The Fall 2026 admissions cycle is in full swing here in our admissions office on the Plains!
Students who met our first Early Action deadline of September 15th will be receiving a decision very soon. Our second Early Action deadline was October 15th. Decisions for that round will be released in mid-November. There are still two more Early Action deadlines! November 15th is our next Early Action deadline, and December 1st is the final Early Action deadline. Our Regular Decision deadline is February 1, 2026. This is the last opportunity to apply to Auburn for the Fall 2026 term.
To meet a deadline, we must receive all required materials by that date as well. Even if you selected “Regular Decision” in Common App, your application will be reviewed in an Early Action round if your file is complete by an earlier deadline.
What is Early Action?
Early Action is a preliminary academic review that includes consideration of all information on the transcript and ACT or SAT scores. Students must be admitted in an Early Action round to be eligible for any Auburn scholarship. We are continuing a test-optional pathway for Fall 2026, but test scores will be required for Fall 2027 and beyond. Auburn is a test-preferred institution, though, and it is significantly more competitive to be admitted without test scores. There is also a 3.6 minimum GPA requirement for test-optional eligibility. If you are applying for Fall 2026 and have questions about this, please reach out to your admissions advisor. You can search for your admissions advisor here.
Each year the applicant pool competes with itself. We use recent data as a guideline for competitiveness. For Fall 2024, the middle 50% GPA of enrolling students was 3.87-4.31. The middle 50% ACT and SAT ranges for Alabama residents enrolling was 24-31 and 1210-1380, and 28-32 and 1270-1380 for non-residents. The average GPA of test-optional applicants was a 4.2.
Regarding ACT and SAT scores, we can only accept official scores sent directly from the testing agency. It can take up to TWO WEEKS to receive official test scores from ACT or College Board. Nine times out of ten, this is why a student misses a deadline, so go ahead and send us your official scores early! We will accept superscores for ACT and SAT. For transcripts, we can accept official OR unofficial copies. We consider GPA on a weighted, cumulative 4.0 scale. More information about our freshmen admissions process can be found here.
Decision Types: Admit, Defer, and Deny
Admitted Applicants:
Congratulations! Be on the lookout for more communication about next steps!
On-Campus Housing: It is not required or guaranteed. If you are interested in living on campus, watch for an email from the Housing office in your Auburn email account. To secure a spot for room selection that will begin in March, you will want to submit your housing application as soon as your housing application timeslot opens. Housing application timeslots for the first round of admitted students will open in early November. You do not have to pay the $250 enrollment deposit to apply for housing! You can go ahead and pay it early if you would like, but please know that it is non-refundable. This is only required prior to selecting a room, which will begin in late March. You can learn more about the housing application process here.
Scholarships: Students admitted in an Early Action round receive automatic consideration for competitive merit scholarships. You will want to complete the AUSOM scholarship application to receive consideration for general and departmental scholarships by no later than early February. We will accept updated test scores for scholarship purposes until January 12, 2026, so send us your new test scores if you have them! To be considered for need-based scholarships, we must receive your FAFSA by early February as well. More information about first-year student scholarships can be found here.
Deferred Applicants:
There will be a more comprehensive review of your file before a final decision is made. This comprehensive review will include consideration of a resume/activities, academic letters of recommendation, an optional supporting statement, midyear grades, and any new test scores. The optional supporting statement is a checklist item that will be added for deferred applicants. We highly encourage students to complete this if they are deferred and still interested in Auburn. All deferred applicants will receive a final decision no later than early March, but some deferred applicants may be admitted in an earlier round depending on the new information submitted. Deferred applicants will not be denied prior to early March. We are encouraging deferred applicants to submit new information as soon as possible.
Denied Applicants:
You will have the option to submit an appeal when that process opens in March. You can learn more about our appeal process here. Please know that few appeals are granted. There is always a way to get to Auburn though if that is your goal! We have a transfer process that you can learn more about here.
If you have other questions, please reach out to your admissions advisor. We are here to help you navigate this process and help you on your journey to Auburn!