Navigating Presidential Scholarships at the University of Alabama: Requirements and Opportunities

The University of Alabama (UA) offers a variety of presidential and other scholarships to attract and support academically talented students. These scholarships can significantly reduce the cost of education, making UA more accessible. This article provides a detailed overview of the requirements, maintenance, and opportunities associated with presidential and other scholarships at UA.

Initial Eligibility and Application Process

The University of Alabama provides generous scholarship opportunities for qualifying students. For many scholarship opportunities, your admission application includes your scholarship application. All students who have submitted an application and all supporting documents by the listed deadline are evaluated holistically, based upon academic and non-academic information provided on their admission application. Academic components considered include high school GPA and academic honors.

In-state students may apply via the UA Undergraduate App for free.

Students may apply for additional competitive scholarships not included in the admission application through ASAM. Once admitted, students will gain access to ASAM via myBama. Only scholarships for which a student may be eligible will appear in ASAM. A student must be admitted by the competitive scholarship deadline for their applicable semester (listed below) and have completed the scholarship applications in ASAM by that deadline to apply for these potential scholarship opportunities.

Students who have taken a gap year between completion of high school and enrolling at The University of Alabama and have qualifying test scores and grade point averages may be awarded automatic merit scholarships based on the amounts advertised for the year that the student would have enrolled immediately following high school graduation.

Maintaining Scholarship Eligibility: Academic Stewardship

Once awarded a scholarship, students must maintain certain academic standards to ensure continued eligibility. The purpose of measuring and enforcing academic stewardship requirements is to ensure scholarship recipients maintain the academic success that is expected of them and make progress toward graduation.

Students must maintain at least a cumulative 3.0 UA GPA and earn at least a cumulative 67% of the total UA credit hours attempted to remain on automatic merit and competitive scholarships awarded through Student Financial Aid and Scholarships.

The cumulative UA GPA and UA credit hours include all courses taken through the University. Attempted credit hours are defined as any credit hours for which a student is enrolled after the add/drop registration period has ended. Earned credit hours are defined as any credit hours for which a student earns credit for a course.

Review will take place each semester after grades are finalized.

Scholarship Warning Period

The Scholarship Warning Period allows students a second opportunity to earn at least a cumulative 3.0 UA GPA and earn at least a cumulative 67% of the total UA credit hours attempted. Students will be awarded their scholarship during the warning period.

Appealing Scholarship Decisions

Initial scholarship eligibility may be appealed if a student has experienced extenuating circumstances that prevented them from meeting scholarship eligibility criteria and/or deadlines. The appeal form is available in the myBama portal in the Admissions & Scholarships page.

Continuing scholarship eligibility may be appealed if a student did not meet renewal criteria for their automatic merit and competitive scholarships, Alabama Advantage Scholarship, and/or Sworn Officers Scholarships and has experienced extenuating circumstances that hindered academic performance. If the appeal is approved, students will be placed on a semester contract. Scholarship criteria will be reviewed according to the terms and conditions of the contract received upon reinstatement.

Students are required to submit documentation with their appeal form. Students are only eligible to submit one appeal. Appeal decisions and requirements are final and not subject to further review. Students cannot appeal their appeal decision. Students that fail to meet the terms of their appeal are not eligible for another appeal.

Additional information regarding extenuating circumstances can be found under the scholarship appeals section of this page.

Scholarship Deferral

Returning students who wish to defer future semesters of scholarship may do so for up to one year (two semesters) by completing the Scholarship Deferral Form located on the Admissions & Scholarships page in myBama. Students who are participating in a co-op rotation do not need to complete this form. Please note, for co-op students, all scholarships are deferred to future semesters.

Students who enroll at another college or university during a fall or spring semester while away from UA will forfeit all remaining semesters of scholarship. However, students may take courses during a summer term at another institution without impacting their scholarship standing at UA.

Current students who withdraw prior to the add/drop deadline for the term will not impact their scholarship. Current students who withdraw after the add/drop deadline for the term will lose that semester of scholarship as it will have already been paid out. Being granted a medical withdrawal can impact your scholarship standing.

