Scholarships are gift funds that are often awarded to students based on various criteria including high academic achievement, special talents, or other associations with the sponsor. Like grants, scholarships do not have to be repaid. However, if you are using Federal Student Aid (FSA), you will need to declare any scholarship awards which may affect your total FSA eligibility.
While we don't directly offer university scholarships, there are many opportunities to apply for private scholarships. In fact, more than 100 organizations have provided our students with scholarships, so it may be worth your time to investigate these and other avenues.
Spend less time searching for scholarships and more time matching with Scholarship Universe. Through the portal, students can find and apply for scholarship funding. Students can create a profile within the portal and answer pre-built questions that will help identify scholarships they may qualify for.
Scholarship types include merit-based, need-based, those aimed toward specific programs, or those used as emergency funding. Once a student has a profile within Scholarship Universe, they will have access to the Student Dashboard which is where they can find:
- Matches: Scholarships for which the student may qualify
- Partial Matches: Potential scholarships for which the student may need to answer additional questions or complete additional steps
- Applications in Progress: A count of all outstanding applications (started, but not submitted)
- Your Universe: Track application status and be alerted when you match with new scholarship opportunities
Note: Students will need an ecampus login to utilize the Scholarship Universe portal.
- Americorps
- Army Emergency Relief (AER)
- Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
- Coast Guard Foundation
- Horatio Alger Association
- MPRA - Military Police Regimental Association
- National Military Family Association
- Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society
- Rosebud Sioux Tribe
- The AFCEA Educational Foundation Program Account
- The Ciri Foundation
- Veterans of Foreign Wars
NOTE: If you decide to use an awarded scholarship to pay for school, you must indicate this payment method when you register for courses. Once the scholarship funds are verified, you'll be able to enter your classroom.
If you have scholarship funds approved for use at APUS, have your scholarship organization mail the award letter and funds to below mentioned address:
American Public University System
Attn.: Financial Services
303 W 3rd Avenue
Ranson, WV 25438
The following should be included in the award letter communication:
- Contact Name, Phone Number and/or email address
- Check Amount
- Required Enrollment Status (i.e., full-time, half-time)
- Academic Year or Semester for which the funds apply
- List of expenses the funds can be used for
- Date in which funding needs to be returned if not used
A scholarship will affect your other student aid because all your student aid added together cannot be more than your cost of attendance. You will need to let APUS know if you have been awarded a scholarship so that the financial aid office can be sure it is accounted for in your financial aid package
Scholarship Payments (Checks)
Once received, scholarship funds will be applied towards allowable tuition and fees, in accordance with the scholarship guidelines.
- Scholarship checks need to be made payable to American Public University System.
- If a scholarship check is made out to the student and school, the student must endorse the check before sending to APUS.
Register for Courses
Course registrations should be placed within 30 days of APUS receiving your scholarship funding. When registering for courses select “Scholarship” as the payment method.
Additional Assistance
If you have questions regarding scholarships, you can contact a Financial Aid Advisor by emailing [email protected] or calling 855-731-9218 Mon – Thurs 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET; Fri 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET.