I paid the deposit last night so we could access the housing portal.
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You have to pay the student deposit to access the housing portal? I did not know this. Thank you.
Still under review. What are your stats if pending and you don’t mind sharing ?? My D24 is TO, 3.6 UW, Rigor 8 honors, 3AP, 6 DE classes. Wonder if there is a second wave after housing opens for NMF’s, high Sat/Act scorers, Merit students.
Just posted this in answer to a q in the 2023 thread. The quoted matter is from the FB parents page from last year:
“The housing selection process is based on when the deposit is paid. Those who pay first, select first. If your child wants a suite style dorm, you need to pay asap even if your child has not fully committed to Bama. Part of it is refundable if your child decides not to go.”
So, housing is not based on your child’s stats. It’s based on when you pay the housing deposit.
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The enrollment fee is not refundable though. It will be a credit on the bill. Honors suites were still open well into this year’s selection process. And you can match with a roommate with a pick time and be “pulled in”.
All that said, I think we will go ahead and pay just to get it done.
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Many schools are like this - UF, UGA, FSU. At some you pay b4 admittance.
It’s a cost of doing business. We lost 3 deposits on my last kid.
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How much is the deposit? I am assuming it is nonrefundable, correct? I know the housing deposit is refundable except for a $35 processing fee if you let them know by May 1 that you are not attending.
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$200 and it says non-refundable.
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None of those (currently) require an enrollment deposit before the housing deposit though. I think that’s a big difference. Losing a $25 or $50 housing deposit is one thing, but losing the $200 enrollment deposit on top of a housing deposit is a lot more. Plus, you shouldn’t be sending in multiple enrollment deposits, so UA really stands out as different here.
Yeah, I went through this same analysis. We won’t know until March how scholarships turn out at the alternates, but there’s a nonzero chance she will go to Bama. I confirmed that none of the other schools with housing issues require the deposit first though, so we wouldn’t be double depositing. I just had to write it off as an expense of keeping maximum options open.
Yep. I checked all her others and some let you deposit for housing and specifically say no enrollment deposit is required. Hopefully I didn’t miss one. But if so, we will figure it out.
Right now, Bama is the least expensive choice, which keeps it on the list. But if some other scholarships work out well, I can see her changing. She would rather not be in such hot weather, even if it’s just a couple months of the school year.
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Yeah. Later in another chat related to this I learned this about the enrollment and noted it’s likely very early and there’s plenty of time to apply later. . And yes that’s a lot of coin. I wasn’t involved in housing. I thought it was like others - just housing, not enrollment. Its bs that schools require the enrollment. If they want that, they shouldn’t open housing til May.
If someone deposits and later decides it’s not their place, that’s ok but they should withdraw their intention when that happens. But that would be financially risky as that is real money, not a few dollars.
Edit I knew I had another comment elsewhere. Same topic happening on this chat.
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Given that Alabama has a higher acceptance rate than some of the other schools it is understandable that they want an enrollment deposit. Otherwise students who really do not intend to attend will tie up many of the spots.
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Maybe. But it’s just for a place in line. You get a time out of it. Actual selection is after May 1, so if you didn’t pay an enrollment fee, they could just drop you. UF encourages you to apply for housing without even being admitted and it’s only $25. I’m sure many of those spots will go to kids not admitted and more to those who go elsewhere.
Losing $235 on housing is a lot if you change your mind about UA.
And if you are in honors and don’t care about picking a specific roommate, you can wait. But after Feb 1 or so, you don’t get any pick time. You are assigned a space. This can still be in honors or another suite, but it can be anywhere. You do give preferences, but that’s it. I think, but would need to verify, you can still form a roommate pair with someone with a pick time and be pulled in by that person. So there is some hope to get what you want. But the easiest is to pay early.
Yes that is what we did for our freshman.
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Can you tell me a bit about your experience? I would really prefer to wait if possible but feeling pressure to send enrollment deposit to secure a spot for the “better” housing. But also feeling conflicted about sending an enrollment deposit when he is not 100% sure. If I knew he could randomly be matched into a suite later I feel better about waiting.
They review every Monday and Wednesday. My twins applied on 8/11, still waiting. When my sophomore applied she heard in 11 days. They are becoming much more selective this year. I don’t know why we haven’t heard yet. It is frustrating for sure.
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Just an FYI, you pay now but nothing is done until May. Your student can find roommates on IG and then they form a roommate group in the spring. What paying now does is get you in line to choose your dorm and room.
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I did not see a problem with paying the enrollment and registering for housing. Our son was pretty sure he was going to attend Alabama but if he had chosen another school in the spring that was ok. Most college decisions are released after March 1. Kids change their minds and as long as you are not double booking I would insure housing. Alabama has more freshman accept than they have dorm space… I did not want our guy having to live off-campus his freshman year.
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