OOS tuition up, President Scholarship down; what happens to attendance?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
1

I just read that Alabama is increasing its out of state tuition to $29,230 annually, or just over $1,100 per year. Meanwhile, the Presidential Scholarship has been reduced to $25,000 per year, so it means an effective tuition rate of $4,230 for the first year with likely increases each year.

Last year my son was offered an OOS waiver plus $3,000 from Georgia. We both liked the idea of him going to Georgia but just didn’t feel like spending an extra $9,000 per year over Alabama. With Alabama’s tuition increase and merit reductions the cost difference this year would be $4,600 and likely declining after that. I don’t know what our choice would be if faced with those numbers, but obviously we would have been more likely to choose Georgia.

My son has been happy at Alabama, but I just wonder if the combination of tuition increases and merit cutbacks is going to have an effect on attendance of top students. I assume a lot of other people are influenced by how much they will have to spend, and while the Presidential Scholarship is still a great deal, it’s not nearly the deal it was.

Any idea where this may be headed?

2

I think that is the $64,000 question, @EarlVanDorn.

If the numbers drop off dramatically, I wouldn’t be surprised if they make adjustments. The NMF package (which applies to ACT: 36/GPA: 4.0) is still full tuition. They may be trying to focus more on that cohort now.

Time will tell. I don’t think anybody expected these full tuition awards to continue forever, however. I would imagine the number of full-pay OOS students will affect the equation as well. After all, you only offer those types of awards if you need to.

3

There is some interesting things happening in the MyBama portal. We literally just now (30 seconds ago) looked and the Presidential component of the NMF scholarship was gone entirely. Heart attack. We reloaded it and the amount had increased (to reflect the new tuition) by about 1K a semester.

It is interesting that if you have the Presidential Elite, OR the National Scholar award, they are still listed with the Presidential title in my Bama, even though they are full scholarships. My son was listed with the Elite until NMS were named.

Edit: I see @LucieTheLakie said the same thing

4

I don’t think many Presidential scholars will leave or go elsewhere over a $4230 tuition bill. BUT I do think that there is the potential to reach a breaking point in which full pay OOS students will begin to look elsewhere - and that may reduce merit scholarships further.

5

@my2caligirls - I think you may be wrong because the $4230 bill is going to get larger every year. DS17 is on the Presidential with free tuition at UA. I have a DS19 who would now get $25,000. Coming from Georgia where he will be eligible for Zell Miller (free tuition) . I would think at least the Georgia residents will think twice.

6

I gave this some thought.

If I were guessing, I would suppose that the small changes will have a small effect on OOS attendance. I would also guess this is intended.

I don’t think it will be significant. By way of comparison, the change that OU went through the last couple years, and especially this year, I think will have a significant impact on the OOS profile.

7

Its going to affect the number going from my son’s HS in Louisiana. Currently 15 or so of the top students are taking the NMF or Presidential to Bama, bc of the scholarship and the funding uncertainty for TOPS to LSU. With TOPS funding recently secured and the UA Presidential increase, those students are going to go to LSU or take better financial deals at Ole Miss, FSU or UF.

8

@MichiganGeorgia - you are right that in states that have more competitive offers it will impact enrollment (GA, FL??). As it stands the tuition increase is probably in the $1k range year to year. Bama is still reasonably competitive at most merit scholarship tiers.

Personally, I think there is a point where they start to lose OOS full pay students, and that may be a much larger issue than competing for Presidential Scholars.

9

But @vistajay :
Do note, that despite the Presidential taking a small hit in value and an increase in statistical requirements, the NMF is actually better than before. And significantly so if you can stomach on campus housing for 4 years. I think this is telling. Some of those kids at your son’s HS will still choose Alabama.

The sweeping changes at OU were significant for the top line. At Alabama it seems more targeted. YMMV, and I agree there will be an overall reduction, as I think they intend to some degree.

10

Agree, @DavidPuddy . The FL NMF scholarship is better, but Bama will still pull some NMFs from our HS due to proximity and familiarity.

11

@vistajay , question:
We stopped looking at Florida schools fairly early on, for a couple reasons not the least of which was the uncertain funding at the time.

What did the NMF package end on for UF / FSU? It’s better than UA, which is also effectively full COA for four years plus a fifth of tuition?

