MPA Program Financial Aid Information
The financial aid office is located in Mary Martin Hall. Packets to apply through the ACT Financial Aid Service are available in that office. All questions regarding financial aid should be directed to one of the counselors in Mary Martin Hall.
A. Grants and Loans
There are four types of financial aid available. These are scholarships, grants, loans, and part-time employment. Very few scholarships are available for graduate students at Auburn. Grants, loans and employment are acquired by applying through the ACT Financial Aid Service. In order to qualify for these programs you must demonstrate a financial need. Generally a package of part grants, part loans, and part employment is put together for needy students. The application process is described below.
The first step to getting University financial aid is visiting or calling the Office of Financial Aid in 203 Mary Martin Hall. The phone number is (334) 844-4723 outside Alabama and 800-392-8051 inside Alabama. Pick up a financial aid application packet from the office. Fill out the forms inside. Send the completed ACT Family Financial Statement. Please retain a copy of all forms for later reference. Also obtain a copy of your tax return for the year preceding the year of application.
ACT will evaluate your application in about four to six weeks. After that period they will send a Pell Grant Student Aid Report. Fill this out completely and take it to 203 Mary Martin Hall. If the Office of Financial Aid needs any more information, they will contact you. A couple of months after your original application was sent expect to get notification of acceptance or a letter of denial.
B. Graduate Assistantships
Many of the MPA students work as a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) or a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) if they are not working outside jobs.
The GRA assists a professor or professors on a research project. This project can range in subject matter from wetlands administration to poll worker training. The projects available at any given time are dependent on what research grants have been awarded to our faculty. Examples of projects include: a study on the variability in administering state revolving loan funds, a feasibility study of the assumption of the federal 404 wetlands program by the state of Alabama, an evaluation of the mainframe computer system employed by the juvenile detention system of Alabama, and others.
The GTA usually assists a professor with a large class or manages a computer lab. The classes most available are the lower level political science classes. American government, state and local government, and political economy are the main subjects of these courses. Class size ranges from 100 to 150.
New students apply for a GRA or GTA position by including a letter with their application to the program. Current students may also request financial aid at any time by submitting a letter. The letter should include any past experience, any special skills, and what type of position you would like to hold. The letters go in a file that the director consults whenever she/he learns of a position. She/He tries to match the student with the position.
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Last updated April 19, 2007