Academic Stewardship – Maintaining Your Automatic Merit & Competitive Scholarships
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. College and departmental scholarships may be subject to other requirements for renewal.
The cumulative UA GPA and UA credit hours includes 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. Placeholder credit hours such as those for co-op or study abroad are not evaluated in scholarship consideration.
Review will take place each year after spring grades are finalized in May. Scholarship standing notifications will be sent to students’ Crimson email addresses.
| Academic Performance | Scholarship Status Result |
|---|---|
| Students who earn cumulative UA GPA of 3.0 or higher and have earned at least 67% of the total UA credit hours attempted | Maintain scholarship and will be reviewed again the following May |
| Students who were previously in good standing and earn between 2.0 and 2.999 cumulative UA GPA, but have earned at least 67% of the total UA credit hours attempted | Placed on Scholarship Advisory |
| Students who earn below a 2.0 UA GPA, have earned less than 67% of total attempted credit hours and/or fail to adhere to the Student Code of Conduct and the Academic Honor Code | Loss of Scholarship |
The Scholarship Advisory 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 advisory period. Students will receive an email with the terms to maintain their scholarship during their advisory period after review has concluded and no later than early July.
Reasons for loss of scholarship can include one of the following, but is not limited to:
- Students who have a UA GPA less than 2.0 at the time of scholarship standing review in May
- Students who earn less than 67% of the total UA credit hours attempted
- Students that do not reach the 3.0 UA GPA and/or earn less than 67% of the total UA credit hours attempted at the end of the Scholarship Advisory Period
- Students that fail to adhere to the Student Code of Conduct and the Academic Honor Code
Students who have experienced an extenuating circumstance that prevented them from meeting the terms of this academic stewardship will have an opportunity for additional consideration. Students will receive detailed information regarding the appeal process in their scholarship standing email. Students who have received a previous appeal or who have lost their scholarship for failing to adhere to the Student Code of Conduct or the Academic Honor Code are not eligible to submit an appeal.
Current students who have deferred their scholarship will be reviewed for scholarship standing each May as noted under our Academic Stewardship policy.
Academic Stewardship – Maintaining Your Alabama Advantage Scholarship
In-state students must continue to meet the following criteria:
- Maintain at least a cumulative 2.0 UA GPA*
- Earn at least a cumulative 67% of the total UA credit hours attempted
- Adhere to the Student Code of Conduct and the Academic Honor Code
- Students admitted prior to Spring 2024 must remain full Pell grant eligible to remain on the Alabama Advantage Scholarship and students admitted Spring 2024 or later must remain Pell grant eligible
* The cumulative UA GPA and UA credit hours include all courses taken through the University. Placeholder credit hours such as those for co-op or study abroad are not evaluated in scholarship consideration.
Review will take place each year after grades are finalized in May. Scholarship standing notifications will be sent to students’ Crimson email addresses.
Students who have experienced an extenuating circumstance that prevented them from meeting the terms of academic stewardship will have an opportunity for additional consideration. Students will receive detailed information regarding the appeal process in their scholarship standing email. Students who have lost their scholarship for failing to adhere to the Student Code of Conduct or the Academic Honor Code are not eligible to submit an appeal.
Academic Stewardship – Maintaining Your UA Sworn Officer Scholarship
Students awarded the UA Sworn Officer Scholarship must:
- Maintain at least a cumulative 2.0 UA GPA
- Earn at least 67% of the total UA credit hours attempted
- Adhere to the Student Code of Conduct and the Academic Honor Code
The cumulative UA GPA and UA credit hours includes all courses taken through the University. Placeholder credit hours such as those for co-op or study abroad are not evaluated in scholarship consideration.
Review will take place each year after grades are finalized in May. Scholarship standing notifications will be sent to students’ Crimson email addresses.
Students who have experienced an extenuating circumstance that prevented them from meeting the terms of academic stewardship will have an opportunity for additional consideration. Students will received detailed information regarding the appeal process in their scholarship standing email. Students who have lost their scholarship for failing to adhere to the Student Code of Conduct or the Academic Honor Code are not eligible to submit an appeal.
Academic Stewardship – Maintaining Your Academic Common Market Grant
To continue an Academic Common Market (ACM) grant, each undergraduate UA ACM student must:
- Maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA on all UA course work attempted each semester
- Maintain full-time status
- Maintain residency in the same state that certified the student initially
- Remain in the ACM major for which the student was certified by the home state and approved by UA
- Must adhere to the Student Code of Conduct and the Academic Honor Code
Students with dual majors are not eligible for the ACM program. Students with minors are not eligible for the ACM program unless the minor is required for the major. ACM students are not eligible to enroll in graduate school courses.
The cumulative UA GPA, residency and program will be reviewed each semester for renewal. The cumulative UA GPA is computed only on UA work attempted and does not include transfer course work. ACM renewal notifications will be sent to students’ Crimson email addresses.
ACM grants do not qualify for UA scholarship advisory periods or UA scholarship appeals. Failure to meet the academic stewardship requirements of ACM will result in the loss of all future semesters.
Incoming & Returning Student Scholarship Appeals
Types of Scholarship Appeals
Students who fail to meet Student Financial Aid and Scholarships initial scholarship eligibility or renewal criteria are ineligible to receive the corresponding scholarship but may be awarded or reinstated through the scholarship appeal process.
- 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 from March 15 – May 30. All appeal response notifications will be sent to students’ Crimson email by mid-June.
