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Auburn · Alabama

Auburn 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 Apr 2026Analyst pt-browser
Merit tiers108 automatic on stats
Get merit aid45%First-year students, CDS 2024-2025
Last verifiedApr 2026Analyst pt-browser

Who this school is for

Students with a 3.5+ GPA and an ACT of at least 26 (1200 SAT) who will apply to Auburn by the December 1 Early Action deadline. 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.

Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $60,752 for 2025-2026. Out-of-state on-campus cost of attendance for 2025-2026 (annualized from Auburn's per-semester figures). In-state on-campus total is $38,048. Breakdown: tuition and fees $36,022 OOS / $13,318 in-state + housing and food $17,210 + misc $7,520. Source

Institutional merit aid tiers

Every tier below is sourced to the school’s own published financial aid pages. Renewal terms apply only if the student maintains the stated GPA.

Full tuition and fees (approximately $13,572/year for 2026-2027)

Spirit of Auburn Presidential Excellence Award

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

RequirementsGPA 4.0 · SAT 1530–1600 · ACT 35–36 · Alabama resident. Apply to Auburn by December 1 Early Action.

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

$11,500/year

Spirit of Auburn Presidential Scholarship

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

RequirementsGPA 3.5+ · SAT 1450–1600 · ACT 33–36 · Alabama resident. Apply to Auburn by December 1 Early Action.

Fall 2026 restructure: this tier now covers both the 35–36 ACT band (for 3.5–3.99 GPA students) and the 33–34 ACT band (for all 3.5+ GPA students). 4.0 GPA students in the 35–36 ACT band move up to the Presidential Excellence Award tier.

Source

$9,000/year

Spirit of Auburn Founders Scholarship

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

RequirementsGPA 3.5+ · SAT 1360–1440 · ACT 30–32 · Alabama resident. December 1 Early Action deadline.

Source

$5,000/year

Spirit of Auburn University Scholarship

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

RequirementsGPA 3.5+ · SAT 1300–1350 · ACT 28–29 · Alabama resident. December 1 Early Action deadline.

Source

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

Academic Presidential Scholarship (non-resident top tier)

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

RequirementsGPA 3.5+ · SAT 1530–1600 · ACT 35–36 · Non-resident. Apply to Auburn by December 1 Early Action.

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)

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

RequirementsGPA 3.5+ · SAT 1450–1520 · ACT 33–34 · Non-resident. Apply to Auburn by December 1 Early Action.

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

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

RequirementsGPA 3.5+ · SAT 1390–1440 · ACT 31–32 · Non-resident. December 1 Early Action deadline.

Source

$7,000/year

Academic Charter Scholarship

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

RequirementsGPA 3.5+ · SAT 1330–1380 · ACT 29–30 · Non-resident. December 1 Early Action deadline.

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 covering full tuition, housing, meals, and a stipend

National Scholars Presidential Scholarship (Alabama residents)

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

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

Auburn's top NMF package for Alabama residents. 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

Application4 years

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

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.

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Outside scholarship stacking policy

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

Common Data Set snapshot

From the Auburn Common Data Set 2024-2025:

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

Lesser-known scholarships at Auburn

Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.

AmountVaries (competitive)EligibilityCompetitive top-tier award at Auburn. Mentioned in the National Scholars package language as a scholarship that is NOT displaced when the National Scholars Presidential kicks in for NMF residents.

Auburn's search results do not publish a fixed dollar figure. Worth asking Auburn Financial Aid about directly if the student's profile is strong enough to be in the running.

Source

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.

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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

Common mistakes at Auburn

  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.

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.