<p>I am an incoming freshman and today I attempted to confirm my schedule as requested by the University (deadline August 8). As a National Merit Scholar at the University, I expected that the Office of Receivables would not request any money from me as part of my package is the Presidential Scholarship, which covers $12.5k in tuition–the average tuition amount calculated at cost.ua.edu.</p>
<p>To my surprise, the Office of Receivables is reporting that I need to pay (or defer) a balance of $1,875 before confirming my schedule! Does any know why I am being asked to pay or defer this charge?</p>
<p>I have a few potential causes already:
- I am currently registered for 5 classes or a total of 16 credit hours–the maximum “normal” amount of hours that is possible. Could it be that my 5 classes are simply exceeding the “average” amount of $12.5k that is also the amount given in my “full tuition” scholarship?
- The Student Receivables page that I am looking at indicates absolutely nothing about what the source of this $1,875 balance is. Is it possible that this $1.9k is from course FEES (not tuition), which are NOT covered by the Presidential/Nat’l Merit scholarship?
- After some rather extensive searching on the various UA webpages, I found a FAQ item (no link currently, sorry) that said that scholarship recipients could ignore the confirmation request and their balance would automatically be paid–HOWEVER, take this with a grain of salt because the FAQ item was very vaguely written and gave no specifics. If anyone has any knowledge of this potential policy please let me know.
- Could it be that this $1.9k is related to the required freshman meal plan (about $1.6k) and course fees combined? It seems like they would total to about $1.9k…</p>
<p>Aside from these theories, I am oblivious as to why $1.9k dollars is being requested of me under a “full tuition” scholarship and more than a little annoyed at the terrible disclosure of the source of this balance. I would have expected better, clearer treatment by the university given the rarity of my scholarship and the supposed value placed on it. Apparently I was wrong.</p>
<p>I would have already contacted the Office of Student Receivables instead of posting on this forum, but they are already closed for the week. I will contact them as soon as I wake up on Monday.</p>
<p>I am not informing my parents about this because I don’t like the idea of my dad’s fury at a $1.9k mystery charge when my tuition is SUPPOSEDLY fully paid. </p>
<p>Thanks for any responses, and (despite my current ire with the University) Roll Tide,</p>
<p>Daniel</p>
<p>Your scholarship covers tuition and housing plus a national merit stipend (and college of engineering scholarship if that applies). Im pretty sure those last two have not yet been applied to students accounts. So what will happen is that if you pay that $1900 and you get your stipend later, it comes back as a direct deposit. </p>
<p>Since you’re a freshman, you’re required to have the unlimited meal plan. That plus fees are probably a significant part of that cost.</p>
<p>Anyway, a few things to note:
- 18 hours is the max, not 16
- There’s a tab/button on the student receivables page that itemizes your bill. You can see where that $1900 came from. It’s kinda hard to find /with the redesign of the page, but its there.</p>
<p>You can see what is charged. Go to your mybama page then click on pay my student bill. Click “activity” on the black bar at the top and you can see what is billed.</p>
<p>Thanks kro and radical! I had no idea I could access an itemization of the cost. I’ll check that out and report back if I find more information.</p>
<p>Sorry for the double post, but I have excellent news! The ~$1.9k is indeed composed primarily of my course fees and all access meal plan–charges I did know about in advance and have contingencies to pay.</p>
<p>Thanks for the assist, kro and radical. I definitely wouldn’t have found that tab without some help.</p>
<p>In hindsight my post was pretty whiny, but I think UA could do a better job of pointing students to an itemization. Still, no worries.</p>
<p>I’ll post here if I have any other problems.</p>
<p>Glad you were able to figure it out.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>[The</a> maximum load for which an entering freshman or transfer student may register during the first term at The University of Alabama is 17 hours.](<a href=“Page Not Found | The University of Alabama”>Page Not Found | The University of Alabama)
17 max for freshman</p>
