<p>Son is a NMF and is considering accepting the generous scholarships at the University of Alabama. I haven’t done much research (or looked at previous threads) so forgive me if I am asking an obvious question, but what is the gpa the student has to have each semester in order to keep the scholarship. I’ve read on other threads that some kids at different schools lost their scholarships as they could not maintain their 3.5 as a freshman for various reasons. I am confident my son is a good student and would be able to do the work, but sometimes somethings go wrong. For example, S1 had medical problems his second semester of his freshman year and was out of class for a week. He scrambled to catch up but we worried that if he did poorly that he could possibly lose his scholarship. Lucky the professors let him make up the work and he was able to catch up and did well. If anyone knows, let me know. Thanks!</p>
<p>GPA needed to keep merit: 3.0 computed at the end of the school year.</p>
<p>Very generous. The engineering scholarship at another university my son looked at required a 3.7 GPA to be eligible for renewal…</p>
<p>Wow…what school is that? they must get a lot of kids losing their scholarship…kind of bait and switch. Imagine a lot of parents have to take loans or dip into savings when that happens…or the child has to leave his school.</p>
<p>This was a point of discussion in our home, as well… since two young people we know lost their scholarships (NOT at Bama) at the end of their freshman year over this issue. We told our son that if he was majoring in anything but engineering, it wouldn’t be an issue, but that a six figure penalty (the lost scholarship dollars) was a big gamble for an 18yo living away from home for the first time.</p>
<p>One of the two thought he’d just made the 3.5 necessary to keep the scholarship, but didn’t realize that the 4 hour courses count for more… in other words, his C in CalcII cost him the scholarship.</p>
<p>Same conversations in our home. Same concerns. Not that the student is not capabale of making the required GPA, but the concern that he would make bad decisions and it would impact his grades. And require him to come home and commute to a local college.</p>
<p>i would think that most kids that qualify for the presidential or better should be able to keep the GPA to keep the scholarship. of course, there will be exceptions. kids with that high of stats pretty much know what they need to do to succeed.</p>
<p>This was a point of discussion in our home, as well… since two young people we know lost their scholarships (NOT at Bama) at the end of their freshman year over this issue. We told our son that if he was majoring in anything but engineering, it wouldn’t be an issue, but that a six figure penalty (the lost scholarship dollars) was a big gamble for an 18yo living away from home for the first time.</p>
<h1>One of the two thought he’d just made the 3.5 necessary to keep the scholarship, but didn’t realize that the 4 hour courses count for more… in other words, his C in CalcII cost him the scholarship.</h1>
<p>Yes…kids are used to high school where all classes are equal. A one-credit A won’t balance a 4 credit C.</p>
<p>Anyway…I think summer classes at a CC will also get included in the GPA, so if you have any concerns, an easy A at a CC over the summer will help a student keep that 3.0.</p>
<p>Again…at BAMA, you only need the 3.0.</p>
<p>Most importantly…kids have to balance their schedules. Too many new frosh “dive right in” and take too heavy a load their first semester. Don’t do that. If you have AP credits, then only take 14 or so credits…and have a fun class in there.</p>
<p>Also…unless your child is a natural early riser…NO 8am classes…NONE.</p>
<p>A CC class over the summer is a really good idea for a lot of reasons. I am going to be entering Bama with about 20 hours of cc credit; not only do the classes transfer, but the grades, as m2ck mentioned, do too. Secondarily, though just as important (imo), is that the classes are real college classes and knowing how they work before college will only make the transition easier.</p>
<p>If your GPA falls below a 3.0, you can lose your scholarship, but it is not immediate. The University does give a student time to bring up his/her average.</p>
<p>Also, there can be certain circumstances where that grace period is extended – for example, my son had a friend who failed a class during her first semester. She had a medical issue that needed to be addressed. She spent the next few semesters working hard to bring up that GPA. She never lost her scholarship.</p>
<p>And I agree about the 8 a.m. classes.</p>
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<p>after the 5th time trying to kick my kid out of bed this morning, I told him no classes before 10. Of course, having to get up at 5:30 to get to school is a lot different then getting up for a 9am class.</p>
<p>Good idea on the summer classes.</p>