<p>I’m a prospective parent. In researching the wonderful scholarship for NMF, I see that the scholarship also is available for Nat’l Achievement Scholars. Is it available for Natl Hispanic Scholars? If not, any chance on expanding it to include Hispanics?</p>
<p>TIA</p>
<p>I believe the answer to your question is YES. 
But don’t quote me.</p>
<p>My S did receive this scholarship (last year) but I think there was a change regarding future NHS scholarships. If I were you I’d call the scholarship department to get the latest status.</p>
<p>That would be awesome. Publicizing it would likely increase the 2% Hispanic enrollment!</p>
<p>Bama used to offer NH scholarship, but stopped offering it a year ago. </p>
<p>Bama just couldn’t afford to offer it anymore. :(</p>
<p>It was well-publicized and a good number accepted it, but it was just too expensive…each one costs over $100k.</p>
<p>Bama will not likely be reinstating it.</p>
<p>m2ck is correct that the National Hispanic scholarship is no longer offered*. I was sad to see it go as many of my friends have that scholarship (and get to keep that scholarship), but that future students will not be able to get that scholarship. Bama does offer other scholarships that your student would likely qualify for.</p>
<p>The official explanation for the discontinuation of the scholarship is that the standards surrounding the awarding of National Hispanic Scholar status were too low. I do see the decision as lowing the number of applications from Hispanic students, especially those from non-contiguous states in the southwest, mountain west, and northwest, among other areas.</p>
<p>SEA-tide is right, don’t think that by not having this option it is the only one your student would get. If NH is just a part of your childs qualifications this is only a part of a scholarships package he/she might be offered. As in our case it was just the topper of the cake, still “delicious” without it.</p>
<p>I do see the decision as lowing the number of applications from Hispanic students,</p>
<p>I don’t think it made any difference at all. When you look at the numbers when Bama was giving away lots of NH scholarships, the Hispanic % didn’t change. </p>
<p>Over a 3 year period, Bama awarded about 200 NA scholarships (at over $100k apiece) …that’s over $20 million dollars…yet, no big uptick in Hispanic numbers. </p>
<p>*The official explanation for the discontinuation of the scholarship is that the standards surrounding the awarding of National Hispanic Scholar status were too low. *</p>
<p>That was also an issue.</p>
<p>Yeah, I’m sure that he’d qualify for some scholarships but knowing that he’d get the huge scholarship would make 'Bama both an academic and financial safety right now. He may qualify as a NMF, but we’ll have to wait and see while he’s a slam dunk for the Natl Hisp cutoff (barring disaster that is). I just wanted to have one already in the pocket. ;)</p>
<p>I didn’t realize the NA and NH cutoffs were so far apart …</p>
<p>Actually, the more I think about it, the more I wonder why not offer it. If there wasn’t a large uptick in Hispanic enrollment, then it’s not costing them a lot to offer it, kwim? What am I missing? If they think the cutoff is too low, couldn’t they put some other stipulation, like Natl Hisp Scholar and at least a 1300 CR+M on the SAT?</p>
<p>*If there wasn’t a large uptick in Hispanic enrollment, then it’s not costing them a lot to offer it, kwim? What am I missing? *</p>
<p>It WAS costing a fortune to offer it. See my post #8… There’s a big difference between a large uptick (which would mean hundreds of additional kids enrolling) and paying for many HUGE scholarships. The goal was never to award big scholarships to each one who enrolled…that would be unbelievably expensive.</p>
<p>*like Natl Hisp Scholar and at least a 1300 CR+M on the SAT? *</p>
<p>Actually, Bama did try doing that…they added a requirement of 1400 CR + M…but it still was unaffordable. </p>
<p>My thinking is that Bama had budgeted about 10-12 awards per year, and when they couldn’t keep anywhere close to that number, they had to discontinue.</p>
<p>What is your son’s PSAT and what state are you in?</p>
<p>Then I really am confused. The only cost you mentioned in post no. 8 was about Natl Achievement monies …</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>oops that was a typo…that should have said NH…not NA.</p>
<p>Bama has never awarded that much in NA over a 3 year period. I meant to write NH.</p>
<p>Should have written…</p>
<p>*Over a 3 year period, Bama awarded about 200 NH scholarships (at over $100k apiece) …that’s over $20 million dollars…yet, no big uptick in Hispanic numbers. *</p>
<p>Don’t all those scholarships cost the same, regardless of whether they are for NMF, NA or NHS?</p>
<p>It’s fine if they want to focus their efforts on NA winners as I’m assuming that African-Americans are the largest minority in Alabama. It’s just disappointing for me, personally. :)</p>
<p>Youdon’say, my DS is in exactly the same situation. We are hoping his PSAT score will qualify him for NM. In the meantime, he is studying to bring his ACT 31 up to 32 or his CR+M of 1390 up to 1400.</p>
<p>I think Hispanic students and their families understand that maybe the NH PSAT cutoff alone results in a group too big to support, but some combination of that and a more rigorous ACT or SAT score might work. If the goal is to grow that 2% Hispanic number, there needs to be some gesture of invitation on the part of admissions, even if it is only verbal and not monetary. As the fastest growing minority group in the country, I am thinking that Bama has a marketing plan in the works.</p>
<p>My ds is just a rising junior, so he has plenty of time. But I’ve been through this with an older ds, and, for some reason, schools are quite forthcoming about the NA scholarships, but I found that it’s kind of a “you have to ask and know the secret handshake” to get the same kind of deal for NHS. Thanks to cc, I found a couple of schools that gave NHS lots of money but didn’t advertise it on their websites. Why not? It makes one really question the commitment to all minority enrollment. Which, again, is fine, but makes a place less attractive for us as a family.</p>
<p>Don’t all those scholarships cost the same, regardless of whether they are for NMF, NA or NHS?</p>
<p>Each ONE costs the same…that’s not the issue. The issue was that not many kids accept the NA scholarship, so the OVERALL cost is not as high. </p>
<p>Imagine that Bama budgets about 10-20 NA scholarships, and then they suddenly start getting 40 each year. If suddenly, Bama started getting a large number of kids accepting the NA scholarship, then that one would probably be re-evaluated as well.</p>
<p>The real goal is to get high stats kids on campus.</p>
<p>*My ds is just a rising junior, so he has plenty of time. *</p>
<p>Oh, good, then hopefully he’ll get the PSAT score this year for NMSF/F. :)</p>
<p>I’m really not trying to be obtuse or pick a fight … but the problem is that the NHS scholarship program was too successful?</p>
<p>^^^
The cost of the program could not be justified by the quality of students it was bringing in. UA wants better qualified students (higher GPA/SAT’s) not just more students.</p>
<p>I do think that UA needs to do a better job at recruiting Hispanic students. 2010 Census data shows that 3.9% of Alabamians are Hispanic, so UA has not met its goal (not to say that having a student population proportionally equal to the Alabama population is perfectly obtainable, but for the sake of argument). While I haven’t been overly involved in recruitment, I know that UA doesn’t have the amount of Hispanic-focused recruitment efforts seen at universities with large Hispanic populations, which makes sense statistically, but still. That said, little things like having brochures on financial aid and dining options written in Spanish and clubs/programs that help Hispanic students get more involved in campus life (which Auburn seems to have more of than UA) go a long way in helping make the fastest growing segment of the population feel welcome at a university.</p>