receive institutional merit and the average dollar amount when they do.
45%of admitsget merit
Average award$8,190Covers ~13% of $63,540 cost of attendance

At Auburn, roughly 1 in 2 first-year admits receive institutional merit aid. The average award is $8,190 — about 13% of total cost.

Where you standACT composite landscapeThe mid-50% admit band shows where most admitted students score. The merit zone shows the score range that qualifies for at least one automatic merit tier.

Merit starts at ACT 28+, inside the 26–31 admit band. A typical admit already qualifies for at least entry-tier merit.

SAT mid-50%1260–138025th / 75th percentile
ACT mid-50%26–3125th / 75th percentile
Receive institutional merit45%First-year students
Average merit award$8,190Across recipients

Source: Common Data Set

Other Auburn scholarships worth checking

These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.

AmountVaries by department and endowed fundEligibilityCurrent and incoming Auburn students across any college. Applications managed through the Academic Works platform separate from the automatic tier ladder.

Departmental and endowed awards that don't appear on the main scholarships page. Every admitted student should run the Academic Works platform as a second pass after the automatic tiers are locked in.

Source

AmountTypically $500–$5,000/yearEligibilityAdmitted Auburn students pursuing agriculture, environmental science, or related majors.

Specific named awards live on the College of Agriculture scholarships page and are awarded separately from the Spirit of Auburn and Academic tier ladders.

Source

Auburn merit aid FAQ

  • Do Spirit of Auburn scholarships require a separate application?

    No. You are automatically considered once you submit the Auburn application by December 1 and are admitted Early Action. Scholarship awards are announced by late January. The only thing you need to do beyond applying to Auburn is meet the December 1 deadline with a complete application.

  • Can an out-of-state student stack the Academic Presidential with outside scholarships?

    Yes, up to the cost of attendance cap. Auburn asks students to report outside awards so the aid office can rebalance the package without triggering an over-award. Auburn does not currently publish the specific reduction order when the cap is hit, so confirm with the financial aid office before investing time in large outside scholarship applications on top of a top-tier Academic award.

  • What GPA do I need to renew a Spirit of Auburn or Academic tier?

    A 3.0 cumulative Auburn GPA and 24 earned Auburn credit hours per academic year. Falling below either condition triggers a renewal review.

  • Does Auburn superscore the SAT and ACT for scholarships?

    Yes, Auburn uses superscored ACT and SAT results for scholarship consideration. Your highest scores must be received by January 12 to be used for scholarship tier placement. Test-optional applicants give up this pathway entirely.

  • What happens to my Spirit of Auburn award if I become a National Merit Finalist as an Alabama resident?

    The National Scholars Presidential Scholarship replaces the previously awarded Spirit of Auburn tier rather than stacking with it. The Presidential Excellence Award is specifically carved out and is not displaced. Families should confirm the replacement pattern directly with Auburn Financial Aid, since the interaction is asymmetric.

See sources and other schools

How Auburn compares

  • 235 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.

    Auburn is in a recognizable cluster (235 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

  • 665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Auburn is one of them. The cohort minority (84 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.

  • 63 of 749 verified schools publish a marginal-value cliff table we can quantify.

    Auburn is one of them. Most schools won't tell families what one ACT point is actually worth. At the schools that do, a strategic retake is sometimes mathematically more valuable than test-optional positioning.

Sources used on this page

Every claim is checked against Auburn’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

How Auburn compares

Auburn shows up in the same family shopping process as four SEC peers:

  • Alabama Presidential Elite scholarship. Alabama pays $3,000-$4,000 more per year at the top tier, but Auburn's December 1 priority deadline is firmer and the Spirit of Auburn application is shorter than Alabama's holistic review.
  • Ole Miss for out-of-state families. Ole Miss is the stronger play for out-of-state families targeting non-resident fee elimination; Auburn's value proposition is the SEC experience at a slightly lower rack rate than Alabama.
  • Mississippi State for in-state families. Mississippi State pays better for in-state Mississippi students; Auburn out-paces it for cross-state SEC shopping.
  • LSU merit aid. TOPS is Louisiana-only; for non-Louisiana families, Auburn's Spirit of Auburn is more accessible.
  • Kentucky merit scholarship tiers. Kentucky's Singletary requires a separate competitive application; Auburn's Spirit of Auburn is closer to a stats-driven decision.
Want a side-by-side comparison? Build a personalized playbook and we’ll compare likely costs across Auburn and any peers you want to evaluate.

Keep exploring Auburn merit aid