Navigating the Maze
Career, College and Financial Aid Options 2015
By: Mrs. Cilia Smith
The Options
Post-Secondary Education
 4-year Colleges and Universities
 2-year Colleges (Community)
 Technical and Professional Schools
 Military (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines,
Coast Guard, National Guard)
 Work Force
 Apprenticeships

Work Force Options
www.gobuildalabama.com
 To learn about Alabama construction
trades for nonresidential building
construction and their pay scale
 19% growth rate is projected
 Apprenticeships and programs available at
community colleges
 Pipe fitters, welders, steel workers,
boilermakers, electricians, carpenters,
masons, sheet metal workers

Thinking About Four Year Schools
Thinking About 2 Year Schools
Choosing a College or University
Things to Consider:
Cost
 Size
 Location – Rural/Urban, In State/Out of State
 Campus
 Social Activities
 Academics – Major? Class Size?
 Religion
 Sports
 Special Programs – Honors Programs, Internships,
Co-ops, Study Abroad

Choosing a College
Be Realistic
 Narrow Your List
 VISIT the Schools You are Interested in
Attending
 Make Sure You Meet the Application
Deadlines!!! For universities, apply in the
fall of your senior year.

Suggestions for College Visits:
Research a college before you go – check
out their website thoroughly
 Talk to students on campus
 Eat in one of the dining halls
 Tour the dorms
 Ask about class sizes, activities, safety
 Talk to professors in the discipline you are
interested in majoring in
 Talk to people in financial aid
 Follow-up with a thank you note

Some Examples of Technical and
Professional Schools :
Culinary Schools
 Nashville Auto-Diesel College
 The Art Institutes
 Virginia College
 Trade Schools – There are also certificate
programs available at community colleges
in various trades.

What Are Universities Looking For?
Academic Record – Grade Point Average
(GPA), Class Rank
 Testing Scores – ACT or SAT
 Extracurricular Activities, Awards/Honors,
Community Service, Employment
 Sometimes – Letters of Recommendation,
Essays, Interviews

REQUIREMENTS FOR
SOME LOCAL
COLLEGES:
Snead State Community College
Admission: Rolling Admission, Must have
HS diploma
 Entrance Exam: ACT is not required.
 You may take a free placement test
(COMPASS) at Snead to determine
English and math placement in classes.

University of North Alabama

Admission: For Unconditional Admission,
students need ACT of 18, 2.0 GPA on
Core Classes (4 English, 2 Math, 2 Science,
3 Social Studies, 2 Additional)
University of Alabama in Huntsville
Admission: Sliding Scale Based on Core
GPA and ACT (3.0 GPA + 20 ACT, 2.0
GPA + 25 ACT). Average ACT is 25 and
Average GPA is 3.54.
 Must have 4 English, 3 Math (Alg. I, Alg. II,
Geometry), 3 Science, 4 Social Studies, 6
Electives.

University of Alabama - Birmingham
Admissions: ACT 20
 Minimum 2.25 GPA in Academic Core
Classes Including: 4 English, 3 Science, 3
Social Studies, 3 Math (Alg. I and higher), 1
Foreign Language, 3 Additional Academic
Courses.

University of Alabama
Admission: Evaluated Based on ACT
(must include Writing), GPA, and High
School Course Load. ACT 21 and GPA
3.0 Mentioned in Literature.
 Require: 4 English, 4 Social Sciences, 3
Math (Alg. I, Alg. II and Geometry), 1
Foreign Language, 3 Science, 5 Additional
Units.

University of Alabama

You may schedule a family campus tour at
www.gobama.ua.edu/visits. Tours may be
scheduled Monday – Saturday.
Auburn University
Base Admissions on ACT (with Writing),
GPA and Classes Taken, Essays
 Must have: 4 English, 3 Social Studies, 3
Math (Alg. I, Alg. II, Geometry), 2 Science.
 Recommended: Additional Science, Social
Studies and Foreign Language.
 Average GPA is 3.81
 Average ACT is 27.

Troy University
Admission: 20 ACT, 2.0 GPA
 Scholarships – 27 ACT, 3.5 GPA – Full
Tuition; 31 ACT, 3.7 GPA – Tuition plus
Room and Board; Leadership scholarships
start with 22 ACT, 3.0 GPA

University of Montevallo
December 1 – Scholarship Deadlines
start. Some of their deadlines vary.
 Scholarships start with 24 ACT, 3.0 GPA
 See website for more complete details.

Mississippi State University
Admission: 4 English, 3 Math (Alg. I, Alg. II,
Geometry), 3 Science, 3 Social Studies, 2
Advanced Electives (Foreign Language,
Science or Math), ½ Computer.
 16 ACT, 2.5 GPA on Core Classes

Other Universities:










University of Montevallo
ACT 20, 2.5 GPA
University of South Alabama
ACT 20 ACT, 2.0 GPA, 16 Core Units
University of West Alabama
ACT 19, 2.0 GPA
Samford University
No set score (Avg. ACT 26, GPA 3.7)
Jacksonville State
20 ACT
ACT Testing Dates:
December 14– Register by Nov. 8
 February 8 – Register by Jan. 10
 April 12– Register by March 7
 June 14– Register by May 9

HOW WILL YOU PAY
FOR COLLEGE?
Types of Financial Aid:




Grants – These are typically need-based and
do not have to be repaid. Examples: Pell,
FSEOG, TEACH, Iraq/Afghanistan Service.
Scholarships – These are typically based on
merit and do not have to be repaid.
Examples: Academic, Athletic, Leadership.
Work-Study – Students work for the
university on a part-time basis.
Loans – These are lower interest loans by
the federal government – PLUS, Stafford,
Perkins.
MORE ON LOANS
Federal Student Loans offer borrowers lower
interest rates and have more flexible repayment
terms and options.
 Federal Perkins Loan – college is lender,
depends on need
 Direct Subsidized Stafford Loan – govt. is lender,
depends on need, no interest while in college
 Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan – govt. is
lender, interest charged while in college

Financial Information
For more information, go online to:
www.studentaid.ed.gov
 This is an excellent website with lots of
information on financing your college
education.

