Birmingham Promise Scholarship: Requirements and Opportunities

The Birmingham Promise is an initiative designed to provide tuition assistance and support to graduates of Birmingham City Schools, removing financial barriers and fostering access to higher education. This article delves into the requirements, benefits, and opportunities offered by the Birmingham Promise Scholarship. The Birmingham Promise has provided over $11M in tuition assistance to over 1,600 graduates.

Overview of the Birmingham Promise

The Birmingham Promise provides up to four years of tuition assistance for graduates of Birmingham City Schools to attend any public two-year or four-year college or university in Alabama. Removing the barriers to higher education. The program covers up to four years of tuition in public Alabama colleges and universities for all Birmingham City Schools graduates. By keeping our program requirements minimal, we strive to remove barriers and open doors for students who may have been historically denied equal access to educational opportunities due to social and financial limitations. Beyond financial aid, the program offers students coaches to help them succeed in college and provides opportunities for real-world work experience with local employers.

Eligibility Criteria

Any high school senior who is enrolled at the following Birmingham City schools can apply for the Birmingham Promise Scholarship: Birmingham City Schools Virtual Academy of Learning, George Washington Carver, Huffman, Jackson-Olin, A H Parker, Ramsay, Wenonah, and Woodlawn. Starting with the graduating class of 2021, students will be offered 100% of the Birmingham Promise Scholarship if they will have been enrolled in one of the seven Birmingham City School High Schools for at least 3 years by their graduation.

Key Requirements:

Enrollment in Birmingham City Schools: Applicants must be high school seniors enrolled in one of the specified Birmingham City Schools.
Minimum Enrollment Period: Students from the graduating class of 2021 onwards must have been enrolled in one of the seven Birmingham City Schools for at least three years by graduation.
FAFSA Completion: In addition to completing a Birmingham Promise application, students must also fill out their Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which is commonly referred to as FAFSA. Parents or guardians will need to furnish financial information from records such as tax returns and bank statements. Promise encourages parents to gather those documents in advance and read FAFSA questions and instructions carefully.
Application Process: Students will receive a link from Birmingham Promise to the application and must submit the application to be considered.

Benefits of the Birmingham Promise

The Birmingham Promise Scholarship offers a range of benefits designed to support students' academic and professional growth.

Tuition Assistance

The Birmingham Promise provides up to four years of tuition assistance for graduates of Birmingham City Schools who attend public colleges and universities in Alabama. The Birmingham Promise Scholarship covers the cost of the tuition and required fees after the Pell Grant and all other scholarships. This "last dollar" assistance covers tuition and mandatory fees not covered by other sources of financial aid, including Pell grants. The Birmingham Promise Scholarship is applied towards the base cost of tuition, the general university fee, and course-related fees after federal, state, and institutional grants have been applied.

Success Coaches

The program also provides students with coaches to help them succeed in college. Stay in contact with your high school's student success coach! Connect with your Birmingham Promise Success Coach, Andrica Davis!

Internship Program

The Birmingham Promise also offers an internship program that gives Birmingham City Schools seniors the opportunity to earn $15 an hour, get job experience, and begin building professional networks that will benefit them throughout their careers. Students can gain real-world work experience with local employers. To date, 347 Birmingham students have participated in this program, with over 100 local employers in various industries.

Birmingham Promise at UAB

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) was the first academic institution in Alabama to partner with the City of Birmingham and Mayor Randall Woodfin to offer the Birmingham Promise scholarship to Birmingham City Schools graduates. “UAB was the first to offer a one-to-one scholarship match,” Woodfin said. “Because of President Watts’ and his entire team’s enthusiastic commitment to this next generation of scholars, our students have seen tremendous early success.

Eligibility for UAB Birmingham Promise Scholarship

Admission as a First-Time Freshman: Be admitted to UAB as a first-time, full-time freshman in the fall semester of the academic year immediately following their high school graduation.
FAFSA Completion: Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by May 1 of their senior year (for students graduating high school in 2021 or beyond).
Continuous Enrollment: Be continuously enrolled at UAB full-time (12+ credit hours each semester).

Scholarship Coverage

The UAB Birmingham Promise Scholarship covers tuition for up to 15 credit hours per semester and may be awarded for up to four years (8 semesters) of full-time undergraduate study at UAB. This is a last dollar scholarship, meaning it will be applied after Pell Grant and any merit-based scholarship. The UAB Birmingham Promise Scholarship covers only tuition and required fees up to a maximum of 15 credit hours per semester (fall and spring).

