New Program Will Allow UA Presidential Scholars Who Graduate Early To Use Remaining Scholarship Funds for Graduate School

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – University of Alabama students who have been awarded Presidential Scholarships and complete their undergraduate degrees early will now be able to use their remaining scholarship funds for graduate school.

Presidential Scholarships provide tuition for a full-time undergraduate student for eight semesters. They are awarded to outstanding first-time freshmen based on ACT or SAT scores and high school GPA.

“Many of these highly qualified students come to UA with AP credits or college credits earned while still in high school and are able to complete their undergraduate degrees in less than eight semesters,” said Mary Spiegel, executive director of undergraduate admissions at UA. “Under our new guidelines, these students may use their remaining scholarship semesters if they enroll in graduate school at UA after completing their undergraduate degrees.”

Presidential Scholarships provide full-time tuition, either in-state or out-of-state, and are renewed each year for four years of undergraduate studies as long as a student maintains a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Under the new graduate school option, a student who graduates early must enroll in graduate school at UA during the first available semester after receiving his or her undergraduate degree. While a student may have a break of a semester or more before enrolling in graduate school – if the student graduates in December and the graduate program begins in the fall, for example – however, the student may not enroll in any other college or university during that time.

“The UA Graduate School has over 35 University Scholars programs and multiple other accelerated or dual degree programs like the STEM-MBA option, where students can start their master’s degree during their senior year and finish both degrees within an additional year. The new Presidential Scholarship graduate option is a game-changer because motivated, high-ability students may be able to complete two degrees under their existing scholarship funding,” said Dr. David Francko, associate provost and dean of the Graduate School.

“We think this will be a welcome option for many of our best qualified students,” Spiegel said. “We’re pleased that we will be able to help some of our highest achieving students get a head start on paying for graduate school through this program.”

For more information on scholarships at The University of Alabama, contact the scholarship office at scholarships@ua.edu or visit www.scholarships.ua.edu.