Scholarships at American University

American University offers a fifty percent tuition remission scholarship to dependent children of active ordained clergy serving full time in Pan-Methodist churches including United Methodist, African Methodist Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal Zion, Christian Methodist Episcopal, and Union American Methodist Episcopal congregations. The program is competitive, limited to sixteen recipients across the undergraduate student body with roughly four seats per incoming class, and requires a separate application through AU's AcademicWorks portal after admission. Priority is given to early applicants with high financial need. Recipients must enroll full time, maintain at least a 2.0 GPA, and register for no fewer than twelve credits each semester.

American University sponsors National Merit Scholarships for undergraduate students who are National Merit Finalists and list American University as their first-choice school with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation by the published NMSC deadline. All qualifying finalists receive a fixed annual award applied toward tuition. The scholarship is renewable for up to eight semesters if recipients maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress. Students should confirm first-choice reporting deadlines directly with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and may contact AU's National Merit liaison with questions.

The Gisela B. Trechsel Scholarship in Literature was established by the estate of Dr. Gisela B. Trechsel in honor of her husband Heinz Trechsel to support deserving American University students studying literature. The scholarship carries a two-thousand-dollar award and is available to both undergraduate and graduate students, with preference given to graduate students in the Department of Literature. Eligible undergraduates must hold a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA and have completed at least thirty credits of study in the prior year. Selection is made by the department; there is no separate student application process for this award.

The Dorothy Gondos-Beers Scholarship is awarded annually to an outstanding undergraduate history major at American University who may use the funds toward university attendance costs. Recipients are chosen based on financial need and academic achievement through department selection rather than a separate student application. The award was established through the generosity of AU history professors Dorothy and Victor Gondos Jr. and is announced at the department's annual awards ceremony. Students should maintain strong academic standing in the history major to remain competitive for nomination.

The Patrick Clendenen Fellowship at American University supports PhD students in history who are completing their dissertations, with preference for female students. The fellowship was established by Mary Graydon in memory of Patrick Clendenen and is awarded through department selection without a separate student application. Recipients are chosen from advanced doctoral candidates based on dissertation progress and scholarly promise. The department awards page describes the fund's purpose and eligibility but does not publish a fixed dollar amount for the fellowship.

The Mavis and Sidney John Palmer Scholarship supports outstanding American University graduate students in the School of Communication with interest in environmental, natural history, or wildlife filmmaking. Applicants submit the official application form, a one-page essay on their aspirations in the field, and a current resume to the Center for Environmental Filmmaking director by October 1. A faculty committee reviews materials and selects merit recipients annually. The scholarship is a one-year award and is not renewable, and the published application materials do not state a fixed dollar amount.