Freshman Scholarships
All Office of Undergraduate Admissions scholarships are limited in number, competitive and are awarded annually on a rolling basis early in the scholarship cycle. Students must be admitted to FAU before applying for any Office of Undergraduate Admissions scholarships. Meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee a scholarship.
Our awards require continuous enrollment in 30 credits per academic year, full-time status (15 credits or more at FAU), and are paid out for fall and spring terms only.
Transfer Scholarships
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions offers a limited number of scholarships to newly admitted transferred students each year on a rolling basis. Applicants have to meet minimum requirements to be considered for a scholarship. View deadlines and scholarship opportunities.
Merit Scholarships
Our merit scholarships do not require a supplemental scholarship application as eligibility is determined at the time of admission. Many of our merit awards are competitive and are ultimately determined by the competitiveness of our entering freshman class. Generally, scholarships are offered through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and are not stackable. Scholarship recipients must maintain an FAU GPA of 3.0 for award renewal.
To be considered for merit-based scholarships from the Office of Admissions, students must submit a complete admissions application by January 15 with all supporting documents (application, application fee, STARS, and test scores).
Florida Residents
| FL resident | Criteria | Scholarship |
|---|---|---|
|
Funds may include either or both of these awards: FAU 100 Scholarship/Spirit of Atlantic Scholarship |
4.00 GPA & 1410 SAT / 32 ACT / 101 CLT |
$20,000 ($5,000/yr for 4 years) |
|
Spirit of Atlantic |
3.90 GPA & 1340 SAT / 29 ACT / 96 CLT |
$8,000 ($2,000/yr for 4 years) |
|
Spirit of Atlantic |
3.85 GPA & 1270 SAT / 27 ACT / 90 CLT |
$4,000 ($1,000/yr for 4 years) |
|
Spirit of Atlantic |
3.7 GPA & 1200 SAT /25 ACT/ 83 CLT |
$2,000 ($500/yr for 4 years) |
|
Benaquisto Scholarship |
Receive designation as a National Merit Finalist by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and name FAU as your first-choice school By May 1. |
Full cost of attendance is covered including grants or scholarships for Fall & Spring semesters up to 4 years or 8 semesters, or until undergraduate degree is awarded. |
Non-FL Resident
| Non-FL Resident (must be US Citizen or Permanent Resident) | Criteria | Scholarship |
|---|---|---|
|
Funds may include either or both of these awards: Spirit of Atlantic Scholarship/Hoot Scholarship |
4.00 GPA & 1410 SAT / 32 ACT / 101 CLT |
$40,000 ($10,000/yr for 4 years)** |
|
Funds may include either or both of these awards: Spirit of Atlantic Scholarship/Hoot Scholarship |
3.90 GPA & 1340 SAT / 29 ACT / 96 CLT |
$32,000 ($8,000/yr for 4 years)** |
|
Spirit of Atlantic |
3.85 GPA & 1270 SAT / 27 ACT / 90 CLT |
$4,000 ($1,000/yr for 4 years) |
|
1330 SAT / 29 ACT / 96 CLT AND have a Grandparent who is a Florida resident defined by FL Statute 1009.21. Residency process must be complete in order to be verified and offered. |
Out of state tuition & fees waived up to 4 years, or when the undergraduate degree is awarded. Student will be billed Florida resident rate of tuition & fees. Ten waivers available for new first-year students. |
Eligibility
- Be a U.S. citizen or meet the requirements of an eligible non-citizen as defined by the Federal Student Aid program.
- Must be classified as in-state or out-of-state (depending on the award) for tuition purposes.
- Freshman merit scholarships are competitive and not guaranteed. The deadline to be considered is January 15. A student must have a complete admissions application on file by January 15. A complete admissions file includes: application, application fee or fee waiver, SSAR and ACT/SAT/CLT scores.
Criteria for Renewal
- Students must maintain full-time academic enrollment at FAU in the terms that the scholarship is awarded.
- Students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative FAU grade point average and complete/earn a minimum of 30 credits each academic year towards their chosen degree program.
- Scholarship can be renewed for up to four (4) years (8 semesters) or up until the student completes their first Bachelor’s degree or until the student’s earned and attempted credits reach the required number of credits for their chosen degree program, whichever comes first.
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions offers additional merit scholarships which require supplemental materials as well as academic excellence. For more information, qualifications, and to apply, please click here.
This state-funded scholarship is based on high school academic achievement and is awarded to students enrolled in an eligible Florida public or private post-secondary educational institution within two (2) years of graduation from a Florida high school. For additional information, contact your high school counselor or call the Florida Department of Education at 1-888-827-2004 (toll free) or visit Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program.
Starting in April 2025, the ACT exam no longer requires the Science subsection, though the 1-36 scoring scale remains unchanged. Beginning with the 2025-26 application cycle, FAU will no longer require a Science score to be eligible for admission. The ACT composite score (or, if using multiple test attempts, the composite superscore) used by FAU for admissions will now only include the English, Mathematics, and Reading subsections.
Guidance from the state of Florida is:
Florida Board of Governors
The ACT Science subsection is not required for admission to Florida public universities under FL BOG 6.008.
Florida Department of Education
The ACT Science subsection is required for students to be eligible to receive the Bright Futures scholarship.
Therefore, while the Science subsection will not be used in our composite superscoring calculations, we encourage Florida students to continue to take the Science subsection if they hope to receive the Bright Futures scholarship.
Raise.Me offers high school students the ability to earn microscholarships. You can earn scholarships by visiting our page at raise.me/join.fau. Create your profile and follow us to start earning now for your college experience. Students must complete their earning profile by December 1, of their senior year of high school.
Out-of-state undergraduate first-year students admitted for either the summer or fall terms immediately following high school graduation with grandparents residing in Florida may be eligible for a tuition and fee waiver of the Non-Resident (out-of-state) fee.
Policies for the Grandparent Waiver are maintained by the Board of Governors of the State University System. Freshman applicants may apply for the waiver after submitting the application for admission. Students who qualify for Florida residency should not seek this waiver.
Students MUST meet the following requirements to be eligible for the Grandparent Waiver:
- Student must achieve:
- An SAT combined score of 1330 or greater; OR
- An ACT composite score of 29; OR
- A CLT score of 96
- The student must have a grandparent who has a legal relationship to a student’s parent as the natural or adopted parent or legal guardian of the student’s parent.
- The grandparent must be a legal resident of Florida as defined in Florida Statute Section 1009.21 (Grandparent Florida Residency Declaration).
- The student must apply as a first-year, full-time undergraduate student for the summer or fall term immediately after earning a high school diploma comparable to a Florida standard high school diploma (or the equivalent) or completing a home education program.
- Student must be continuously enrolled full-time (minimum 12 credits) at the end of drop/add every fall and spring term until the requirements for the bachelor’s degree have been completed.
- Summer enrollment is not required, but eligible students may use their waiver during summer enrollment.
- If a student enrolls part-time, the grandparent waiver eligibility will be lost.
- The grandparent waiver is applicable for up to 110 percent of the number of required credit hours (i.e., total degree hours) of the student's degree program.
Awarding:
- Students must be offered admission to Florida Atlantic University
- Students complete the Grandparent Waiver Application.
- Admissions office will review the initial eligibility. If eligible, students will be prompted to have the grandparent complete residency verification via the Owlres portal.
- Students will be “awarded” a grandparent waiver on a first-come, first-served basis on the date a student pays the $200 Admissions deposit or submits a deposit fee waiver.
- Scholarships awarded by the Office of Admissions are not stackable (cannot be combined with other admissions merit-based scholarships) with the grandparent waiver.