The TESOL Program offers a limited number of Merit Awards to outstanding MA in TESOL program applicants. Only full-time graduate students in residence at AU are eligible for a Merit Award. A full-time award covers tuition remission of up to six credit hours per semester and pays a stipend of $9,000 for the academic year. Recipients of full Merit Awards are required to work for the TESOL Program 20 hours a week. Partial Merit Awards are also available. To be eligible for a Merit Award, you must apply by February 1st of your entry year to begin that fall. Merit Awards are rarely available for students beginning in the spring semester, and none for those who start in the summer.

If you are not selected as a Merit Award recipient for the semester you wish to begin, there are effectively no other scholarships available from the University at this time. Merit Awards are available only to new Master's students.

For more information about other forms of financial aid visit the Office of Financial Aid website.

Simply check the "Yes" box on item 24 of the Graduate Application Form and you will automatically be eligible for any type of Merit Award you qualify for.

In the past four years, up to 4 students per year in the MA Program have received Merit Awards. The primary criterion for Merit Award selection is a candidate's academic accomplishments. These awards are highly competitive.

A full Merit Award usually covers tuition of up to twelve credit hours per academic year and pays a total of $9,000 stipend per academic year. At the same time, a full Merit Award is not sufficient to cover all of a student's expenses. Therefore, you will need supplemental resources to pay for books, food, housing, travel, and other incidental expenses.