American University Scholarships 2019

By | April 1, 2019

American University Scholarships 2019

First-Year Merit Awards for International Students

American University’s merit awards for international students are partial, not full, scholarships. They are highly competitive and based on a combination of outstanding academic achievement, excellent communication skills in English, leadership, volunteerism, and community service. No need-based financial aid is available to international students (non-U.S. citizens).

No separate application form or process is needed to be considered for AU merit scholarships.

For the 2018-2019 academic year, scholarships ranged from U.S.$8,000 to U.S.$20,000 per academic year. They are renewable for all four years of study based on successful continued academic performance.

Important for first-year applicants who wish to be considered for AU’s partial scholarships:

  1. Apply for the fall (August) semester, not spring. Fall application deadline is January 15.
  2. AU merit awards are offered only at the time of admission. There are no further opportunities for AU partial scholarships once you have begun your studies.
  3. No increases in scholarship amounts are available from year to year. The initial amount of your AU merit award remains constant for all four years of study.
  4. Your AU CFIS and bank letter must demonstrate that you have at least U.S.$66,717 available for your first year of study, even if you hope to qualify and receive one of AU’s competitive merit scholarships. Plan to have similar funding available for each additional year of undergraduate study (up to four years total).

Transfer Merit Awards for International Students

PTK Honors transfer students from U.S. community colleges may be considered for partial merit scholarships. 

Eligibility: Transfer applicants who are members of the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society. Students must identify themselves as PTK members on the admissions application and provide a PTK advisor letter of recommendation. If admitted, your verified PTK membership guarantees a $10,000 scholarship. 

APPLYING FOR A STUDENT VISA

If accepted to American University, students will need immigration documents to present at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate for the application for an F-1 or J-1 student visa. Study on an F-1 student visa requires an I-20 form, which is issued by AU. Study on a J-1 student visa requires a DS-2019 form, which is issued by the student’s financial sponsor. If the sponsor does not issue the DS-2019, AU will issue it.

All students must be able to demonstrate financial ability to pay for at least one year of academic and living expenses before being issued an I-20 or DS-2019.

Transfer In Form: If you are currently studying in the United States on an F or J visa and decide to attend AU, you will be required to submit the Immigration and Transfer-In Form before your AU I-20 or DS-2019 can be issued.

Please visit ISSS for the AU Cost Guide, sample bank letters, the AU CFIS form, and the Immigration and Transfer-In form.

All financial documents must be dated within the past three months to be considered valid.

TRANSFER APPLICANT

Applying as an International Transfer Student

A transfer applicant is anyone who has enrolled and begun study at a postsecondary institution after obtaining a secondary school diploma in the United States or in their home country. Apply online using the Common Application. There is a U.S.$70 fee for all applications.

HOW TO APPLY

Important: Your application and all supporting documents listed below must be received by the appropriate deadline:

  • Completed Common Application, including essay and CV/resume
  • Application fee of U.S.$70
  • Academic records with official transcripts and certified English translations, if applicable, for each postsecondary institution attended
  • Transfer Registrar Report ( see below)
  • Demonstrated English proficiency ( see below)
  • Completed AU Certification of Finances (AU CFIS) form showing at least U.S.$66,717 for first year of study and living expenses *
  • Bank letter showing at least U.S.$66,717 for first year of study and living expenses *
  • Copy of your passport information page*

* Only for non-U.S. citizens who will need a student visa (F or J). Financial documents showing less than U.S.$66,717 will not be accepted. All financial documents must be dated within the past three months to be considered valid. Visit this page for sample bank letters, the AU CFIS and Transfer-In Form, and AU Cost Guide.

LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION

A letter of recommendation for transfer students is optional. You can select and assign at least one Academic Evaluator within the Common Application. If you request recommendations outside of the Common Application, they should appear on official letterhead and include your full name and Social Security number (or date of birth) and be sent directly to American University:

American University
Undergraduate Admissions
4400 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20016-8001

TRANSFER APPLICATION DEADLINES

Your application and all supporting documents must be received by the dates below.

Fall (August) Semester

  • Final deadline for students attending college or university inside or outside the United States: May 1

Spring (January) Semester

  • Spring (January) Semester deadline is November 1
  • For transfer students applying from outside the United States, we strongly recommend October 1

SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

Important: Please use a courier service (and keep your tracking number) to send your complete application packet to:

Undergraduate Admissions
Office of Enrollment
4801 Massachusetts Ave., NW
STE-218
Washington, DC 20016-8001
USA
Tel: +1-202-885-6000

Important: Alternatively, you can scan and submit your Bank Letter, AU CFIS form, and TOEFL/IELTS official score report via fax to +1-202-885-1025. There is no need to mail hard copies if you choose to fax your documents.

You may also ask your school official to use their university email account to send us electronic copies of your official documents as PDF attachments to admissionsdocuments@american.edu. There is no need to mail hard copies if you choose this electronic option.

If you have any questions, please contact International Admissions at intadm@american.edu.

APPLICATION FORM

Complete the application carefully. Please make sure to include your full name exactly as it appears in the machine-readable section of your passport (check the bottom of your passport page). The first three letters stand for the country of your citizenship. Omit those three letters when completing the admission application form. Also include your date of birth, complete educational history, country of birth, citizenship, current mailing address and a permanent address outside of the United States, even if you currently live or study in the United States.

