Scholarships
Alabama National Merit: tuition, housing and the remaining budget
The University of Alabama offers different packages for Finalists and Semifinalists. Match the benefit list to your actual costs.
Updated · Official sources
What the Finalist package includes
For 2027 entry, the University of Alabama lists tuition for up to ten semesters, four years of regular-rate campus housing, $4,000 annually in undergraduate supplemental funding for four years, and a one-time $2,000 research or international-study allowance after the first undergraduate year. University of Alabama: National Merit® awards for 2027 entry.
Finalists need 3.5 junior-year GPA, the December 4 priority application, and NMSC college choice before May 1, 2027. Verify document deadlines. Admitted Semifinalists meeting the GPA condition receive the different Presidential award. University of Alabama: National Merit awards for 2027 entry.
Does that mean every expense is covered?
Do not replace the benefit list with an assumption that every cost disappears. Alabama's 2026–27 on-campus undergraduate budget includes $5,478 for food, plus books, transportation and miscellaneous expenses. Tuition and fees are shown together in that budget, while the scholarship description says tuition. Ask the university to identify any fees remaining on your bill. University of Alabama: 2026–27 attendance budget; University of Alabama: National Merit awards for 2027 entry.
As an illustration, the listed $4,000 annual supplement alone is $1,478 below that food estimate. This comparison is not a personalized net-price calculation: it uses a 2026–27 budget and the separately published 2027 award, and other aid or spending choices may change the result.
Compare terms across years
Ask for the award's covered semesters, room category, renewal conditions and treatment of other scholarships. Check whether a planned graduate or professional program fits the tuition provision and whether summer study is included in your offer.
These are University of Alabama examples, not an award available at every college in the state. Check the linked official pages and your dated award letter before making a commitment. See Texas's cost-of-attendance packages for a different award structure.