Using Scholarships for Graduate School or Law School

Students who were awarded either a UA Competitive Admissions Scholarship, a UA Competitive Achievement Scholarship, an Alabama Prestige Scholarship or an automatic merit scholarship who have also maintained academic stewardship requirements may request to use any remaining scholarship semesters upon graduation for Graduate School or Law School here at the University. Certain freshman program-based scholarships may also be eligible.

Eligible students must be enrolled full-time as degree-seeking graduate or law students in main campus programs. You must enroll in graduate or law school at UA during the immediate available semester (excluding summer) after you graduate with your undergraduate degree.

If a student’s residency status changes between the undergraduate and the graduate/law studies, the scholarship shall also be adjusted - that is, an out-of-state scholarship would be adjusted to the corresponding in-state award based on the criteria for the year in which the scholarship was originally awarded. The combination of any tuition-limited graduate/law financial support (fellowships/assistantships/scholarships) and an undergraduate automatic merit scholarship cannot exceed the cost of tuition. Students may request to defer undergraduate scholarships to a semester in which they are not receiving graduate/law school financial support.

Interested students need to complete the Scholarship use for Graduate School request form on the Admissions & Scholarships page in myBama during the semester in which they plan to graduate. All requests for use of scholarship semester(s) will be reviewed by the scholarship committee. Submission of this form does not guarantee committee approval.

AMP Scholarship Extension

Alabama residents that have been admitted to an AMP program and were awarded an automatic merit scholarship, a UA Competitive Admissions scholarship, a UA Competitive Achievement scholarship or an Alabama Prestige scholarship from Student Financial Aid and Scholarships may request a one or two-semester scholarship extension, as further support of their UA studies. Certain freshman program-based scholarships may also be eligible.

Academic Elite, Presidential Elite and National Merit Scholarship Recipients may only request an extension of their tuition scholarship. Interested students need to complete the AMP Scholarship Extension Request Form on the Admissions & Scholarships page in myBama during their eighth semester at UA. All request for scholarship extensions will be reviewed by the scholarship committee.

Gap Year Scholarship Requests

High school seniors wishing to take a gap in between high school and college may request to change their scholarship term to a future date. Interested students should complete the Scholarship Gap Request Form located on the Admissions & Scholarships page of their myBama account after the final scholarship notification round in early March for students admitted for summer or fall.

Study Abroad Opportunities

After completing one year of study at UA, students may request the use of most University scholarships for approved study aboard programs. Students can make the request by completing the Scholarship Study Abroad Request Form located on the Admissions & Scholarships page in myBama. Students must complete this form during the semester prior to studying abroad. The use of scholarship during a study abroad program must be used for undergraduate coursework and will count as one semester of scholarship in full despite the amount of credit hours taken.

Summer Semester Scholarships

Students awarded an automatic merit or competitive scholarship may request to use their scholarship toward a summer semester. Students can make the request by completing the Scholarship Summer Request form located on the Admissions & Scholarships page in myBama. Submission of this form does not guarantee committee approval. The amount of scholarship awarded is dependent upon the type of scholarship you have been awarded and the number of credit hours you have registered for during that term. Funds will disburse five days before the start of classes.

Impact of Residency Changes

Automatic merit scholarships, UA Competitive Admissions scholarships, UA Competitive Achievement scholarships or other competitive scholarships values are impacted by residency changes. If the tuition charge changes, the scholarship value typically changes as well. Institutional scholarships will be reduced to prevent exceeding the full cost of attendance.

Additional Financial Aid Resources

The Student Financial Aid staff is dedicated to making the federal aid process as straightforward as possible. Financial assistance available through this office includes federal aid - grants, loans, work study and information about student employment.

A Note About Test Scores

The optional writing section on the SAT or ACT is not required for admission or scholarship purposes.

tags: #presidential #scholarship #university #of #alabama #requirements