YOUR ACADEMIC RECORDS

If you have completed less than one year of full-time academic study at a postsecondary institution in the United States or overseas at the time of application (i.e. you have less than 24 semester credits per the U.S. system of higher education), please submit all of the following:

  1. Your secondary school diploma and academic credentials (examination results and certificates; transcripts for grades 9, 10, 11 and 12; etc.) for each secondary institution attended.
  2. Your academic credentials or transcripts from each postsecondary institution attended.

If you have completed at least one year of full-time postsecondary academic study at the time of application, submit only your postsecondary academic credentials. No secondary school academic records are required.

Please have academic records from each secondary and/or postsecondary school you attended sent directly from those schools to American University. These records should be submitted in their original language and accompanied by official English translations if applicable. You may submit certified or notarized copies of your original official transcripts if your country issues only one copy of your academic documents.

Contact intadm@american.edu with any questions regarding submission of documents.

TRANSFER REGISTRAR REPORT

Please have a college official from your current or most recent institution complete the Transfer Registrar Report, which is required of all transfer students. This form ensures that you are in good academic standing at your current or most recent institution.

You can access the form the through the Common Application. Within your My Colleges tab:

1. Click Assign Recommenders
2. Scroll to the bottom and click Registrar Report
3. Download the form
4. Submit the form to the Registrar/College Official and have them mail the completed form directly to American University.

ADVANCED CREDIT FOR POSTSECONDARY COURSEWORK

Courses completed at accredited postsecondary institutions within or outside the United States may be eligible to receive transfer credit.

Please visit AU’s Transfer Credit Guidelines site for more information.
 

ADVANCED CREDIT FOR IB, AP, A LEVEL, OIB ENGLISH, AND CAPE SECONDARY EXAMS

Students may be eligible to receive advanced credit for exams passed during secondary school. If you took IB, A level, AP, OIB English or CAPE exams while in secondary school, visit our exam credit page for full details on AU exam policies.
 

LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION

One letter of recommendation for transfer students is required. You will be required to select and assign at least one Academic Evaluator within the Common Application. If you request recommendations outside of the Common Application, they should appear on official letterhead and include your full name and U.S. Social Security number (if available) OR date of birth and be sent directly to American University.

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY

AU requires strong English language skills. All transfer applicants (including US citizens) can prove English proficiency by one of the testing options listed below.

Internal transfer students—those who have taken prescribed coursework at AU and who are applying for degree-seeking status—must earn a grade of “C” or higher in all required English as a second language courses and WRTG-100 course taken at AU to meet the English proficiency requirement for degree-seeking admission. Students who do not meet these criteria must prove their English proficiency by one of the following testing options:

TESTING OPTIONS

  • TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) – TOEFL code 5007
    • Internet based test (iBT) score of 80 or higher. Sub-scores for each section of the TOEFL should be 20 or higher. To be considered competitive, a 90 iBT score or above is recommended.
    • Paper-based test score of 550 or higher (taken on or prior to May 31, 2017), or all paper-based test sub-scores of 20 or higher (taken after May 31, 2017).
       
  • IELTS (International English Language Testing System): Composite score of 6.5 or higher. Sub-scores for each section of the IELTS should be 6.0 or higher.
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE): Score of 53 or higher.
  • SAT Critical Reading score of 530 or higher (taken before 3/1/2016), or SAT Reading Test sub-score of 29 or higher (taken after 3/1/2016)
  • ACT English score of 23 or higher
     

NOTE: Proof of English proficiency via TOEFL, IELTS, etc., is not required of non-native English speaking transfer applicants who:

  1. Have been educated in U.S. regionally-accredited post-secondary institutions inside or outside the U.S. where English is the only medium of instruction AND where the student successfully completes two English college-composition (non ESL) classes with a “C” or higher;
  2. Have graduated 4 years (grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 or equivalent) of secondary/high school where English was the only medium of instruction with no ESL within the past two years in one of the following:
  • U.S. regionally-accredited high schools inside or outside the U.S.
  • IB secondary schools inside or outside the U.S.
  • In the following countries or in the educational systems of these countries around the world/regardless of location where English was the only medium of instruction AND no ESL courses were taken: UK, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada (except Quebec). 

     

IMPORTANT: Though English proficiency may be met in one of the above ways, the Office of Admissions may request additional documentation if deemed necessary.

For native speakers of English from the U.S., UK, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada (except Quebec) who list English as their first language on the Common Application, proof of English proficiency is not required, but may be requested.

AU CERTIFICATE OF FINANCES (AU CFIS) AND BANK LETTER FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Applicants who required a student or exchange visa (F or J) must submit to the International Admissions Office the AU CFIS form and a bank letter, each showing proof of at least U.S. $66,717 for your first year of studies and living expenses.

Application packets without the AU CFIS form and bank letter will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed.

These and all other supporting documents must be received by the appropriate application deadline.

Please visit the International Student & Scholar Service’s guide on financial documents for the AU Cost Guide, sample bank letters, and Transfer-In forms.