UAH put the new merit table out today. Charger Excellence Housing reduced to 2 years, and limited to ACT 36/SAT 1600.
Very disappointed, as this was our son’s favorite. It is no longer a front runner now and he may not apply at all.
This is a big disappointment - still in the free tuition section, but S19 was so excited that he’d gotten ACT score to put him in free housing as well. 
The value is just not there now, as we see better offers from schools that have higher ratings. The housing savings would have allowed us to have some wiggle room to get him a car. He already sent transcripts and test scores gearing up for the 8/1 application open, but it is likely he will not apply at all. Without the housing scholarship, they are not far off from Tuscaloosa in price, especially if you pick a cheaper housing option at the flagship. Oh well. He liked the campus, but that was if he were able to have a car there. No housing equals no car, so no dice.
This was on S19’s list but in the end came off due to size. We did tour and the admissions folks led us to believe the scholarships would be staying pretty much the same but to higher stat kids this is a big difference. While still a good value for a lot of kids, I wonder how many kids will decide to look elsewhere especially given that UA’s scholarships actually improved this year?
The admissions folks said the same when we visited on 7/2. They were not expecting big changes. I emailed them today letting our admissions counselor know that our S19 will not apply.
I’m not surprised at the drop from 4 yrs to 2 years for housing as many like to move off campus but I am surprised at the big jump in the criteria to the 36/1600 from where it was at 34/(I don’t recall the SAT stat needed) I just remember the ACT as my DD had a 34 and is full housing all 4 years freshman fall 2018.
My son has a 34, it was very disappointing. He’s moved past it, though. He loved Tuscaloosa, and with the scholarship increases there, he will be fine. He spent the summer in Tuscaloosa with UA Early College, and it is very walkable, with good transportation options readily available. It is only a small bit more than UAH now, so he will just stick with the flagship if he chooses Alabama. He got his acceptance today from there.
@mountainmomof3 Addressing your question: I’m still going. It’s still a pretty good scholarship, considering all you have to pay for is the meal plan and housing. I can see it affecting higher-stat student’s enrollment decision though.
@AustinPhys1121 definitely still great but for higher stat students it probably now comes in closer to other options. Last year’s awesome scholarship was what made my S19 willing to visit UAH and then UA. Because of that trip, he realized he could see himself at either of those schools. Going into application season loving your financial safeties is a huge stress relief. UAH had already been taken off the table for other reasons but UA remains a favorite.
What is surprising is that the admissions meeting stressed their desire to grow their high stat OOS population. I just wonder if the change will impact that goal.
@AustinPhys1121 I agree that the amount is still pretty good, it’s just not very different now from other schools, and there are other limiting factors to Huntsville that make it somewhat less attractive without the free housing sweetening the pot. While UA is still more expensive, the scholarship there can be used for graduate classes if you finish your undergraduate in fewer than 8 semesters. I don’t believe the UAH scholarship offers the same flexibility. Overall amenities, etc., are much better at UA - again things that you could be swayed to overlook if the deal that UAH offers makes sense to you. For us, without housing, it didn’t.
I think for families that are looking for a good education at a the lowest cost point, UAH is still a great option. My son really liked the feel of the campus and thought he could see himself enjoying school there. I do think that they will not get as many of the high stat OOS students as they did before - simply because they have priced themselves closer to UAB, and frankly, closer to other state flagships for kids with very high stats.
@mountainmomof3 - My DS has the 34/4.0 that would have gotten the 4 years of housing too.I think they are trying to grow just OOS. I believe that more kids will now qualify for the free tuition because all it takes is a 30 with a 3.5.I may be wrong but I think you needed a higher ACT/GPA to get that last year.
@MichiganGeorgia I have a screenshot from prior to last week’s change. The grid before this week also had 100% tuition for 3.5 and > 30/1390. The only change appears to be adding the new column by splitting final 34 - 36 column into two (34-35 and 36), with free housing in the 36 + 4.0 block only.
My son also just got the 34 needed for free housing on the old grid - kind of a bummer. We’re OOS and toured in April.
I have one son who graduated from Bama, and a second who graduated from UAH.
I realize that UAH has changed its scholarship requirements and cut the on campus housing to two years, but the school is still a great value, especially for someone interested in engineering/STEM. My son had several fraternity brothers land coops or internships with engineering firms as early as their sophomore years. They graduated into those jobs.
Someone wondered if the scholarship covers grad school classes – my son’s did (he took two classes at the grad level but they also applied to his undergrad degrees). UAH has “JUMP” for many graduate programs, and if my son had chosen to pursue his masters there, he would have received additional monies. He decided to go to Bama for a masters in finance, as UAH does not offer it.
Either UA or UAH is a great school. They have excellent programs and academics.