Financial Aid award? Am I offered anything?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
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<p>Because everyone on here is so helpful :)</p>

<p>I followed these instructions ( [Financial</a> Aid - The University of Alabama](<a href=“http://financialaid.ua.edu/award/]Financial”>http://financialaid.ua.edu/award/) ) to view any Financial Aid I may have been awarded as a Freshman for Fall 2012 and once I perform the steps, it says “This page is not enabled for current user role(s).”</p>

<p>I know the time has passed for scholarship applications so I wouldn’t be getting any of those, but would I be offered to accept something else, like grants/loans etc?</p>

<p>Thanks everyone!</p>

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<p>they have not posted that info for fall 2012 yet. My understanding is that will be posted later this spring.</p>

3

<p>If I remember correctly, your EFC is too high for grants. You could get offered loans to meet COA or help cover EFC if you want them.</p>

<p>The rest will get paid thru GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon.</p>

<p>However, I don’t know if your GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon will meet COA…if it does, then perhaps you won’t get loans. You need to call the veterans office at Bama to get more info.</p>

<p>What all will you get from your benefits and YR?</p>

4

<p>Oh, that info isn’t available yet.</p>

<p>Contacting Bama’s Vet office is on my to-do list today, especially since if I plan to use my Bill they will want all the required docs and such.</p>

<p>I think we mentioned before that the padded COA for Bama is $17,825/semester so $35,650/yr. So I’d guess at the most it would cost me that.</p>

<p>G.I. Bill will cover $17,500/yr right off the bat (plus $1,000 for books and some other fees are paid too). Bama’s Yellow Ribbon Program will cover another $12,600 ($6,300 from school and $6,300 from VA). $17,500 + 12,600 = $30,100. So that leave about $6,000 difference to cover through loans or work. Unfortunately, I think the Bama site states they have an unlimited # of seats for the YR, but the VA website says otherwise - only 52 for the entire student body, not just undergrad.
[Welcome</a> to the GI Bill Web Site | The Home for All Educational Benefits Provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs](<a href=“http://gibill.va.gov/gi_bill_info/ch33/yrp/2011/states/al.htm]Welcome”>http://gibill.va.gov/gi_bill_info/ch33/yrp/2011/states/al.htm)</p>

<p>That’s one of the main questions I will ask the Vet office today because I have ran into this type of thing before. At a local LAC I applied to they only had 15 seats or so with an undergraduate class of 5,000. Turns out there was a waiting list about 25 people long in front of me (program is first come-first served), so even in best case scenario all the current 15 gradaute that year (or otherwise leave the program) and then my place in line would jump up, but would’t get me on the list b/c there were already 15 others waiting. Therefore, I was alsmot guaranteed not to get the program my Freshman year, and would have to see where I am on the “list”. I could end up not getting it at all depending on where those currently on the program are in their studies.</p>

<p>So I’m only guaranteed $17,500/yr.</p>

5

<p>My email to the Vet office came back undeliverable. >.<</p>

<p>I’ll email the financial aid office I guess, but I don’t want them to tell me to email the vet office. . . .</p>

6

<p>If you email the FA office, give them the email address that you used for the Vet office and tell them that it didn’t work.</p>

<p>*Unfortunately, I think the Bama site states they have an unlimited # of seats for the YR, but the VA website says otherwise - only 52 for the entire student body, not just undergrad.
*</p>

<p>I just called Bama’s Vet office and it is UNLIMITED…for yellow ribbon. :)</p>

<p>they also said that the email address is good, so resend (and check for mistakes!!). </p>

<p>The University of Alabama Veterans Services at (205) 348-6770 or email at <a href=“mailto:veterans@ua.edu”>veterans@ua.edu</a></p>

<p>It used to be 52, but Bama changed to UNLIMITED…so you’re good!!! :)</p>

<p>So, now you have:</p>

<p>$17,500 + 12,600 = $30,100</p>

<p>About $23k or so will go to tuition, fees, books. The remaining money will be towards your apt, food, etc, for your wife and you. If your wife works and you work part-time, I doubt you’d need to borrow much at all. But, if you do, you can borrow up to your COA after the $30k is considered.</p>

7

<p>Wow, that’s awesome news! VA needs to upload an updated list then. There might be other schools with similar situations.</p>

<p>Haha right before I read this post I tried to call that Vet office number, but got the voice mail. That’s great, thanks for double checking that for me, mom2.</p>

<p>The G.I. Bill is paid directly to the school, so I wouldn’t get anything left over from the VA payments once tuition and fees are covered. Gov’t is being smart with their money for once. However, I would be eligible for a living stipend for the Tuscaloosa area which is about $1,000/mo while I am attending school so that can help with living expenses, but I do plan on working part-time if I can and my wife will be vigorously looking for a job in the area. It feels good when things look like they actually CAN happen.</p>

<p>As far as the vet office email, I guess it must’ve been my server/email account then. I click right on the email hyperlink provided and it opens up a prefilled new email message with the email address already included, so I know I didn’t type it incorrectly, but there might have been some other malfunction within my own email then.</p>

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<p>The G.I. Bill is paid directly to the school, so I wouldn’t get anything left over from the VA payments once tuition and fees are covered. Gov’t is being smart with their money for once.</p>

<p>Can you clarify? If that total amount ($30k) is paid directly to the school, then you’ll get a refund from the school.</p>

