<p>auburn actually had a few more NMF’s last year than UA… surprised me, i thought UA had more than auburn</p>
<p>yes…Auburn did double its NMFs last year…but that won’t likely happen in future app seasons since Auburn has reduced its NMF scholarship (no longer full tuition)…and it is now competitive for OOS (to limit the total number awarded). And, it’s NMF scholarship does NOT cover Honors housing.</p>
<p>I think Auburn bit off more than it could chew and found themselves with an unaffordable situation.</p>
<p>Auburn covers honors housing – but if you want to live in the Village, you have to cough up the difference from the stipend – $512.00 for the year. There are honors housing choices in various parts of the campus (Quad, Hill residence halls) – which are FULLY covered by the stipend, but the Village honors Hall is the largest, newest, suite-style option, and consequently is more money than the stipend. My D used her NM stipend to cover the extra fee for this semester.</p>
<p>But yes – Auburn cut their NM award considerably. Only in-state NMF & NMSF students get full tuition for the upcoming year. My D’s class (this Fall’s frosh group) still received the original award, but they’re the last group of OOS students who get it.</p>
<p>glad your D still gets the full scholarship audellmom! its a great school</p>
<p>Auburn covers honors housing – but if you want to live in the Village, you have to cough up the difference from the stipend – $512.00 for the year</p>
<p>Yes…I should have said that AU charges an upcharge for the Super Suites Honors housing…I was comparing them to Bama’s similar honors Super Suites housing which don’t have an upcharge. I forgot about the honors doubles at AU. </p>
<p>$512 per year is a new reduction…but I think it actually now is $730 year according to AU…not a biggie. AU used to charge a 1300 per year upcharge for an NMF to go to The Villages…so if the upcharge is now less, that’s good news. 
</p>
<p>And for those who are wondering…if your child is awarded a scholarship…even if the school later changes it, your child still gets the better deal. Reductions/changes are for new applicants…not current students.</p>
<p>The upcharge was definitely not $1300 this year – They did increase the housing stipend for 2011-2012 (slightly) to reflect the increase in cost of housing for Quad and Hill residence hall areas. Housing at AU however, is notoriously lean – there are many freshmen kids who end up living off-campus; it’s all first-come first-served (upperclassmen eat up a lot of rooms) and not enough beds for new kids. The apartment complex business in Auburn is a booming industry …
M2CK will know for sure, but I think that UA guarantees housing for Freshmen students – a lot of it is very nice and new. This is another good perk of UA …</p>
<p>M2CK will know for sure, but I think that UA guarantees housing for Freshmen students – a lot of it is very nice and new. This is another good perk of UA .</p>
<p>Yes…housing is guaranteed for frosh at Bama…But…that doesn’t mean that people can wait til the last minute and get the hall choice or suitemates that they want. That confuses people. They’ll wait and then be upset that Ridgecrest South is full or they’ll wait and then be upset that their child and 3 friends can’t find a completely empty Super Suite to pick. </p>
<p>I liken picking housing like picking a hotel at Walt Disney World. Those who wait til the last minute may find that their favorite choice hotels on Disney property are full…so they have to go with a second or third choice Disney hotel. </p>
<p>All NMFs at Bama will have an honors super suite bed reserved for them…but if you want to pick a particular honors hall, or a particular floor, or whatever, you can’t wait til the last minute. </p>
<p>Bama is currently building another on campus residence hall. I think this one has around 900 beds. </p>
<p>Currently, Bama has over 2500 honors Super Suites beds…which are in a few different honors halls. </p>
<p>FYI…a Super Suite is similar to an apartment. There is a living room, dining area, a kitchenette, 2 bathrooms and 4 bedrooms. Each student has his own private bedroom. </p>
<p>Of course, there are also many off-campus choices. Also, Bama does let upper-classmen NMFs choose to live at The Bluff Apartments, which is an off-campus complex if the student desires…student choice. My older son did live at The Bluff last year. It is on the Crimson Ride route, so using a car wasn’t necessary.</p>
<p>My NMF daughter really loved her visit to Bama, after not expecting to like it at all; the campus really is lovely. She ended up choosing a full tuition scholarship elsewhere, but Bama was a definite contender. Just to clarify (we missed this until the last minute), the Bama NMF package doesnt include a meal plan; maybe most of the other big NMF packages dont include a meal plan either, Im not sure, Bama was the only one we looked closely at. Anyway, it was an extremely generous offer even without food ;)</p>
<p>Not many offer food, but there are a few out there – The thread that lists full and partial National Merit Scholarships will specify who offers room and board (Kentucky comes to mind for the 1st year, after that, its room only.) I think West Virginia offers food.</p>
<p>Right…not many offer a meal plan as well.</p>
<p>For those who are majoring in Engineering or Comp Sci, there is an additional 2500 per year, which would pay for a meal plan if desired.</p>
<p>That said, paying for a meal plan is small potatoes compared to getting tuition and housing covered…those are the biggies. Honors Housing alone is worth about $8k.</p>
<p>I would totally agree – departmental money could be used, (ALWAYS apply for departmental $$ if scholarships are available) OR channeling some of your NMF stipend (from the NMSC) to help cover food would get your bill down considerably. Really, if you get tuition (and a room) covered, you’re in the catbird seat as an undergrad.
Add in departmental $$, and some kids end up getting surplus money added back into their personal accounts. (no kidding)</p>