Value of tuition for up to five years or 10 semesters
Four years of on-campus housing at regular room rate
$3,500 per year Merit Scholarship stipend for four years.
$2,000 book scholarship ($500 per year for four years)
One-time allowance of $2,000 for use in summer research or international study

12

We are certainly thinking twice about UA at this point. My son has a 34 ACT, over 4.0 GPA, and lots of AP classes under his belt. He’s at UA right now for Summer on Campus and is enjoying it. We’re still considering it, but the uncertainties of just how high OOS tuition can go up over the next four years is something that makes us uneasy. There are several other schools with better offers at this point.

13

@vistajay TOPS was only secured for the year and it will be an annual “threat” every time the Governor wants to extend a tax. Just a year ago it was cut down in the middle of an academic year. The Alabama Presidential Scholarship is guaranteed for 8 semesters. And the COE offers an additional $2500 a year which brings it close to full tuition.

14

@elodyCOH, I think you have to assume between a 5% and 10% increase per year on tuition, but also realize that if your son isn’t planning to join a traditional fraternity and is willing to live in one of the more affordable housing options (both on campus and off), your actual COA will be below the published number. Travel costs (how far, how often, by what means) can also swing the total quite a bit. If your son is in the Engineering College, don’t forget the extra $2500 a year and the opportunity to do a co-op. With as many AP credits as it sounds like he has, your son still may be able to get in and out in four years. My son will take five years to graduate, but his co-op pretty much paid for his room and board for three of those years.

You can see the historic increases in tuition here by putting “University of Alabama” into the search engine:
https://www.chronicle.com/interactives/tuition-and-fees

15

@DavidPuddy Florida’s Benacquisto is full COA, using the average COA for a Florida public university (around $22K a year). As an example, here is UF"s COA breakdown (UF’s COA is a bit lower than the average, but Benacquisto pays the state’s average, not UF’s COA)…

Tuition / Fees $6,380 (OOS students would be charged the in-state tuition rate)
Books and Supplies $1,210
Computer/Cell Phone $1,250
Housing $5,440
Food $4,470
Transportation $1,100
Clothing Maintenance $970
Personal $310
Total Budget $21,130

It pays tuition (and room & board if living on campus) and then the rest is deposited into your banking account.

One way to compare UA’s $ to Florida’s, is to remove tuition and housing (which both cover).

UA
$3,500 per year Merit Scholarship stipend for four years.
$2,000 book scholarship ($500 per year for four years)
One-time allowance of $2,000 for use in summer research or international study
Total of $4,000 per year, plus the $2K one-time allowance or a total of $18K over 4 years.

Florida’s
$22K-$6.4K tuition-$5,440 Housing = about $10K a year, or $40K over 4 years.

Edit:

A couple of other points…

A 3.0 GPA is required for yearly renewal of the scholarship

The program will provide funds for 100 percent of the number of credit hours required to complete a baccalaureate degree program, or until completion of a baccalaureate degree program, whichever comes first.

A student is eligible to receive an award for a maximum of 10 semesters

Note, some programs, especially in engineering, offer combine degrees (BS/MS) that take 5 years. Both degrees are awarded at the same time allowing the student to stay eligible for Bright Futures or Benacquisto. How Benacquisto works with combine degrees is complicated and a discussion for another day. :slight_smile:

16

^^ At UA, NMF’s get five years of tuition. Is that the case at UF, @Gator88NE ?

17

@LucieTheLakie No, it’s different. the state of Florida’s (it’s a state sponsored program at 6 universities, including UF) program will pay for up to 10 semesters (like UA), but ends once you’ve earned your BS degree.

It doesn’t cover graduate school, with one exception. Several of the universities have “combined degree programs”, where you replace several undergraduate level classes in your 4th year with graduate level classes (they count toward both your BS and MS degrees), and then finish your MS degree in your 5th year. At the end of your 5th year, both degree’s are awarded (allowing you to be qualify for Bright Futures and now the Benacquisto in that 5th year).

Not every NMF finalist would. be interested in a combine degree or have it offered in their major. In addition, not every NMF would want to go to graduate school at the some university that they earned an undergraduate degree.

But it’s nice having options.