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.

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, 2025 with all supporting documents (application, application fee, SSAR and test scores).

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 the Atlantic	3.90 GPA & 1340 SAT / 29 ACT / 96 CLT	$8,000 ($2,000/yr for 4 years)
Spirit of the Atlantic	3.85 GPA & 1270 SAT / 27 ACT / 90 CLT	$4,000 ($1,000/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 (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 the Atlantic	3.85 GPA & 1270 SAT / 27 ACT / 90 CLT	$4,000 ($1,000/yr for 4 years)
State University System of Florida Grandparent Waiver	1340 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. 25 Waivers available for new first-year students.

**Total Scholarship amount includes HOOT Scholarship

HOOT is $23,000 (5926/year for 4 years), which covers 6 credits per year of non-resident tuition.

Florida Resident: Must be classified as Florida resident for tuition purposes.
Non-Florida Resident: Must be classified as a Non-Resident for tuition purposes

Eligibility

Be a US 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 student’s earned and attempted credits reaches the required number of credits for their chosen degree program, whichever comes first.

Donor-Based Merit Scholarships

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.

Bright Futures Scholarship

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.

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RaiseMe 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.

Additional Scholarship and Financial Aid Links

FAQ

What do I need to do to be considered for a scholarship?

Submit a complete admissions application by January 14. There is no separate application needed, but all required information, including application fee or fee waiver, official SAT or ACT scores, completed and linked SSAR, official high school transcripts, is necessary for an application to be considered complete. Ensure that your application is complete by logging into admissions.fau.edu/status. Scholarships are offered on a funds available basis.

Do I need to submit a scholarship application to be considered for admissions scholarships?

If I meet the posted criteria for a scholarship, am I guaranteed to receive it?

What GPA is used for scholarship consideration?

If I do not meet the criteria for a scholarship when I apply to FAU, can I be considered if I submit new information?

Students are automatically considered for scholarships from October-January. Standardized tests (SAT/ACT) taken in December and/or first semester grades and received by the scholarship deadline are used in scholarship consideration. Later tests and senior year grades will not be used and students cannot be offered scholarships from the Office of Admissions after they have enrolled at FAU.

How will I be notified if I receive a scholarship?

Does the university offer any other scholarships?

Can I receive multiple scholarships?

If I received a higher scholarship offer from another school, will FAU increase my offer?

How does residency impact my scholarship eligibility?

If my residency status changes when I am enrolled, what will happen to my scholarship?

What do I have to do to continue to receive my scholarship?