Renewal Requirements

The UAB Birmingham Promise Scholarship can be renewed for a total of 4 years (8 semesters). Students will be reviewed for renewal of the UAB Birmingham Promise Scholarship at the end of each semester. Students must be enrolled in at least 12 hours each semester to be eligible. Students must be enrolled continuously (with exception to the summer semester) for their scholarship to be renewed. Any gaps in enrollment will result in the cancellation of the UAB Birmingham Promise Scholarship.

Read also: Academic Achievement in Birmingham

Additional Notes for UAB Applicants

Transfer Students: Transfer students are not eligible for the UAB Birmingham Promise Scholarship. Students must be admitted to UAB as first-time freshmen for the fall semester of the academic year immediately following their high school graduation to be eligible.
Dependents of UAB Employees: Dependents of UAB Employees who are eligible to receive UAB Educational Assistance can also receive the UAB Birmingham Promise Scholarship.
Spring Semester Enrollment: Students starting in the spring semester are not eligible for the UAB Birmingham Promise Scholarship. Students must be admitted to UAB as first-time freshmen for the fall semester of the academic year immediately following their high school graduation.
Military Deferment: We do offer a chance to appeal for deferment of any scholarship award if a student is committed to military service. Please contact Andrew Colson should you need to request such a deferment.
ACT & GPA-Based Scholarship: Students who qualify for a UAB ACT- & GPA-based scholarship will receive their scholarship in full.
Study Abroad: The UAB Birmingham Promise Scholarship may be used on a case-by-case basis toward study abroad tuition & fees up to the UAB tuition equivalent.
Retroactive Application: UAB Birmingham Promise Scholarship is not retroactive and is not available to students who entered UAB prior to the Fall 2020 semester. The UAB Birmingham Promise Scholarship will replace the Birmingham City School Scholarship and AP Scholarships as of the Fall 2020 semester.

Merit Scholarships at UAB

UAB awards merit scholarships for a wide range of academic achievements. Current high school seniors who apply to UAB with test scores or as test-optional will be considered for merit scholarships. Current high school seniors admitted with test scores are automatically considered for ACT- and GPA-based merit scholarships. Students who apply for admission with test scores of 33-36 ACT or 1450-1600 SAT and a high school GPA of at least 3.5, as well as qualifying test-optional applicants, will be invited to compete for the Regions, Ireland, or McCallum Presidential endowed scholarships through answering a series of questions in BSMART, the Blazer Scholarship Management and Resource Tool.

Application Process

Complete the FAFSA: You must first complete the federal financial aid process at www.fafsa.gov. This will allow you to see whether you qualify for other scholarships and grants.
Apply for Birmingham Promise: Once that assistance has been determined, you can apply for Birmingham Promise. Students will receive a link from Birmingham Promise to the application and must submit the application to be considered. A separate UAB scholarship application is not required.
UAB Admission: Be eligible for UAB admission, which for fall 2021 is a minimum 2.75 GPA. Complete the FAFSA form and UAB application by Dec.

Financial Aspects

The Birmingham Promise Scholarship covers only tuition and required fees up to a maximum of 15 credit hours per semester (fall and spring). This is a last dollar scholarship, meaning it will be applied after Pell Grant and any merit-based scholarship. Although you are not required to accept loans offered in your financial aid notification, any charges not covered by the Birmingham Promise Scholarship, other scholarships, or grants will be your responsibility to pay. Scholarship Funds are disbursed directly to the institution on the student’s behalf after the institution’s designated course adjustment period.

Additional Opportunities

UAB offers departmental, performance, and more scholarship opportunities to admitted and current students. Students interested in these scholarships should complete the BSMART Scholarship Application in the Blazer Scholarship Management and Resource Tool (BSMART). Completing the application submits student information to multiple departments and units on campus for scholarship consideration. Students can complete the BSMART Scholarship Application beginning August 1.

Impact and Testimonials

Morgan Rankin-Taylor, a Birmingham native and Ramsay High School graduate, began her freshman year at UAB as an engineering major with hopes to be a materials engineer. “When Mayor Woodfin announced the scholarship program, my mother and I saw opportunities and doors open that we never imagined,” Rankin-Taylor said. “Receiving this scholarship shows the commitment the city has to our generation’s future. It is an opportunity for my dreams to come true. “Education is the path to prosperity,” said UAB President Ray L. Watts. “So we are working alongside Birmingham Promise scholars every day to help them navigate obstacles and provide the tools they need to accomplish their goals. “The people I’ve met, the opportunities I’ve had, and not having to worry about tuition - I loved it.

Staying Informed

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Read also: Birmingham Student Exemption Guide

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