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<p>It means nothing of the sort - my daughter was receiving letters and postcards like that from Bama this time last year as well.</p>
<p>Although I have no inside knowledge about the current state of NMF applications to Alabama (and wouldn’t be surprised if applications and/or NMF yield are down slightly this year due to scholarship changes) the current mailings to NMFs are nothing new and shouldn’t be taken as a sign of scholarship bargaining leverage. Alabama has sent such a mailing around the time that National Merit Finalists are named for at least the last two years. This is standard procedure for the big NMF merit schools. In the last week, my NMF daughter has gotten letters from Arizona State, Kentucky, New Mexico, Houston and UTD as well.</p>
<p>S2 is a NMF freshman at the University of Alabama so I was interested in reading this post. We are from OOS and I will say that the full tuition and full board offered to NMFs is one of the reason he took a look at this school. S1 was also a NMF but we considered it too far away and didn’t consider it at all so at his school basically his tuition is covered. After reading posts about UA, we decided S2 should at least look at the school. I can’t say he “loved it” outright, but ended choosing to go there and really is glad about his decision. Would we have looked at the school without the 4 year housing - I don’t know. We are blessed that he does have it, but it is also a “curse” in some ways. Next year his two roommates are moving off campus (cheaper than the dorms) and he is struggling to find new roommates to live with (and this will be a problem every year unless he finds other NMFs who need to stay on campus.) Keep this in mind when looking at other schools. However, when looking at other NMF schools, not many offered a NMF package comparable to UA. There are a few but these were not desirable for my son. When searching, look at graduation rates (you want a guarantee that classes are offered so they can graduate in 4 years time) and also the perks. UA accepts ALOT of AP and clep credits. My son is a freshman but has junior standings. By the end of his “sophomore” year, he will have completed his CS undergraduate degree (and be close to finishing his Math major) and is planning to then work on his CS masters. He is hoping to finish his MASTERS in four years, although we may have to pay for the 5th if he needs to finish up. I am not selling UA and I too was put off by the NMFs attacks from the parents that mytwods mentioned, but I just wanted to have you all look at EVERYTHING a school offers.</p>
<p>My S was not NMF, but did receive UA’s full tuition Presidential Scholarship plus 2500/yr engineering scholarship. We pay for room (best housing of any college, trust me), board, and books. Total COA is only 10k, about half what our in state flagships would cost. If at all affordable, most NMF’s would still be better off paying a little at UA vs. full ride at other schools. Look at the total package before deciding. Keep in mind the perks at UA, especially the generous AP credits and priority registration for honors students. That perk cannot be understated.</p>
<p>UAB (Birmingham) still offers the full ride to nmf students…4 years of tuition and 4 years of housing and a 2500 stipend. (also to national achievement and national hispanic scholars)</p>
<p>if anyone wants more info on the school feel free to pm as it doesnt have its own forum</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>Not true.</p>
<p>Bama has always allowed NMFs to apply in the late winter or early spring. Bama has always recruited NMFs during this time. Nothing new. No, they won’t likely “up their offer,” but you can always ask. </p>
<p>Your twins would also get the 2500 per year from Eng’g…so that might mitigate the cost difference a bit between UK and Bama.</p>