<p>UA Ranks First Among Public Universities in Enrollment of National Merit Scholars</p>
<p>*TUSCALOOSA, Ala. *The University of Alabama ranks first among public universities nationwide in the enrollment of National Merit Scholars for 2012-2013 with 241 scholars in the fall 2012 freshman class.</p>
<p>The ranking also places UA fourth among all universities. Only the University of Chicago, Harvard and the University of Southern California enrolled more National Merit Scholars last fall than UA.*</p>
<p>Wow, that’s quite a few more than OU’s 191 in Fall 2012. It will be interesting to see if/how OU changes their recruiting and/or scholarship package. They are quite proud of their (former) “#1 among public universities” status. I know they hate to give that up.</p>
<p>Hey Mom2, Do you think UA will get fewer NMF now that they only give 1 year room and board.It sure would be nice if other schools gave real $ to NMF like UA does.</p>
<p>Such a big jump from D1’s 2010 class; I think there were about 120 that year. Nice to see :)</p>
<p>rebel11: only time will tell but I can say that not having the extra 3 years of housing makes D2’s other scholarship offers compete on a more even playing field.</p>
<p>Hey Mom2, Do you think UA will get fewer NMF now that they only give 1 year room and board.It sure would be nice if other schools gave real $ to NMF like UA does.</p>
<p>Good question. Time will tell. At Bama’s ranking level, it may be offering the best NMF assured merit. Lower ranking schools may offer more money. Bama also has the advantage of offering the full college experience…strong academics, gorgeous campus, very nice dorms, and big Div I sports.</p>
<p>We think my daughter will be NMSF( NJ 223),UA scholarship along with USC will get a look in our house. Prior to coming on CC UA never would have been on our radar.</p>
<p>RobD, This is the case in our house as well. D was disappointed at the decision being made after aps came out this year and after students had been told the scholarship wouldn’t change. We understand why it was made - just wish it had been announced earlier.</p>
<p>We’ve been trying to run the numbers as best as possible, but due to UA’s high housing costs - apparently off campus as well as on campus - those 3 years of housing costs are about equal to 4 at d’s other universities. So then we have to factor cost and ease of transportation, etc. It has put UA pretty much even (or even under) in that regard instead of at a clear advantage as it would have been with 4 years of housing provided.</p>
<p>However, it is still a very generous scholarship at a good school, and it is not competitive, so that will make it a good choice for many students.</p>
<p>Ditto for my son - the scholarship drop is likely a dealbreaker for us. UA was at the top of the list but due to tough financials for our family he is now likely to attend a different school. Again not whining (well, maybe a little) but I am very thankful to have so many different NMF scholarship opportunities at several schools (including UA)!</p>
<p>I consider the reduction in scholarship at UA to be one of the best things to have happen during my daughter’s college search. </p>
<p>The generous offer of past years and the glowing reports here on CC made UA an early favorite. After visiting mid-summer 2012 and being assured on that visit that the scholarship would remain the same, it then changed. No problem there, it was only a verbal assurance and as we saw this week with athletic commitments it does not count unless it is in writing. It did however prompt what was a done deal to be put back on the table and my daughter looked seriously at other options. Having drank the UA kool-aid I made sure that all the pros for UA were well represented in her analysis, however, the virulent attacks on the CC UA board by parents slamming NMF students that didn’t deserve more scholarships than their high stats kids and accusations that anyone questioning that was just whining quickly dimmed my enthusiasm. </p>
<p>UA became her safety choice as it offered her full tuition based on her stats as well as getting the offer a second time for being a NMSF. She would have been happy to go there but she is thrilled that her finalist status will allow her to attend a school that is a better fit that she may not have seriously considered had it not been for the change in UA’s scholarship.</p>
<p>I think that many high achieving OOS will choose to avail themselves of other opportunities because of this change. It seems to add at least 35k to COA.</p>
<p>I won’t be suprised if the new policy means enrollment of NMF will shrink considerably.Many will take advantage of other opportunities at higher ranked schools.</p>
<p>Even though NM changed, Bama remained on DS list due to the guarantee of the full tuition for his stats.</p>
<p>At this stage, he has no idea where he will wind up. Had the NM continued housing for all 4 years, he would be done now and we would not still be making visits for scholarship interviews.</p>
<p>like mytwods, the change is keeping many other options on the table for DS.</p>
<p>We too visited UA last year because of the NMF scholarship. Yes, she is now a NMF, and disappointed they (UA) changed their package.</p>
<p>I’m curious if any of you have visited the University of Houston? My daughter has also been offered everything from the University of New Mexico. What other schools are your children considering now that UA scholarship has changed?</p>
<p>Our daughter was very excited about UA, but having to cover the last 3 years of housing is a deal breaker. Her biggest concern is being with like-minded individuals. Would Houston be able to offer that to her?</p>
<p>I know someone looking at University of KY for this fall. They have a full ride for NMFs in addition to the one-time $2,000 award, it “includes the following: tuition, basic room and board allowance, $1,000 yearly stipend, an iPad®, and $2,000 for a Summer Education Abroad program” , but covers a very basic meal plan, so probably have to kick in some extra for food. They are building a new honors dorm slated to open this fall. They are courting NMFs and had more than 70 freshman NMFs last year. They seem to have some interesting extra programs one can apply to, Global Gatton Scholars, I think one is called. The deadline to apply for fall '13 is tomorrow, 2/15. You can use the common app, but there are 2 extra short essays.</p>
<p>My D is likely going to ASU and have to pay for housing there, not cheap either, but for her it’s very dependent on fit with the music prof. I feel lucky we found an NMF-scholarship-school which has a music school she loves (practice rooms with windows, music buildings designed by FLWright.) And she’s applied for some extra scholarships, so we shall see.</p>
<p>adeal1 and celesteroberts. Good timing on your posts, having seen little or nothing on UK and UNM all year. DD is considering both, finding them to be very NMF-friendly, both in terms of cost and sheer interest in having NMF students from a high school that seems to have had no previous matriculants at either school. Top students at state flagships can make their own paths, if they’re motivated, even if the school isn’t considered to be in an ivy-ish category. There’s a lot to be said for going where you’re wanted in life, and if you come out with little or no debt, even better. Agree with celesteroberts that UK has additional costs: premium housing for honors or ‘communities’ students, significantly higher food costs, and some course fees (that seem to be increasingly common at many schools). While it might be too late for this year, I’d urge next year’s NMFs to consider UK and UNM – and some other hidden gems that might get more CC press next year.</p>
<p>I received an email today from Univ. of Alabama Admissions for my twins who are NMFs. Neither had applied to UA but the email indicated that if they do apply any time before the end of March, they will still receive the full tuition, plus one year of housing, plus the extras.</p>
<p>My guess is that this means they have realized their NMF numbers are drastically lower than last year’s and are hoping to minimize the embarrassment. I would think it would be worth calling Admissions to see if they are willing to up their offer to include more, even perhaps four years of housing.</p>
<p>My kids both like the University of Kentucky’s offer better since they have many friends who will be attending. As a parent, I would prefer UA since I believe their Engineering program is better but they are both solid universities.</p>