I’m in a quandary. UA is definitely an attractive possibility for my student (NMF potentially, she did everything she was supposed to do). Actually, for this LSU fan family, we were blown away by the UA campus–simply beautiful. Admittedly, UA is not currently her first choice, but should I still put in the housing deposit? What if we wait to May and realize that is where she is going? Will she be shut out of good housing? She has been admitted to the Honors College. I really have to say, UA is impressive.
We are in the same situation. There is a reasonable probability that my D will end up at UA as she has been admitted to the Honors College and has a Presidential Scholarship. However, there are some other very selective colleges that she may gain entry to and if that happens, she may not attend UA.
What happens if we wait until April 1st to make a deposit on dorms at UA? Will anything be left at that point?
We really don’t want to have to risk losing over $200 if she ends up not attending.
The vast majority of FR students at UA live on campus and there will be a dorm space for them. As other threads have stated, this spot might not be what your student wants or even can afford (if they have to pay for housing). If YOU want control over your student’s housing choices, then you have to pay as early as possible. Yes, you can hope that another student ‘pulls in’ your student as their +1, but why rely on that?
^ Unless you absolutely cannot spare the $200, I would pay the deposit. Paying now will give you several things: peace of mind, better housing options, and increased clarity about UA as a viable option for your student. Do not look at it as pressure to attend UA, nor as a ‘loss’ if your student does not attend there. It is the cost of doing business, much like application fees are. Some families think nothing of applying to several colleges, many as a ‘just-in-case’. Since you can only attend 1 (at a time!), all of the non-refundable portions of deposits are just an unfortunate cost you have to accept.
You do get most of your money back up until a certain date – can’t recall off the top of my head, but it is pretty late. Thanks!
If my child wants a super suite, then I wouldn’t wait.
It depends . . . We chose to pay the deposit before our daughter had chosen Bama for a few reasons. First, we could afford to. Losing the deposit wasn’t desirable, but it wouldn’t have an impact on our overall financial situation. Second, my daughter was picky about housing. She had always had her own room and she wanted to live in an honors super-suite. Third, there was at least a 50-50 chance that she’d attend Bama. At the time we made the deposit it was in her top 2. The risk of her not having desirable housing in the event she chose to attend Alabama far outweighed the risk of losing the deposit if she did not attend, so it was not a difficult decision for us. I don’t think you can count on honors housing or a super-suite if you deposit late. You may end up there, but it’s far from guaranteed.
If you can’t afford to lose the deposit, your student isn’t particular about where she lives or the chances that she ultimately chooses Alabama aren’t good, you’d probably come to a different decision.
Does paying the freshman enrollment deposit mean we are committing to Bama?
^^ No. If you pay the enrollment and housing deposits and then decide not to attend, all that happens is that you forfeit the enrollment deposit and a small portion of the housing deposit. UA understands that students make the deposits to secure housing priority. There is no obligation to attend.
only the housing deposit is refundable, not the admissions deposit. We paid 12/1 and am now glad we did since it seems that UA will be where she ends up. She has already picked roommates and as it turns out her deposit is the earliest out of the 4 so now I am glad we paid. If you can afford to and he wants to be in Honors housing- which fills up fast- you may want to just pay it.
Alabama is in S top two and because of all the reasons already said here, we finally decided to put down the deposit last week. Can anyone tell me if he’ll likely still have a chance for honors housing at this point? I know it’s been open since October…
As a reminder, there is normally some Honors housing that is NOT in the Ridgecrest suites* which do tend to fill up quickly. In the past couple of years, there has been some Honors housing on one floor of Blount (male and female) and on one floor of Paty (male). Those options are different (but not as nice) and less expensive than Ridgecrest Honors housing. Just mentioning this for others who might be reading… (For Fall 2017 specifically, check the UA housing website for Honors housing options; if not available there, contact UA Housing.)
My son didn’t deposit until end of January (a few years ago) and had no problem getting Ridgecrest. But all he needed was a single - if your student has already chosen roommates, that makes it trickier. It’s always easier to find a single room in a suite than an entire suite.
Keep in mind that many students pay the deposit and end up going elsewhere. Others pay the deposit, select a room, and then end up going elsewhere. Still others (like my son), pay the deposit, select their first-choice room, and then change their mind and switch to another room instead - leaving an opening in Ridgecrest in mid-June!
Things remain in flux for at least two months after housing selections open in early May, so even though odds are against getting your student’s first choice if you hold off depositing until April, you may end up being pleasantly surprised.
my son decided in mid Feb that he was coming to UA so we did not pay deposit till than. ended up in RCW, which he likes very much. he is also in honors college.
1 February deadline is coming up! After that date you will randomly be assigned a roommate and dorm.
“1 February deadline is coming up! After that date you will randomly be assigned a roommate and dorm.”
Unless you find a roommate who did sign up before that date. Then he can pull you in with him when room selection is done in May.
Just making sure — is the February 1 date is a deadline for applying for housing and putting down a deposit? We have already done that, I just don’t want to miss any other things that need to be done before February 1.
Yes. If you’ve already put down your housing deposit, you’re good for now.
If you paid the housing deposit you’re good. Selection begins in early May.
Has anyone had luck finding a roommate on Alabama’s facebook page?
My son found his roommate in the facebook class of 2021 group.