<p>If I remember correctly, you mentioned earlier that your benefits include a housing allowance. If that’s part of that $30k, then Bama will refund you that to pay for that. </p>

<p>How much is your housing allowance?</p>

<p>Or, am I misunderstanding something?</p>

9

<p>Is your housing allowance in addition to the $30k mentioned above?</p>

<p>The Post 9-11 GI Bill will pay eligible individuals:</p>

<p>•Your full tuition & fees directly to the school for all public school in-state students. For those attending private or foreign schools tuition & fees are capped at $17,500 per academic year. Click here for more information. </p>

<p>•If you are attending a private Institution of Higher Learning in AZ, MI, NH, NY, PA, SC or TX you may be eligible for a higher tuition reimbursement rate. Click here for more information.</p>

<p>•For those attending a more expensive private school or a public school as a non-resident out-of-state student, a program exists which may help to reimburse the difference. This program is called the “Yellow Ribbon Program”. (Click on the link for more information about the Yellow Ribbon Program, not everyone is eligible for the program). </p>

<p>•A monthly housing allowance (MHA) based on the Basic Allowance for Housing for an E-5 with dependents at the location of the school. For those enrolled solely in distance learning the housing allowance payable is equal to ½ the national average BAH for an E-5 with dependents ($673.50 for the 2011 academic year & $684.00 for the 2012 academic year). For those attending foreign schools (schools without a main campus in the U.S.) the BAH rate is fixed at $1,347.00 for the 2011 academic year & $1,368.00 for the 2012 academic year. The academic year begins on August 1. (Active duty students & their spouses cannot receive the MHA). </p>

<p>•An annual books & supplies stipend of $1,000 paid proportionately based on enrollment. </p>

<p>According to this…won’t you also get a monthly housing allowance with a dependent? </p>

<p>And, it looks like you get money for books?</p>

<p>So, what exactly does the $30k go for? Just tuition and fees? And then you get a housing and book allowance?</p>

<p>Ok…if that’s so, then you still won’t have to borrow much…especially if you and your wife can work some.</p>

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<p>Sorry for any confusion.</p>

<p>The 30k is paid to the school for tuition and fees only. I won’t get any type of refund b/c the VA won’t pay anymore than the school says is exactly needed to cover costs associated with tuition and certain fees. VA doesn’t pay the maximum amount I am entitled to, only the maximum amount that is needed to attend - which in an OOS situation IS what I am entitled to.</p>

<p>I do get a $1,000 book stipend/yr in addition to that 30k tuition coverage and I do get ~$1,000 living stipend/mo (BAH/MHA). $1,000/mo is the E-5 with a dependent rate for the zip code in which Bama is located. That varies by location obviously (Currently >$2,200/mo where I live now).</p>

<p>Basically:

  1. 30k/yr between G.I Bill and YR to cover tuition.
  2. 1k/yr for books.
  3. 1k/mo that I am in school (not summers) housing/living allowance.</p>
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<p>So, does the “up to $30k” for tuition also cover fees…like course fees?</p>

<p>There are nice apts that will go for less than $1k per month.</p>

<p>It looks like you’ll have to come up with food and personal expenses and 2 months of rent through your part-time earnings and your wife’s earnings. </p>

<p>Is the housing stipend for 10 months? (Aug thru May)?</p>

<p>It doesn’t seem like you’d need to borrow much, but if you do, it doesn’t seem like you’d need to borrow more than a few thou per year.</p>

<p>Do you know if you’d get any VA funding if you took some summer classes? if so, it seems like that might be worth it.</p>

12

<p>I’m pretty sure it will cover tuition and any fees associated with taking a course that is required to obtain my degree.</p>

<p>They will provide the housing stipend for every month I am in school, however it WILL be prorated. So if the first day of school is August 15 and the last day is in May 21, then yes, 10 months of that benefit and I would have to pay for 16 days in Aug and 10 days in May or what not. Then June and July. I think it’s the same thing with the break in semesters where December is involved. Like if the semester ends Dec 18, and the next doesn’t start until Jan 11, then I will be prorated 18 days in Dec and 20 in Jan.</p>

<p>I would receive all the same VA benefits if I took summer classes (more than half-time course load of 7 units), but it would take away from the amount of benefits I receive later. The actual benefit is for 36 months. That’s 9 months of school each year if summers is not counted. But if I took summer classes my first year, then it would be 36-11=25 months of benefits left.</p>

<p>I agree with you however. It looks like the amount having to be borrowed is extremely low especially if I work part-time and/or my wife is full-time.</p>

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<p>Oh, I just remembered this: If I am living off-campus using my G.I. Bill living stipend to pay for rent and such, then I shouldn’t be charged the $4,050/ semester Residence Hall fees, right?</p>

<p>According to the estimated COA for being OOS, that would knock off $9,520 from the $35,650 on the site ( [Estimated</a> Semester Budget](<a href=“http://cost.ua.edu/undergraduate-budget.html]Estimated”>http://cost.ua.edu/undergraduate-budget.html) ) and would make the COA more like $26,000 - 27,000. We’ve already determined that I would be eligible for $30,000 from the G.I. Bill and YR Program, so actually I wouldn’t owe anything or need loans.</p>

<p>Am I understanding that correctly. I won’t have to pay for a Residence Hall?</p>

<p>Thanks to everyone in advance for clarifying.</p>

14

<p>Right…you’re married, so you don’t have a resident req’t if you’re a frosh. </p>

<p>Only those who live on campus pay for dorms.</p>