Technically, American University is not located in any state in the United States; however, it borders the states of Virginia and Delaware. Located in the federal district of Washington D.C., the American University is a high-ranking research institution that still serves the United State by training public servants and leaders.
Because of their high-quality research works, the faculties of American University are sponsored by nationally renowned foundations such as MacArthur, Gates, and the Ford Foundations. In addition to its professional faculties, the American University also produces a high number of students that receive nation-wide scholarships such as Fullbright, Truman, and Rhodes Scholars.
Ranked as one of the top universities for its beautiful scenery, the American University offers great opportunities to relax and to enjoy the stay at the nation’s capital. However, the students know full well that having fun is not the main reason for coming to American University since AU students are challenged with the rigorous curriculum in their daily classes.
In addition to its professional staff, beautiful campus, and quality education, the American University offers great scholarships to cover the tuition and mandatory fees.
Types of Scholarships and Grants Offered at American University
Scholarships are mostly merit-based, and these scholarships are based on academic merits, standardized test scores, and extracurricular activities; however, need-based scholarships are based on demonstrated financial need. The applicants to American University can combine these two types of scholarships if they are eligible for both.
After receiving the merit-based award, the need-based aid will cover any of the remaining expenses that are left.
1. AU Merit-Based Scholarships
Within merit-based scholarships, there are two types of scholarships, and they are automatic and competitive scholarships. Just as its name states, the automatic scholarships do not require a separate application after applying for American University. Since all automatic scholarships are determined by your admissions application materials, the applicants are automatically considered for this scholarship.
On the other hand, competitive scholarships require a separate application since it needs supplemental materials to determine whether an applicant is eligible or not. Make sure to read the specific details within each scholarship to check the application deadlines and so forth.
A. AU Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars Program
Founded in 2009, this prestigious scholarship program was established to attract talented students from all over the world. To encourage any applicants for studying in any field, the Frederick Douglass Scholars Program is a full-ride scholarship for four years.
Scholarship Values:
- Full Tuition for Four Years
- Mandatory Fees
- Book Stipend
- U-Pass (Unlimited Access to Local Public Transportations)
- Coverage for Room & Board
Unlike some full-ride scholarships that require a certain academic standard, the American University does not list specific academic achievements such as required standardized test scores or required cumulative high school GPA. Since this is a well-known scholarship due to its value, the number of scholarship applications is very high.
Since this is a highly competitive scholarship, the AU highly encourages application from all students. Highly encouraging applications from historically underrepresented minority students and students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, the Douglass Scholars Program gives special consideration for first-generation students.
As I have said, the Douglass Scholars Program does not have a specific academic standard; however, they list some academic achievements that might make the applicant stand out from others. This scholarship program is a competitive scholarship, so the applicant needs to submit an additional scholarship application in addition to your admissions application.
To know more about application deadlines and requirements, please visit AU Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars Program.
B. AU Freshmen Merit Awards
Available to all admitted students, the American University’s Merit Awards are automatic scholarships. Different amounts of scholarships will be awarded since there are varying academic and extracurricular achievements within the applicants.
Scholarship Value: $8,000 ~ $22,000 Per Year
Even though these awards do not list specific academic achievements, they are based on your standardized test scores AND cumulative high school GPA. If you want a high-value scholarship, keep up your high GPA, and do well in standardized testings whether if it is SAT or ACT. Higher your academic achievements, higher your scholarship values will be.
For further information, view American University Freshman Merit Awards.
C. AU Additional Merit Awards
In addition to the scholarships above, the American University offers many more merit-based scholarships to its incoming students. Some scholarships offered by AU do not list the scholarship values and eligibility requirements due to the nature of the scholarship. Please visit the website to know the specifics.
For more information, visit American University Merit-Based Scholarships.
2. AU Transfer Scholarships
Unlike the scholarships offering to incoming freshmen, the scholarships for transfer students are low in value. Since the award amount varies with the eligibility requirements, please check the link below for specific requirements and application deadlines.
For further information, view American University Transfer Scholarships.
3. AU Graduate Scholarships
All graduate scholarships offered by American University are funded by the college departments. Instead of being funded by the AU Office of Financial Aid, these scholarships are backed by the various departments and colleges of American University. Because of this reason, the scholarship values of graduate scholarships are lower than some scholarships.
For more information, visit American University Graduate Scholarships.
4. AU Outside Scholarships
Instead of being funded by American University, the external scholarships are given by private organizations and outside corporations. Since it is funded by an external source, the outside scholarships have various eligibility requirements and application deadlines.
Also, American University offers tips and advice for students who are interested in applying for an outside scholarship, so make sure to visit the link below to know more!
For further information, view American University External Scholarships.
Other Options of Financial Aid
In addition to scholarships, American University offers other options for financial aid that are available to incoming students. You might already know this, but for people who do not know, scholarships and grants are money that does not need to be repaid; however, some grants and loans do need to be repaid, so make sure to look at the eligibility criteria to know for sure!
1. Federal / State / AU Grants
Since most of the funding comes from the federal government, all applicants need to be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident, and the main underlying requirement is that the applicant needs to file for FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
Since American University needs to know the demonstrated financial need of an incoming student, it is vital that the prospective student applies for FAFSA as soon as possible.
For more information, visit Federal & State Grants or AU Grants.
2. Types of Loans
Even in loans, there are different types of loans that are offered by the federal government, and yes, federal loans are only available to US Citizen or Permanent Resident due to the need of filing the FAFSA. In addition to federal loans, you can apply for loans offered by private organizations, but applying for federal loans might be your best option due to the low-interest rates.
Personally, I do not recommend this option since loans need to be repaid, and sometimes, it needs to be paid back with interest on top. Some parents and students have bad credit due to their unawareness of the guidelines and criteria of the loan. So make sure to read each detail carefully when applying for a loan.
For prospective undergraduates, visit Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans.
For parents of dependent undergraduate students, visit Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loans.
For graduate students, visit Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans.
For loans from private sources, visit Alternative Credit-Based Loans.
3. Student Employment
For students who are still in need of financial aid or just looking for a monthly allowance to pay for personal expenses, applying for students employment might not be a bad idea. Work-study are offered by the departments of American University, and students gain real-life experience while earning money at the same time.
For further information, visit American University Work-Study.
4. TEACH Grant
Even though we talked about all types of grants, the TEACH Grant is a special exception since it has a service requirement attached to it. Recipients of TEACH Grant must agree for a one year of service as a teacher in exchange for each year of TEACH Grant. For students who just look at this, you can say that I can serve for a few years after I graduate.
However, for most students, they fail to meet the service requirement since, if they have received four years of TEACH Grant, they need to serve four years. Since they don’t have any time to waste, they skip the service requirement, and if they do so, the TEACH Grant becomes a loan. This means that the grant becomes a loan that needs to be repaid with interest!
Make sure to read the specific details for this grant before applying for this type of financial aid.
For more information, view TEACH Grant.
Conclusion: Tuition Fees
If the scholarship that you are looking at is not full-ride scholarship, then you need to pay close attention to the tuition fees offered at American University. Since most scholarships have a monetary value attached to their name, it is important to know how much of the total college expenses that the scholarship is covering.
Even though it is not going to up by a huge amount, the tuition fees of most universities go up each year to account to inflation or due to increased spending of that particular institution. Remember, every bit helps so be sure to apply for as many as you can since some scholarships and need-based aids can be stacked on top of each other.
To know the total costs of attending American University, please visit the American University’s Office of Financial Aid.
For more helpful posts regarding scholarships, view Authority Scholarships.
