Does anyone have the stats on what the average GPA is for Engineering majors? I am specifically interested in how difficult it is to maintain the 3.0 required for the merit scholarship.
How about stats on how many students don’t get the required 3.0 and lose their scholarship?
@TV4caster, hopefully some others will chime in with some actual stats, but I’ve never seen a figure cited before, although the question comes up a lot.
My understanding is that UA offers a significant grace period if a student stumbles first semester. Obviously, it has to be possible to raise the GPA enough to get above a 3.0 within another semester, but a student with a 2.8 isn’t going to get the rug pulled out from under him. They generally put students on probation and give them a semester to get it together, as I understand it.
If your student is nervous at all, I would recommend not trying to advance too quickly through the required courses. Unless one is a tippy-top math student, retake calculus, chemistry and physics to guarantee a strong foundation on which the more challenging courses will build. This will also help ensure a strong GPA before entering into the higher-level engineering courses.
Bama has a very lenient policy.
I will get the details and post them.
It is wise (when considering any school) to be concerned about losing one’s scholarship due to a GPA. Some schools have a ridiculously high requirement, precisely because they know that they will have to fork over less scholarship money in subsequent years because some students just can’t maintain the high req. UA does not seem to have this mentality - they genuinely want you to succeed, and UA will work with students who are willing and committed to bring up their grades, should they fall short.
That said, merit scholarships are meant to be just that: rewarding merit. If a student can’t or won’t maintain enough diligence to earn that merit, then there should be consequences. Engineering is a difficult major. 3.0 GPA is very doable, IMO, but requires diligence. That is a straight B average. Having a few As or even A+s in a few classes will give some cushion to offset a C in another class.
Once you understand the process (which others will post in more detail), have a discussion, now, with your student about what might happen (consequences) if they cannot maintain that GPA to keep the scholarship. That’s the ‘skin’ they have in the game. Good luck!
The only reason I am slightly worried is that DD wants to be an aerospace engineer and, while she is extremely driven and diligent, that is probably one of the hardest majors there is. I asked the question because there are certain schools known for grade deflation.
@TV4caster
If she wants to study aero, I would say Bama is as safe as any school in that regard, given how challenging a major it is everywhere. UA has an active chapter of Society of Women Engineers as well:
If maintaining a 3.0 is your only hesitation, I think she should go for it. Otherwise, she passes up on the great “one-time offer” scholarship.
Does she have any other similar offers? If not, and UA doesn’t work out for her (for whatever reason), she can always transfer to something more affordable in state. (FWIW, that was the attitude we took with our son, who was admitted to Penn State Engineering.)
If you PM me, I can try to put you in touch with a freshman aero major my son is friends with. Lovely, VERY bright, well-rounded young woman.
i’m trying to find the exact policy. It is quite generous. Not only does the student have the whole year to get the 3.0, but he also gets the following Fall semester that “stands alone” and if a 3.0 is gotten, then fine.
The key is balance. Using AP credits wisely to have a light schedule. Balancing easier classes with harder classes.
I’m a big believer in having a light schedule fall frosh year…for adjustment…and no early classes.
My son had a ton of early classes (no choice at the time) and came in with no AP credits because his school didn’t offer AP classes. He took honors calc and the honors version of the freshman writing seminar (one class in lieu of two) and then worked very hard (while still managing to have a great time). He did very well first semester.
I am not sure I know what grade deflation is. Any program which is ABET accredited and worth its salt is going to put together a quality program. UA is no exception. (It is one of the original schools which have been continually accredited since it began offering aerospace engineering degrees. Here is a link to some history on UA’s aero program: http://aem.eng.ua.edu/about/history/ and here: http://aem.eng.ua.edu/files/2011/07/history.pdf )
A professor at a large, ‘name’ school told me this directly: The work completed at any accredited school for an aerospace engineering degree is, by nature, exactly the same - it is jammed packed to get it in in 4 years, and the courses might be taught in a slightly different order, but it is exactly the same no matter where you go. There is a structures component, a propulsion component, a materials component, etc. So, IMO, it is important to find a school where you fit in and LIKE the program/staff/faculty/surroundings/etc., because the material taught will be the same. Here’s what he didn’t tell me: be sure to look at all the ‘extras’, too, like what aero-related clubs and aviation chapters and teams and projects and research you can be involved in at the school you are considering. It can be harder to be involved and get experience, if you are ‘competing’ with 100 people, as opposed to a few dozen.
I had many reservations about aero at UA when my son was first considering it…and those reservations ALL turned out to have been completely unnecessary (on my part!). Of the 85 cohort aero students who took the introductory aero course in fall 2012, there are about 35 solid ones left in the program now, I see (as juniors). (I noticed in fall 2014, there were 103 aero students in that intro class, FWIW, so the program continues to grow and draw more and more students.) In 2012, UA graduated 15 aerospace engineers; in 2016, they are on track to graduate over 30.
PM me for more info on this program at UA, if you are serious about attending there. Good luck!
Great info in your post. Thanks. I wonder of the 59% who dropped out what percentage were on a merit scholarship and what percentage were “regular admits”.
@LucietheLakie Thanks, too. Great info here and in the PM.
^ I’m just guessing, but I recon a very high percentage were on merit scholarships. The engineering field tends to draw in those high-stat kids anyway; the scholarships just attract them to UA. 
Most of these students who drop out of aero have not ‘failed’, in terms of losing their scholarship - many realise eng’g is not for them…some change majors within eng’g and do mechanical instead, e.g.,…and still others leave the university entirely for a variety of reasons. Later on, like a year later, when the much harder classes kick in…that might be when you start to see students more in danger with their scholarships and dropping for that reason, but I bet that is much rarer. Students know pretty darn quick (esp in aero, like after 1 semester) if it’s for them or not! They don’t (usually) hang about hoping it will get better or easier or more interesting. The College of Engineering may be able to help give you some insight, too?
I’m going to post again my fave site for comparing apples to apples when it comes to eng’g schools. Use this profile search tool to see bums on seats for any program, any school, any year, as well as how many actually graduate: http://profiles.asee.org/profiles . Happy digging!
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wonder of the 59% who dropped out what percentage were on a merit scholarship and what percentage were “regular admits”.
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Dropped out of eng’g?
Well, my older son (a NMF) did change from eng’g to math…not because of grades (he had a 4.0), but due to interest…he just liked math better…and he had more of a “math mind” than an “eng’g mind”. Success and “fit” for the major doesn’t just involve grades but also whether the student has an “eng’g mind”…and not all smart kids have that. My younger son does have an eng’g mind, and went thur ChemE with flying colors.
That said, since Bama allows anyone who is accepted to the university to choose any major they want, there are a number of students who choose eng’g who do not have the “smarts” to get thru it.
Eng’g is like pre-med…each year, a huge number of students all over this country say that they’re “pre-med” and/or “eng’g”. In the end, 75% of premeds at ANY university NEVER apply to med school. Now, it is VERY likely that within that 75% are the weaker students at the univ…absolutely…but there will also be strong premeds that discover that they really want to pursue a different career.