Costs and Financial Aid

Au Sable offers generous scholarships, fellowships, and grants to assist students in meeting the cost of tuition. A summary of the costs and financial aid is provided below. Please see the 2023 Au Sable Bulletin for additional details and if you have any questions, please contact Ashley Rosenberger at admissions@ausable.org or (231) 252-6374.

Paying for Au Sable

Tuition at Au Sable is US $2,950 per course. In addition to tuition, there are the following fees:

• Application Fee: US $30 (non-refundable, not applied to tuition)

• Tuition Deposit: US $200 (per course, applied to tuition)

• Site Fees (room, board, local course transportation and site-specific costs):

May Session - Great Lakes: US $480 per week

May Session- Pacific Rim: US $725 per week

May Session - Costa Rica: US $725 per week

Summer Session I - Great Lakes: US $480 per week

Summer Session II - Great Lakes: US $480 per week

Summer Session II - Pacific Rim: US $725 per week

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Students may apply for financial aid as part of the general application process. Au Sable Academic Scholar Awards are based on college GPA and financial need with additional need-based awards based on significant financial need as demonstrated on a student’s university FAFSA. Additional opportunities, with deadlines starting February 1, for larger fellowships and additional need-based aid are available. These are open to students who have completed the registration process and are fully enrolled in their Au Sable courses, including payment of the tuition deposit.

Thanks to our generous donors, Au Sable provides multiple financial aid options to students taking our courses because we want to assist in making an Au Sable education possible for every interested student. Our fellowships, grants, and scholarships include:

Au Sable Academic Scholar Awards

When completing the general application to Au Sable, students may choose to be considered for Au Sable Academic Scholar Awards that recognize their outstanding academic achievements and leadership potential based on their home college grade point average (GPA), financial need, and the recommendation of their Faculty Representative. Academic Scholar Awards are provided upon acceptance to the Institute according to the following levels (based on a 4.0 scale GPA):

GPA > 3.8 receive US $450 per course
GPA = 3.0 to 3.8 receive US $175 per course

Students will be awarded this support based on their Au Sable application for enrollment, which includes a recommendation from your Faculty Representative, submission of the most recent college transcript, and a copy of the Student Aid Report from the FAFSA. Academic Scholars are also eligible and encouraged to apply for additional financial aid as applicable to their interests and qualifications.

Deadline: Students must apply for admission prior to April 15 to be eligible for Academic Scholar Awards.

Honors Alumni Scholarship

Honors Alumni Scholarships are granted to Institute alumni who have achieved at least a 3.0 GPA in their prior year Au Sable courses. It is an automatic grant of US $300 per course.

Recipients of the Au Sable Honors Alumni Scholarship may also qualify for additional financial assistance.

Au Sable Grant

Grants are provided for students who have applied for financial aid and have demonstrated financial need above and beyond other aid provided by the Institute. Grant amounts are determined by financial need, using their current Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Student Aid Index.

Creation Care Outreach Fellowship

Creation Care Fellowships are awarded to qualified students from Au Sable’s partner colleges and universities who possess a strong desire to engage their own church more effectively in the understanding and practice of care for God’s natural world. After completing their course(s) at Au Sable, recipients of the fellowship will be required to share a presentation with their home church community. The presentations will emphasize the biblical mandate of caring for creation and provide a summary of how their time at Au Sable inspired and educated the student to better serve, protect and restore God’s earth. The fellowship provides US $500 per course.

Deadline: All application materials should be submitted online via Populi (Au Sable’s course management system) by FEBRUARY 1. Awards will be announced by February 28. The student must be enrolled in Au Sable classes prior to the application deadline for consideration.

Missionary Earthkeeping Fellowship

Missionary Earthkeeping Fellowships are awarded to qualified students demonstrating vocational commitment to a career in missions and application of environmental knowledge and skill in missionary efforts. This fellowship provides US $500 per course. Students must be recommended by the Au Sable Representative from their campus. Application materials include a vocational statement that confirms a dedication to a career in missions, an academic transcript, a resume, and letters of recommendation from a missions professional attesting to the student’s commitment to a career in missions and the application of environmental knowledge and skill in missionary efforts, your Au Sable Faculty Representative, and one other faculty or staff member at your home college.

Deadline: Application materials must be submitted online on or before FEBRUARY 1. Awards are announced by February 28. The student must be enrolled in Au Sable classes prior to the application deadline for consideration.

David C. Mahan Fellowship

To commemorate the legacy of 30 years of service by Au Sable’s former Associate Executive Director, Dr. David C. Mahan, the Institute offers the David C. Mahan Fellowship to provide an annual award of US $2,000 towards two courses at Au Sable’s Great Lakes Campus. The Mahan Fellowship is given to one student each year who shows ability to advance the work of creation care through creative and caring relational collaborations with others, a hallmark of the work of Dave Mahan during his three decades at Au Sable.

Acceptance of the David C. Mahan Fellowship requires registration for and completion of a minimum of two courses in residence at Au Sable’s Great Lakes Campus during the year in which the award is given. While there is no restriction as to which courses the recipient might take, we would encourage Stream Ecology, Aquatic Biology, or Fish Ecology and Management as these subjects were close to Dr. Mahan’s own academic interests.

Harold Snyder Fellowship

To commemorate the vision, life and legacy of Au Sable founder Dr. Harold Snyder, the Institute offers the Harold Snyder Fellowship to provide an annual award of US $3,000 towards two courses at Au Sable’s Great Lakes Campus. The Fellowship is given to one student each year who shows promise of developing the passion, vision and skill to do and teach science to others as an expression of Christian faith, and as a commitment to serve, protect, and restore God’s earth.

Read more about Harold's legacy on the Au Sable history webpage.

Acceptance of the Harold Snyder Fellowship requires registration for and completion of a minimum of two courses in residence at Au Sable's Great Lakes Campus during the year in which the award is given. While there is no restriction as to which courses the recipient might take, we would encourage Field Biology in Spring, Aquatic Biology, or Lake Ecology and Management, as these subjects were close to Dr. Snyder's own academic interests.

Deadline: All application materials should be submitted online via Populi (Au Sable’s course management system) by February 1. Awards will be announced by FEBRUARY 28. The student must be enrolled in Au Sable classes prior to the application deadline for consideration.

Calvin B. DeWitt Leadership Fellowship

Dr. Calvin B. DeWitt is the founding Executive Director of Au Sable Institute. Since its formation under Cal DeWitt’s leadership in 1979, Au Sable has become an Institute of national and international recognition in Christian environmental stewardship. More than 4,000 people have taken courses in Au Sable’s College Academic Program and over 130,000 have participated as students in its Environmental Education Program for K-12 students in northern Michigan. The DeWitt Fellowship is given to one student each year who shows the potential for leadership and vision in Christian environmental stewardship that reflects Cal DeWitt’s legacy at Au Sable Institute.

Any partner college may nominate one student for a Leadership Fellowship each year. Au Sable will normally select one student to receive this award. The Au Sable Board has approved a US $5,100 Leadership Fellowship that will be applied to the recipient’s expenses for one summer session (two-course enrollment required). In addition to academic excellences, nominees must show high potential for leadership in Christian environmental stewardship as documented by the nominating institution in the case statement prepared on behalf of the nominee.