<p>I think radicalnegative1 was referring to the fact that the scholarship covers 18 credits and that the OP doesn’t need to worry about being charged an additional amount for taking 16 credits. </p>
<p>I find this thread puzzling. Did the OP not know that he has to have a meal plan as a frosh? </p>
<p>He keeps talking about full tuition, but food and fees aren’t part of tuition. </p>
<p>If the OP cant find the funds for his balance, then he can ask the school to give him a student loan. That will cover any shortfall for fall and spring.</p>
<p>And…he will get the NMF portion/stipend in a month, so he could either charge the remaining balance, which then will get credited when the NMF funds appear, or pay $40 and have the rest of his bill due later (and the NMF funds will cover.)</p>
<p>OP…did you fill out FAFSA? If not, do so immediately. You may then qualify for a Pell Grant or a subsidized loan.</p>
<p>FYI…that pricey meal plan will not be req’d after frosh year</p>
<p>@Mom2collegekids OP DID know he had to pay meal plan, he just could not tell if the meal plan was listed already. The redesigned system is more cumbersome than the old one screen. It takes a bit to find the itemized.</p>
<p>Also, it was not explained to us in advance last year that the NMF stipend comes after the bill is due.</p>
<p>Mom of a 2014 graduate, who had the NMF package and engineering major. We usually did pay about a grand every semester, and son would get a refund at some point, first as a check, until he set up direct deposit. Be sure to look for the place on myBama to set up direct deposit. First semester, son had a sizable check sitting in a folder at student receivables for a while because he didn’t know it was there, and when it was, never got around to picking it up until someone pestered him until he did so. So, set up that direct deposit for your refund now so you won’t have to worry about finding time between classes to pick up a refund check, and then find time to deposit it in the bank!</p>
<p>how much is the official NMF award now? is the entire stipend official or only part?</p>
<p>$1750/semester is the stipend for those entering Fall 2014. I was under the impression the entire stipend is official and not being released until Sept/Oct</p>
<p>For those wondering about the NMF stipend system:</p>
<p>I am one of the Finalists who was also given the slightly rarer “National Merit Scholarship” from the National Merit Corporation (NMC) itself. As a result, the NMC will send a $2500 check to the Dep’t of Scholarships at UA which will then be credited to my student account or directly deposited to a bank account of my choosing as the friendly poster above reminded me. Because Alabama caps the yearly stipend award at $3500 per year, my stipend schedule is as follows:</p>
<p>FS1: $2500 from NMC
FS2: $1000 from UA (for F total of $3500)
Each semester thereafter: $1750 from UA (the NMC amount is a one-time award)</p>
<p>I am actually not sure whether this stipend is for 4 or 5 years.</p>
<p>Edit: What I am beginning to understand now is that this stipend is not so much a check for me to buy video games and and polo shirts with as I once naively thought, but instead intended to cover course fees, books, and dining expenses, with a couple hundred bucks left for me to spend as I desire. While I think the University is wise to market it as a “stipend,” it would be perhaps more honest to foolish youngsters such as myself to present it as a “Books/Fees/Living Allowance.” At the end of the day, though, I am griping over an essentially free education paid for with the broken bones of the jocks whose sex lives I envied throughout high school, so I guess I should just take the money and quit whining ;)</p>
<p>It isnt really for books, since you purchase your own books. Any school is going to apply scholarship dollars to unpaid billed expenses. What did you think was going to pay for fees and meal plan. Perhaps you can use THOSE funds to do what you want.</p>
<p>The point is…if you or your parents paid for those things, then you would get a check from that stipend to do what you want. You can’t spend a dollar twice. Somebody (you or your award) has to pay for those things.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>they get their meals paid for, but their personal expenses are not covered. they also dont get a check to buy video games, etc.</p>
<p>Right, that’s what I was stating. I really have no gripe and this thread mainly originated due to confusion about the purpose of the schedule confirmation bill. </p>