<p>Quiet…</p>
<p>We pay about $550 a month for our son to live in a luxury place (yes! luxury! like a Disney World hotel complex!!). That’s his share…includes utilitilies unless the kids use more than their allotment. Gated community, very safe. There are cheaper places that are also in safe areas.<br>
[Tuscaloosa</a> Student Housing | The Retreat Clubhouse at Lake Tamaha](<a href=“http://www.retreatalabama.com/]Tuscaloosa”>http://www.retreatalabama.com/)</p>
<p>There is a big difference between graduating debt-free because of a (essentially) full-ride which includes dorms, and coming up with $550/mo for three years…via loans or whatever.</p>
<p>Disappointing.</p>
<p>I think many NMFs will look to more traditional/prestigious schools if UA isn’t going to offer free-rides. If you have to pay…</p>
<p>For example, we have a pre-paid annuity (cost $18K when she was 2) for DD which covers 146 credit hours of TUITION…but NOT housing. It will be of no help to us in paying for the dorms…BUT we could send her elsewhere and her tuition would be covered by the annuity…if we have to pay for the dorms either place - why not SMU or RICE? They’d take her, no problem (we’re told.)</p>
<p>If her dorms were covered, as we expected, DD can use the annuity for grad school, or cash it in after she finishes her education for its market value at that time…So much better to “go” with the scholarship that INCLUDES DORM HOUSING.</p>
<p>We all have our heart set on 'BAMA. This is a crushing disappointment.</p>
<p>^^ My understanding of the Presidential Scholarship is that it is for the VALUE of full tuition for 4 years. I don’t think it necessarily needs to be USED for tuition. I think you might be able to apply the Presidential to room and board and other charges and use your other funds for tuition. I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong, but it would be worth checking with UA if that’s your primary concern.</p>
<p>???</p>
<p>If you can use the annuity to cover tuition, then you can use the “Presidential Scholarship” tuition scholarship for HOUSING. Bama doesn’t require that you use the tuition money for tuition. Bama just deposits the amount into your acct to be uses AS NEEDED.</p>
<p>Except that I don’t think Alabama has reciprocity for our annunity.</p>
<p>I’ll have to pull it out and check, but I remember it was limited to TX public and privates and maybe, Oklahoma or contiguous/participating states…</p>
<p>BUT! If it is reciprical in Alabama, that would be GREAT!</p>
<p>I did not know that the scholarship was for VALUE…the Univeristy of Oklahoma NMF is not, I think I specifically asked when we toured there. It is broken down and most of the monies go for specific things; you can’t swap them around. </p>
<p>In any case, there is the issue of selecting rising school like 'BAMA vs an established school like SMU/RICE that is closer to home…and the NMF full-ride scholarship certainly made 'BAMA an exceedingly attractive choice. Now, many NMF families will be reconsidering UA as their stand-out choice…</p>
<p>While the scholarship is still extremely generous, I do think that eliminating the second through fourth year housing will cause students to look at their other options more closely. I think that Alabama is most likely to loose the top NMF students who have full tuition, but not full ride, offers at schools like Vanderbilt and the University of Southern California – and possibly even students with full tuition at schools like Tulane and SMU. In previous years the enticement of housing on top of tuition might have been enough to “tip” these students to Alabama. I doubt whether one year of housing will have the same effect.</p>
<p>On the positive side, NMF students who want to move into Greek housing will no longer face the tough choice of giving up living in with their sisters/brothers (and for some giving up the possibility of ever holding an executive office in their sorority or fraternity) or giving up their housing scholarship money.</p>
<p>^^I agree^^^</p>
<p>AND, after touring the dorms at SMU (although they are building new ones), OU (yuck-even the Honors Dorms) and others, it was the spectacular tour of RIDGECREST with its SuperSuites that made such an impression on us. The private rooms in quads are just SO VERY, VERY MUCH NICER than the 1950’s-era two-man dorms available at other schools.</p>
<p>The scholarship package is what put Alabama on the radar for us, prompting research and following with a visit. We honestly would not have even looked at Alabama otherwise. </p>
<p>Following our visit it has become my D’s top choice with Baylor a close second. This change will make the COA for the two almost the same (Baylor offers NMF full tuition which has a much higher $ value and some extra $ based on test scores) so distance now becomes more of a consideration. Like TX, we are looking towards funding more than 4 years with graduate school in the future and are looking for the most bang for the buck for D’s undergrad studies. </p>
<p>Alabama may still be the place for D, but now we will be considering other options as well after having thought the search was over. (that phrase reminds me of a bad 80’s hair band ballad)</p>
<p>^^^^^ Oh Yeah, I forgot about Baylor. GREAT SCHOOL. What Mytwods said ^^^^^</p>
<p>Except that I don’t think Alabama has reciprocity for our annunity.</p>
<p>I don’t know how your annuity works, but if you paid into it, you should be able to get money out. Otherwise, what would the situation be? You lose the money??</p>
<p>This isn’t like HOPE or Bright Futures; you paid for this. The reciprocity may be an agreement that a state school accepts dollar for dollar and there’s no shortfall. If you go to a public school that doesn’t have reciprocity, then the amount is probably similar to what it would pay to a private.</p>
<p>Your annuity doesn’t pay for full tuition at a private, right? It may only pay something like $200 a credit. If so, then that’s what it may pay for a non-reciprocity public.</p>
