Wait, what!?!?!
Every year since I started paying attention to UA back in 2010 there has been some angst on the part of folks here on CC that the stats required for the various guaranteed scholarships, or the scholarships themselves, would change. There have been some tweaks in the guaranteed scholarships, and the NMF scholarship has changed some (the class that entered in 2012 was the last to receive 4 years of housing, and a 5th year of scholarship was added at some point). In all that time the Presidential has remained pretty constant. This is the first year that I have heard a lot of buzz about potential changes, so I’m thinking it’s possible that this is the year there are bigger changes. (FWIW, the buzz I’ve heard has been from parents, NOT from anyone in the know at UA, although I don’t know where other parents are getting their info). I don’t know if anyone knows for sure whether there will be changes and what they’ll be. I believe changes, if there are to be any, are usually made in July. If I had a student who was going to apply next year and they were on the cusp (say a 32 for the Presidential), I’d probably have them test again and try to raise the score, although there will be time for that in the fall once any new requirements are known.
@collegework My ds is very involved in Bama Catholic. It is a wonderful group of students.
Fwiw, Bama has been a wonderful experience. He loves it there. He has had fabulous opportunities on campus that have led to excellent opportunities off-campus. Zero regrets about his choice. (He will be a sr next yr. Gosh, the past 3 yrs have flown by.)
I’ve heard from a pretty reliable source (someone with a connection in admissions) that the big scholarships will be changing from full tuition (or a percentage of that) to a fixed amount beginning with the next admitted class. I did not hear anything about the minimum requirements changing, however. I also didn’t learn anything about any changes to the NMF award.
It sounds like the big, automatic merit awards will remain very generous, but that they won’t expand each year as tuition inevitably rises. We likely won’t know anything until the next budget is approved. Last year that wasn’t until September, I believe, but I think they’ll make a decision about scholarships before that.
I don’t think Bama usually waits until budget approval. in the past, scholarships were announced in May, June, or July. I only remember one time it was as late as July…and that was the NMF several years ago (this year’s class of Bama’s graduating NMFs).
I am pretty sure someone in admissions told me that changes to scholarships would be announced in July. Maybe I dreamed that?! I’m pretty sure, though.
I e-mailed. Someone from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Scholarships said they will be posted on the website “by June.”
The admissions app opens in July so the school typically wants the scholarships decided before that. One year the app opened and then after that, the change for NMF awards was announced…there were a lot of upset people. So, likely Bama would want to avoid that.
I’m a native Southerner who grew up in Alabama and graduated from UA. When I was in college, if you were a sorority member you would not think of going to a football game without wearing a dress, pantyhose and heels if you had a date, and only a little dressed down without a date (as if that could happen!). Around 1981, a group of us went up to College Station, Pa., for the Alabama-Penn State game. For that, we did dress down a little since it was going to be cold and we were alumni by then. We were amazed to see the Penn State fans come wandering in about halfway through the first quarter, clad in jeans and sweatshirts. Then they pulled bottles of blackberry wine from back pockets (Jack Daniels or Rebel Yell or Wild Turkey preferred then at Bama) for their libations. And by halfway through the 4th quarter, much of the stadium had emptied although it was a to-the-endzone last-minute nailbiter of a game.