- 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 modified scholarship advisory. Scholarship criteria will be reviewed according to the terms and conditions the student received upon reinstatement. The appeal form will be included in the scholarship status notification sent to the Crimson email address of all students that fail to meet the renewal criteria after grades post in May. Appeal submission/response timeline and instructions are included in the scholarship status email notification.
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. Renewal criteria are reasonable standards that correspond to the type of scholarship and typically include a qualitative (grade point average) and quantitative (credit accumulation) component, both of which are important in progressing toward graduation.
Appeal Process
Students are given the opportunity to write a narrative of the extenuating circumstances that caused their inability to qualify for the scholarship or maintain eligibility and what corrective measures the student has taken to address those issues. Below are some important facts to consider about the appeals process:
- Scholarship appeals are reviewed by a committee on a case-by-case basis.
- Incomplete appeals will delay review as the committee will only review complete appeals.
- Students are not allowed to upload/submit documentation to their appeal form. However, the committee may request additional or updated information before making a decision.
- Appeal processing typically takes two to four weeks to review.
- Submission of an appeal due to extenuating circumstances is not a guarantee of scholarship awards or reinstatement.
- 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. Students that meet the terms of their appeal but later lose their scholarship are not eligible for another appeal.
- For denied appeals, students may meet with Student Financial Aid to discuss options for funding their education.
Returning Student Break in Enrollment
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. Special accommodation can be made for religious or military request for deferral.
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 have deferred their scholarship will be reviewed for scholarship standing each May as noted under our Academic Stewardship policy.
Current students who withdraw prior to the add/drop deadline for the term will not impact their scholarship. If you plan to return in a future semester, complete the scholarship deferral application located on the Admissions & Scholarships page in myBama.
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. Email scholarships@ua.edu to state that you are withdrawing and include your expected semester for return.
Being granted a medical withdrawal can impact your scholarship standing. Additional information regarding extenuating circumstances can be found under the scholarship appeals section of this page. Please contact Student Financial Aid and Scholarships at 205-348-8201 or at scholarships@ua.edu for more information.
Students who have deferred their scholarship will be reviewed for scholarship standing each May as noted under our Academic Stewardship policy.
Students that withdraw from the university and do not contact the scholarships office forfeits all future semesters of scholarships.
Scholarship Use for Graduate School
Students who were awarded an automatic merit, UA Competitive Admissions/Achievement, or Alabama Prestige scholarship from Student Financial Aid and Scholarships, have maintained academic stewardship requirements and have remaining semesters upon graduation may request use of those semesters for Graduate School or Law School here at the University. Certain freshman program-based scholarships may also be eligible. Please contact Undergraduate Scholarships at 205-348-8201 or scholarships@ua.edu for program-based eligibility information.
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. Students are required to remain in good scholarship standing to utilize the remaining scholarship semesters.
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. Please note, you must have a current graduate/law school admissions application and an application to graduate from undergraduate studies on file to be reviewed.
Scholarship Extension for Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP) Students
Alabama residents that have been admitted to an AMP program and were awarded an automatic merit, UA Competitive Admissions/Achievement, or 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. Please contact Undergraduate Scholarships at 205-348-8201 or scholarships@ua.edu for program-based eligibility information.
Eligible students may apply during their eighth semester at UA and must meet the following criteria:
- Are an Alabama resident
- Have been admitted to an AMP Program
- Have earned at least 104 undergraduate credit hours
- Have previously or are currently taking at least one graduate level course
- Either have one or no remaining semesters of undergraduate merit scholarship
- Have maintained their scholarship’s academic stewardship requirements
- Are currently awarded an automatic merit scholarship, UA Competitive Admissions Scholarship or an approved program-based scholarship
- Academic Elite, Presidential Elite and National Merit Scholarship Recipients may only request an extension of their tuition scholarship. Supplemental scholarships, book scholarship, housing scholarship and all other scholarships cannot be extended.
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. Submission of this form does not guarantee committee approval.
First-time Freshman Gap Term/Year
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. Students admitted for spring should complete the form after scholarship notifications are released in mid-December.
Students are eligible to receive their automatic merit, UA Competitive Admissions/Achievement, or Alabama Prestige scholarship for up to three years contingent upon their eligibility for re-admission. Students planning to enroll in a future academic aid year will not be able to change the scholarship term of other competitively awarded scholarships.
New first-time freshman students are not permitted to enroll at any other college/university or earn college credit during their gap.
Study Abroad
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. Students on scholarship advisory, will not be permitted to use their scholarship for a study abroad program.
Please note, if you wish to use a University departmental scholarship towards study abroad, you will need to get the scholarship approved by the department who awarded it.
Scholarship Use for Summer Semester
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. Students need to submit this request form no later than a week before summer bills are due.
Submission of this form does not guarantee committee approval. To apply your scholarship toward a summer term, you must (a) have a scholarship in good-standing, (b) have registered for summer coursework for the same term of your request and (c) have a scholarship from The University of Alabama.
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. The use of scholarship for a summer term will count as one semester of scholarship in full despite the amount of credit hours taken.
For additional questions regarding submitting the Scholarship Summer Request form, please reach out to our office at scholarships@ua.edu.
Residency Changes
Automatic merit scholarships, UA Competitive Admissions/Achievement Scholarships and other competitive scholarship values are impacted by residency changes. If the tuition charge changes, the scholarship value typically changes as well. Email scholarships@ua.edu to find out how your residency change will impact your scholarship.
Cost of Attendance
Institutional scholarships will be reduced to prevent exceeding the full cost of attendance. Federal entitlement funding is excluded e.g., Pell Grant, VA Benefits.