<p>As the OPer, sorry to have been the start of some very disappointing news!!! Look, our daughter first put UA on her radar because of the generous NMF package and the chance to save us some money. Although she has other options as well that she is looking at (U Miami, UVA, NYU), in the end, UA may likely be the best deal financially and academically (Honors College) for her/us (even with UVA being in-state for us). The glass is always half full folks!!</p>
<p>I will have to go to the bank and pull it out of the safe deposit box…</p>
<p>My folks actually purchased it for my DD - their only grandchild, so I have little familiarity with it. I just knew it was there as a safety net.</p>
<p>I thought it was TX-specific with a few exceptions (Daddy went to OU and he said he made sure it would “work” there…Boomer Sooner! lol)</p>
<p>When my folks died recently, I collected the paperwork from their SDB and moved it to ours…</p>
<p>With the expected NMF full-ride, I had not gotten it out to look, but will now that the offer seems to have changed mid-game (post-application opening.)</p>
<p>* but will now that the offer seems to have changed mid-game (post-application opening.)*</p>
<p>I know that Bama would argue that no one has yet been named a NMSF or NMF student for 2013, so changing at this point is still kosher. Right now, no one qualifies for that scholarship. No one currently has “standing” to argue that it is owed the housing award for Fall 2013 frosh. </p>
<p>However, I don’t like the fact that people went on campus visits and were told that 4 years housing was still going to be offered and now it’s not.</p>
<p>I totally agree that there is no entitlement. </p>
<p>However, the NMF Scholarship is targeted to POTENTIAL NMFs (as the February NMF confirmation comes too late for the traditional scholarship app deadline…I know UA extends it, but other schools do not - their scholarship deadlines are earlier…)</p>
<p>We would probably not have taken our family summer vacation EXCLUSIVELY to Tuscaloosa if it had not been for the “full-ride” package…but are glad we did. We are sooooooo inpressed with 'BAMA.</p>
<p>The big problem is - WE STOPPED LOOKING AFTER THAT.</p>
<p>Now, the summer is all booked up with school-prep and intenships and Vacation requests are not-to-be-had, and it appears our “decision” is not as final as we had thought. We need to make some more trips (to Waco, for example) which we would have done earlier IF WE HAD KNOWN the offer was going to change.</p>
<p>It just seems ill-done of UA to not have a longer lead-time, particularly BEFORE the application opened.</p>
<p>GA mom…just saw this thread…i have asked uab if there is going to be any change in theirs…if i hear back i will let you know. UAB NMF, Hispanic and Achievement merit awards, cover 15 credits per semester, (which is less than UA) BUT oos cost for additional credits runs about 600/per credit hour. Right now their nmf etc awards do include 4 years of housing.</p>
<p>Thanks parent56. I didn’t realize the UAB tuition scholarship was in-state tuition only - that’s a dealbreaker for us - even if the current offer stands we wouldn’t be able to swing the out of state tuition differential. </p>
<p>That said UAB and UAH both seem like solid schools, esp for engineering. I wish Georgia had the public college choices that Alabama does.</p>
<p>gamom… where did you see it was instate only?? they have oos merit ie blazer elite etc, for non nmf in increments of 5, 10 and 15K per year. and then they have nmf, national acheivement, and hispanic… from their website:</p>
<p>UAB is a destination for academically talented students, and we love to reward your hard work. We recognize National Merit Finalists, National Achievement Finalists, and National Hispanic Scholars with the following scholarship, which is renewable for four years. The details:</p>
<p>Full tuition, required fees, and housing (up to 15 credit hours per semester) for a total of eight semesters (fall and spring)
A one-time $2,500 stipend to be used for experiential learning (Study Away, internships, co-ops, etc.)
Students receiving UAB merit-based scholarships are required to live on campus for their first year of enrollment.</p>
<p>what i was referring to was that the nmf covers 15 credits per semester… many students will take 18 and if they are from oos, then those ADDITIONAL hours would be at oos rates… ie 3X 600. so an additional expense of 1800 per year. The 15 that are covered do not require a differential between in or oos.</p>
<p>i would agree that uah is an excellent engineering school. uab also has engineering and is the only school with accredited biomedical engineering instate…but any science or health related major is very very strong at uab</p>
<p>(just checked the website the new 2012 rate is posted so the oos rate per credit is 628/hour)= 1884. alot cheaper than a year of housing…if uab is keeping its housing…hopefully i will get a reply to my email tomorrow</p>
<p>If you’ve ever questioned your recruiter you’ve likely heard the same thing we’ve heard that scholarships for the next year are not finalized until the end of July or early August. The UA applications open before most schools. If you’ve stopped looking at schools and no longer find the scholarships acceptable, so be it…keep looking. There are many very intelligent and talented students who chose to attend the UA although they had offers from other top schools. I believe the UA continues to offer a very generous scholarship package and I am thankful for the opportunities it provides.:)</p>
<p>I recall a shocking last minute change to a rival school a few years ago that affected many students by eliminating full tuition scholarships completely.</p>
<p>Thanks for clarifying! I thought you meant there was an additional charge for all hours, not just those over 15 credits (16 for UAH). My son will come in with nearly all his freshman and over half his sophomore classes complete so staying at 15 hours a semester shouldn’t be to hard to do. It may mean no double major or getting a start on grad school classes but that’s ok.</p>