National Merit?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
1

My daughter has just received notification that she’s receiving the $2500 one time award from National Merit Corporation (yay, her!!). Does anyone know if UA reduces their NM money if she accepts this? Or will she get the $2500 as a bonus?

Thanks!

2

Yes, Bama reduces the stipend by $2,500 for the first year. I called about this earlier in the week. It won’t impact years 2,3, or 4. Any other scholarships except the NMS scholarship stack. Congrats!

3

Thanks. I figured that was the case, but the wording on the website and the letter were a little ambiguous. It is still a nice honor, which is lovely. :slight_smile: I’m so proud of my baby!

4

You should be! The scholarship office said to accept the offer. Congratulations again!

5

For anyone else who might be curious, here is the explanation I received from the Scholarship Office.

The National Merit Finalist Package at Bama includes the following for students entering Fall 2015:

• Value of tuition for up to five years or 10 semesters for degree seeking undergraduate and
graduate studies
• One year of on-campus housing at regular room rate*
• A $3,500 per year Merit/Achievement Scholarship stipend for four years.
• One-time allowance of $2,000 for use in summer research or international study (after completing
one year of study at UA)
• iPad

Here’s how it works if the student receives the one time National Merit Corporate Scholarship for $2,500.

If a corporate-sponsored scholarship from the National Merit Corporation is received, the total value of the stipend cannot exceed $3,500. (For example, if you receive a corporate-sponsored scholarship of $2,000 per year, UA will contribute $1,500 per year to reach the total stipend amount of $3,500.)

So at Bama, the stipend would be reduced only for the first year, and that would not affect the value of the scholarship package. The student would still be receiving a total stipend of $3,500 per year for each of the first four years as long as the student maintains a minimum 3.3 GPA. The stipend is not affected for years 2, 3, or 4 since the $2,500 award from the National Merit Corporation is a one time only offer and is not renewable. Any other scholarships the student receives would stack.

Finalists should name Bama say their first choice school and forward a copy of their finalist letter to the Scholarship Office.