Hey UAH community I’m a high senior looking at going here but I have a few questions.
- If I apply now with a +3.5 gpa but my gpa tanks this year will I still get the merit scholarship? I have a lot going on outside of school and my grades might slip this year. I'm 20 SAT points away from full tution so I'm wondering if I apply now but then send my higher SAT (hopefully) after I retake it will I get the full tution if my gpa falls under 3.5 by the end of the year? Sorry if this is confusing, I'm hoping that if they get a transcript now with a higher gpa they'll just look at.
- Is it still a commuter school? The common data sets are showing increases in oos students, I think last year was 27% of freshman while 13% of all undergrads are oos. I'm from New England so obviously I'm not coming home often. Would you recommend UAH as an oos student?
- How good is the business school? Everyone online talks about the engineering here but I want to major in either accounting or information systems or double major. Does having all the tech companies and nasa nearby create opportunities for business majors? I understand that UA in Tuscaloosa has a stronger business school reputation but if I only get my SAT score high enough for full tution at UAH and 2/3 at UA I would have to seriously to consider saving the ~35-40k by going to UAH. My family can contribute about 5k a year so I would graduate with minimal debt with the full tution scholarship.
I’m planning on visiting soon as well. Flights into Huntsville seem expensive, is it worth flying into Nashville then taking a bus down to Huntsville?
Thank you!!
2017Dreams: The admissions department will answer your first question, as they do visit this page regularly.
As for the second question, my son is an OOS student. The OOS population continues to grow each year. So you will find others from different parts of the country. Our home is about 10 hours north of Huntsville. My son has friends from Chicago, Kansas and Pennsylvania, among other places. During his freshman year, he roomed with a young man from Ohio.
The business school is quite good. My son is getting his degrees in economics and finance, with a minor in math. Each year, there are two career fairs, and there are always co-ops/internships for all business majors. My son receives information from the business department when local firms seek part-time help or offer internships.
As for flights, my son, when he flies home (he does have a car on campus), flies into and out of Huntsville. The flight may not be cheap but he can always get someone to pick him up or drop him off.
Thanks for the reply! Was your son is honors housing? I’m thinking that if I get into honors I’ll meet more oos students?
@2017Dreams , these are great questions!
- UAH will always honor your highest submitted GPA and ACT/SAT scores. If you take the SAT multiple times and your score fluctuates, we will base your merit tuition scholarship on the highest one!
- @momreads is right! While there is a large population of commuter students (a mix of undergraduate and graduate), the OOS student population is very significant. Our housing department makes sure students living on campus are grouped in "communities" based on major, interest, etc. Our Honors College has its own housing on campus. This gives these students a community, as well. OOS students are housed all over campus, but Honors College would definitely be a good place to find a good number of them!
- @momreads is correct here, too! Huntsville is not a college town, it is a business town. While UAH is known for its engineering programs, our business students have equal opportunity for co-ops and internships. There are also cool academic opportunities, such as studying abroad!
We hope you visit soon, too! UAH has its own full-service hotel on campus for visitors. It is our Bevill Center, and it offers visiting students and families a special rate! As for flying in: yes, Nashville is a great choice; especially since there is the bus that runs daily. It is about a two hour trip from Nashville to Huntsville. You can also check out flights into and out of Birmingham. This trip is about an hour and a half.
Just chiming in that Nashville is a relatively charming airport, straight up I65 from Huntsville.
We made the mistake of driving over from Atlanta. 
My brother works in Huntsville and has advised us to fly into Nashville. In general, flights are cheaper. Even more so if you fly Southwest and take advantage of the two free checked bags.
My son is also OOS and will be attending UAH in the fall of 2017.
2017Dreams: My son was accepted to the honors program, but chose to live in CCRH with his teammates from one of the athletic teams.
The disadvantage of living in honors housing is the location. It is far away from the academic buildings, fitness center, etc. The other issue with the honors program is that if you enter with lots of AP/dual enrollment credit, you often have trouble finding classes. My son dropped out of the program, because he had nearly 60 credits when he arrived. The good thing is, though, he has been able to double major and earn a minor.
I will add that Huntsville is not a traditional college town, but there is still plenty to do in the city and area.
Thanks for all the great responses! @UAHAdmissions , can I submit the application now and send my transcript now but wait until the October SAT to send my score? Instead of sending them two different scores I figured could just wait and use UAH as one of the free score reports on the October test.
@2017Dreams , yes, you can go ahead and submit an application for admission and your transcripts. Correct, just request UAH when you take the ACT in October. However, in the end, you will want to request your highest score be sent to us. For example, if you take the ACT in October, and it does not outperform your previous scores, you will want to request ACT to send us your highest.
@UAHAdmissions I submitted the application online and was looking at the supplemental items that need to be submitted, and it says the application fee has been received but I didn’t pay it yet or enter a credit card number or anything. There was no mention of me paying it when I submitted the app so I’m just wondering if that’s some sort of glitch and how I can I pay it from the website. Thanks for being so helpful!!
@2017Dreams , there’s no glitch, but thanks for checking in! There is no fee associated with the application right now. All you will need to do from this point on will be to send your high school transcript and your ACT/SAT scores! Good luck!
@UAHAdmissions is the no fee for application a temporary or permanent measure? Some of my son’s friends are suddenly interested now that they’ve seen his admission paperwork and scholarship. They’ll likely want to hear about this.
@delilahxc , it is a temporary measure. Please encourage them to apply soon if they are considering UAH! 
@UAHAdmissions , I’ll be coming down to tour campus in a couple of months and I’m wondering if there’s anything I should do besides the regular campus tour. I’m interested in the business school and hopefully honors college if I get in, is there any more personalized sessions with them?
My son, when he toured UAH almost three years ago, got to meet with the department chairs of accounting, economics and finance and mathematics. They were wonderful! Provided him with all sorts of great information about their programs. I also recommend dining at Charger Cafe. If you go on a Wednesday, you will see it very busy. Wednesday is Fried Chicken Wednesday. Very, very popular with the students and faculty.
@2017Dreams , Yes! You can request individual meetings with departments on campus. Please give our Admissions Office a call and ask to speak with our Campus Visit Coordinator to set up meetings with the Honors College and Business College while you are here for a visit!