My son received his EA2 acceptance about 2 weeks ago. I have a senior at Auburn now. She received the $15k per year and was based on her SAT and GPA guidelines listed on the website. She also received an additional scholarship for the business school that began her junior year (she had to apply for this). Hoping my son also gets the $15k/year- BUT I believe once the money is gone…it’s gone. Meaning, they award these as students are admitted (or within a couple weeks). Friends daughter did not receive money last year because she was late in applying to AU and there was no more to offer.
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I think you are right. I believe I read that “regular decision” applicants aren’t eligible for merit at all.
Did you get EA2 merit yet?
Where does my son go to see if he got merit? He was accepted EA R1 on Oct 15.
On his acceptance letter, there is info about setting up a portal account/email. The merit email goes to that account, and once on the portal, he can click on “Awards” to view offer.
It should be the amount on the charts based on ACT and GPA, possibly a little higher even.
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We were just at AU yesterday for the Very Impressive Tigers tour and also visited the Honors College. Two student ambassadors told us Jan or Feb for Honors College decisions. And that the decisions were based solely on your HC essays. But, I think historically, decisions come out mid-December. I hope that’s true!
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Ahhh, hopefully they were wrong! My girl is so anxious to hear back and I told her mid December!
How was VIT day??
@Georgiamom1996 My son was accepted on November 11 in the applicant portal but we haven’t received anything in the mail. Granted, it’s only been 19 days since he was accepted. I see that @HIauburn did mention her daughter receiving a packet in the mail.
Also, does anyone know if Auburn sends notification of the competitive merit scholarship in the regular mail in addition to the notification posted in AU Access?
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My D23 got an email and a call from her AO regarding merit, then a letter a few days later. There was a longer delay between the portal update and the admissions packet (2 weeks? 3? it’s all blending together now) than there was for the paper merit letter.
The more my husband and I hear and see about Auburn, the more we like it. We are OOS but within a 5-hour drive. Our son was accepted Nov 11 and has a merit scholarship offer. I hesitate to ask because I don’t want to go negative, but are there any cons you can even think of?
I have a son there now and we love it! The only thing is there is not enough housing for all the freshmen. Submit your housing application as early as possible and he should be good. Also, if he plans to rush a fraternity just be aware that most of the bids seem to be given out prior to school starting. Lots of the fraternities will host events over the summer.
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I’d say the biggest drawback is that Auburn isn’t overly generous with merit, especially compared to other Alabama public schools. I guess it’s all relative, but it can be fairly expensive for OOS students, even if they receive the top merit scholarship. Of the 5 schools my daughter applied and was admitted to, Auburn’s merit package was the “worst”, and yet it’s still her (and our) top choice, so I guess that says something. 
As @charsmom said, a lot of people have issues with the lack of/difficulty securing on campus housing. It does seem like there is room for improvement there!
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@HIauburn Honestly, I don’t really understand how the merit scholarships are so different between Auburn and the University of Alabama. At Alabama, they guarantee $28K to out of state students with 3.5+ and 32-36 on the ACT. Meanwhile Auburn’s giving out $16.5K (which looks like it has increased to $17K) for the Academic Presidential at 3.5+ and 33-36 ACT.
Maybe all those Nick Saban national championships in football have Alabama flush with cash, but it’s a very noticeable gap between the 2 in-state rivals when it comes to scholarship amounts.
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@LaFinalista Thanks for the helpful reply re mailed correspondence from Auburn.
Alabama definitely attracts a lot of OOS kids because of that! When we toured a couple months ago, we were the ONLY Alabama residents on the tour…I was really surprised!
In state, a 30 ACT gets full tuition at Alabama, but you need a 33 at Auburn. It’s only a few thousand dollars difference, but that’s a pretty big difference in test scores.
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I have a senior at Auburn now- we live 10 hours away and I was nervous- BUT- I have absolutely nothing negative to say about Auburn or her experience. Every single time I visit- I’m more and more in love with it. Fingers crossed by son decides to attend (it’s in his top 3)
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It was a long day, but very worthwhile! Other than the campus tour, we were one-on-one with a graduate student the whole day. We really got a good feel for campus life and the caliber of students that attend. Finally got to go up into the Eagle’s Nest!! Having lunch with our guide and a friend really helped my DS to connect. We talked a lot about sports and clubs and really got the sense that it is very easy to get involved and find your group. I loved how the kids attend all of the sporting events and not just football and basketball. The team/school spirit is throughout. They raved about the baseball and gymnastics meets.
We toured both Honors College dorms (Village all the way!) and met with a current HC Senior. She was great and felt the best perk is that honors classes are more immersive and much smaller, but not necessarily harder. Very helpful for the STEM classes. She actually opted to take more that the required number of HC courses because the experience was so positive. Also, the HC kids have an inside track to research opportunities because they get to know the professors more intimately. Received tons of great AU and HC swag too. My DS felt very “recruited” and loved it! Now we just wait with finger crossed he gets into HC!!!
On a non-HC note, the campus is beautiful and pristine. AU really invests in maintenance and having the best and most current of everything. The old Hill dorms were torn down and a new dorm, along with a Target, are going in (not run by AU). But the campus never felt crowded or under construction. We visited on a weekend last year, so seeing it on a school day was really different. The cafeteria food was really good and again no lines. I have heard negatives from other schools about waiting in lines for 30 min or more and not getting lunch or being late for class. We ate at the Village cafeteria but the newer one, the Edge, is even more efficient. Its the little things that make campus life less stressful! Also, the off-campus housing apartments are so so close-by. I could go on and on!
TBH, I entered the tour with a very critical eye. My DS has other great choices, so picking the best is very hard. I left loving AU and truly could not find one negative (and I tried!). Best of luck to everyone - its an exciting time!!!
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Thanks for sharing! There really is something special about Auburn…it’s hard to put into words and you really have to experience it to understand, but it is a unique place!
Glad to hear you all had a positive experience, especially with the HC. My daughter is really counting on getting into it, so I’m hoping for good news soon!
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Not a negative, but I don’t get the sense that Auburn is a heavy study-abroad school. Some schools are 60-70% study abroad and the curriculum, housing etc are geared towards that. The vibe at AU is family and so the kids, I believe, prefer to stay on campus and participate more in the community there. That being said, I did ask specifically about this at COSAM and study abroad is one option, as are shorter field studies
(particularly via the honors college
) …if that is important to your son. It may take just a bit more effort and coordinating to work into his overall schedule, but the option is there.
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We have not received any merit notification yet.
I agree. I have two daughters currently at Auburn and they are travelers. I had high hopes of them studying abroad and many AU do as it is definitely available. Mine are not willing to miss a semester at Auburn and will only do Christmas break or summer trips. Not a negative as I think there are tons of options available, but it isn’t as ingrained as it is in some programs/schools.
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