FAFSA Forms:




To receive any type of financial aid, students
must fill out the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA). This may be filled out
online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
For Seniors, it is based on family income for
2013.
A pin number must be obtained at
www.pin.ed.gov.
A Student Aid Report showing Expected
Family Contribution to College will be sent
to you. A report will also be sent to the
colleges you choose.
FASFA Information
Grant money is distributed according to
need and is given out on a “first come,
first serve” basis.
 It is important to fill out your FAFSA
forms before March 1st for many schools.
 You must fill out FAFSA before you can
receive scholarship money from schools.

SOME EXAMPLES OF
SCHOLARSHIPS
AVAILABLE:
Academic Scholarships:






Different schools have different requirements. It pays to do
your research online and check out the websites of the
schools you are interested in applying to.
Always fill out the scholarship application. You might meet
the requirements for endowed scholarships even if you don’t
meet the academic scholarship requirements.
You must meet the deadlines!
Don’t forget to consider some of the smaller schools. They
offer good scholarships as well.
Some schools have you fill out separate scholarship
applications.
Some departments give out scholarships and you must fill
out separate applications.
UAH Academic Scholarships:
UAH – Deadline is Dec. 1.
 Separate Scholarship Application.
 UAH will allow students to continue
taking the ACT in the spring to try
and increase their score.
 UAH scholarships start with 25 ACT and
3.0 GPA. As scores go up, the amount of
the scholarships go up.

University of Alabama Academic
Scholarships
Deadline is Dec. 1.
 Must fill out scholarship application
in MyBama (http://mybama.ua.edu).
 Scholarships start with 27 ACT and 3.5
GPA - $1,500/year
 28-29 ACT, 3.5 GPA - $3,500/year
 30-36 ACT, 3.5 GPA – Full Tuition
 First Generation Scholarships

Auburn University Academic
Scholarships








Spirit of Auburn Scholarships
Deadline is Dec. 1.
28-29 ACT and 3.5 or higher GPA = $2,500/year
30-31 ACT and 3.5 GPA = Full Tuition
32-36 ACT and 3.5 GPA = Full Tuition, $1,000
technology allowance, invitation to University
Honors College
Foundation, Legacy and Achievement – 26
ACT and 3.5 GPA
Provost Leadership – 3.25 GPA, Diversity
General Scholarships – 3.0 GPA
UAB Scholarships
December 1 – Deadline
 UAB Scholarships start with 24 ACT, 3.0
GPA - $1,000
 24 ACT, 3.5+ GPA - $2,500
 25-27 ACT, 3.5+ GPA - $4,000
 28-32 ACT, 3.3+ GPA - $7,000
 33+ACT, 3.0+ GPA – Full Tuition + (highly
competitive)

Mississippi State Scholarships
Scholarship Deadline – Dec. 1
 Scholarships start with 25 ACT, 3.0 GPA,
Excellent leadership and service activities
 Will consider December ACT scores.

University of Mississippi (Ole Miss)
Admission – Requirements are going up
in 2012. (Core 4 every year, Math through
Trig, 2 Foreign Language credits, 1 Fine
Art credit), 20 ACT, 2.5 GPA
 Separate scholarship application
 Deadlines vary
 Scholarships for out-of-state students
start with 26 ACT, 3.0 GPA - $2,000/year

University of South Alabama
Scholarships start with 24 ACT, 3.0 GPA $3,500/year
 27-29 ACT, 3.5 GPA - $6,500/year
 30-31ACT, 3.5 GPA - $8,000/year
 32 ACT, 3.5 GPA - $9,000/year,
$10,000/year
 33+, 3.5 GPA - $11,000/year
 Dec. 1 - Deadline

Jacksonville State University
Deadline is March 1.
 Apply for academic scholarships online
 Begin with 22 ACT
 26 ACT = Full tuition + books
 30 ACT = Full tuition + room/board
 Leadership scholarships (paper
application) – 20 ACT, 2.5 GPA

Troy University
27 ACT, 3.5 GPA – Full Tuition
 31 ACT, 3.7 GPA (60 awarded) – Full
Tuition, Room and Board
 Leadership Scholarships start with 22
ACT, 3.0 GPA
 Separate scholarship application
 Deadlines vary with different scholarships.
 See website for more details.

Leadership Scholarships:
Many of the smaller schools offer good leadership
scholarships with a little bit lower ACT score
required. For example:
 UNA – Minimum 18 ACT, Core Curriculum GPA
2.75, Resume required. From $1,200/year to
$8,000.
 Troy – 22 ACT, 3.0 GPA. Girls State
Representative Scholarship.
 University of West Alabama – Gives scholarships
to those who held leadership positions in high
school such as SCA President, Sr. Class President,
Yearbook Editor, etc. $1,500-$2,500/year.

Wallace State Community College
You may take the COMPASS
placement test instead of the ACT
to attend Wallace State.
 Academic Scholarships are based on ACT
(21+) scores, GPA (3.0+), Essays and
Letters of Recommendation.

Local Scholarships
Local scholarship information is typically
sent out in the spring.
 Watch the newsletter, school bulletin
boards, newspaper and website for details
of local scholarships being offered.

The Last Word:
Contact me at:
csmith@blountboe.net
Or
(205)466-7663