<p>Could anyone comment on the following merit-based scholarships?</p>
<p>AU Presidential Scholarship, AU Deans’ Scholarship, AU Leadership Scholarship</p>
<p>I would like to know the value amounts of each scholarship, or a range if there is one. Also, the applicant profile for the recipients of these scholarships.</p>
<p>Thank you!
MountainDewd</p>
<p>I’m AU class of 2013, got the presidential scholarship. 27k a year.
SAT: 2190
ACT: 34
GPA: 4.4/4.5
Other stuff: A bunch of APs, played a lotta pingpong for my extracurriculars, and a really bad suspension from my high school.</p>
<p>Hope this helps</p>
<p>D is also class of 2013, Dean’s Scholarship 20K/yr. Her SAT’s were 2160, her GPA was 3.6UW. 4.1W. She had no extraordinary EC’s, but one that was clearly a “passion”. As far as I recall, AU doesn’t announce a set amount or range for its scholarships in advance, but once they are awarded each year, all Dean’s are the same amount, all Presidential the same, etc. Important to keep in mind that a minimum annual GPA must be maintained to keep the scholarship. The scuttlebutt is that if the scholarship is in fact rescinded, an appeal will be successful, at least the first time–the student needs to explain why the GPA was too low and how he/she plans to raise it in the future. I suspect that if the GPA minimum isn’t met a second time, there is no recourse. The downside here is that with the financial pressure to keep the GPA up, a student may avoid more challenging classes.</p>
<p>My son (class of 2013 also) got the presidential scholarship of $27K, guaranteed to rise along with tuition. His stats: ACT 33, GPA 3.8 Unweighted, 4.3 Weighted. Nothing extraordinary in the Extracurriculars- varsity soccer player, math tutor. He did demonstrate interest - having a meeting with the area admissions officer when she toured NJ.</p>
<p>It has been my experience that Merit scholarship awards are not based on academic achievement and extra curricular activity alone, any prospective student or parent expecting to receive Merit scholarship money due to these factors alone can lead to disappointment.</p>
<p>Officially, the U. says that merit money is available to the top 15% of the applicant pool. Many of those top applicants will decide to go to other colleges, so the money is probably not actually available to the top 15% of enrolled students.</p>
<p>After expressing a bit of frustration regarding Merit awards to an admissions director (not at American University), I was told the politically uncorrect truth (or at least as I prefer to interpret it). Private Universites define Merit as they see fit. Its a real challenge for schools to build a class to meet their goals. Just because a prospective student has the same, or even better, academic credentials and extra curricular participation, does not mean they will receive a similar award, or any award at all. If the prospective student or parent does not like it, they are free to consider other schools. Its not fair, but life isnt fair either.</p>
<p>To hear my son talk, it seems all of the kids in the honors program at AU got merit awards, but the amount varied. There does seem to have been some discretion involved in the amounts offered, my son tells me that a couple of kids who were already heavily leaning to American got lower amounts than my son, even though their stats were higher. But there could be other reasons, because my son is a stronger Math/Science student than these other kids (who are more typical AU students concentrating in Poli Sci and International Studies) and they may have offered gear heads like my son more money to make the class more well rounded in that way.</p>
<p>Thanks, that confirms what I have been told.</p>
<p>Another person wrote that they saw large merit awards going to incoming science majors because American wants to build up their small science departments.</p>
<p>I receive $28,000/yr in merit aid from AU. My SAT was 1450 (2210 combined) my GPA was 3.8 UW/4.3 W, and I was in the top 6% of my class. I held multiple leadership positions in high school, was really involved with my school newspaper and performing arts programs, and had a job.
I’m in the Honors program, and need a 3.2 to keep my scholarship. I need a 3.5 average by graduation to graduate with honors.</p>
<p>My son was offered a Presidential Scholarship and entry into the honors program last year although he decided to go to college elsewhere.</p>
<p>As I recall it was half tuition. $26,000?</p>
<p>His weighted GPA was 97.3, unweighted was 91.1 and he was in the top 6% if his class. His SAT superscore was 2150. He had 8 or 9 APs and 5’s on all the ones he’d gotten scores on when he applied. </p>
<p>His ECs were decent. A couple of state awards in Science Olympiad. Did extra music beyond the regular orchestra for an extra arts designation on his diploma. He wrote his main essay about what he learned from origami. He was interested in IR.</p>
<p>If i could see my financial aid rewards on my portal account, does that mean I’m accepted?</p>
<p>what is the american excellence scholarship i was given? 10k a year?</p>
<p>I was given a presidential scholarship of $20,000 per year. </p>
<p>Accepted to College of Arts and Sciences as a Psychology Major. </p>
<p>GPA - 3.72 (Weighted)
ACT - 32
SAT - 2040
Four APs, stellar recommendations, solid essay, and strong ECs. </p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Also: Applied to Honors, didn’t get in. Got accepted to Community-Based Research Scholars program, though.</p>
<p>My D is class of. 2016, received the Presidential Scholarship for $20,000 per year. She was not offered a spot in the Honors College at admission, although they have since asked her to apply. Her SAT was 2050 and her weighted GPA was 4.1. She came in as a Theatre Performance major and has since added a 2nd major of Public Communications. </p>
<p>Having read the answers given thus far, it appears there is no way to predict from year to year what sort of applicants will be offered what sort of merit scholarships.</p>
@kellylj1, @minimeeny, @mathmom, and others…
Can you of you tell me how American handled combining the merit aid with need based aid? Will they let you use merit to first cover the gap and then the loan/work part of FA, or dies it just replace the need based grant that may have given you?
I can’t we were going to be full pay otherwise.