school strategy

As it was explained to me, room and board is considered a reimbursement.
Tuition is not.

Not sure why is is that way other than maybe the tuition is paid to the school and the room and board is given to the student?
 
QA1517 said:
Not sure why is is that way other than maybe the tuition is paid to the school and the room and board is given to the student?
Click to expand...

I'm only guessing, but I think it has more to do with the goals that Congress tries to achieve via the tax code. They are providing tax incentives for people to obtain an education, but they aren't going to provide tax advantages for something you have to have no matter what (i.e. food & shelter).
 
Can you switch between having the scholarship cover either tuition or room and board? Say you get a 4 year scholarship and have several 1-year scholarships (like from your high school), plus a pretty decent merit scholarship from the college. Can you use the scholarship for room and board the first year, and then switch to having it cover tuition the other years?
 
soccmomer said:
Can you switch between having the scholarship cover either tuition or room and board? Say you get a 4 year scholarship and have several 1-year scholarships (like from your high school), plus a pretty decent merit scholarship from the college. Can you use the scholarship for room and board the first year, and then switch to having it cover tuition the other years?
Click to expand...

Yes, you are able to switch what you put your scholarship money towards. At the beginning of each year, the cadet is given a form that allows them to choose what option they want.
 
I'm only guessing, but I think it has more to do with the goals that Congress tries to achieve via the tax code. They are providing tax incentives for people to obtain an education, but they aren't going to provide tax advantages for something you have to have no matter what (i.e. food & shelter).

:thumb:

That's what I was wanting to say, I just couldn't get it to sound right.
 
brandons said:
I was thinking that an ROTC scholarship would be better than an academic scholarship. For example, at Alabama, I believe the non-resident scholarships only cover a portion or all of the tuition (which is significant) but does not cover room and board which is approx. 14,000 per year. Do most ROTC scholarships cover room and board or is that a university decision?
Click to expand...

From a pure dollars standpoint at UA you will come out a little ahead with an ROTC scholarship due to the book allowance and the stipend. If he really wants to pursue the Army commission and maximize the financial benefits he can take the academic scholarship that pays tuition and accept the AROTC scholarship and have it pay room and board. This will result in something pretty close to a full ride.
 
Alabama specifically states that if tuition is paid by an outside source, then merit scholarships can be used for room and board, books, fees, etc. My son has the full Presidential plus a 4 yr ROTC so he is going to school for free. Each school varies on whether or not they allow stacking. I've also heard that ROTC can be slow paying R&B so this has been a good option for us.
 
txpotato said:
Alabama specifically states that if tuition is paid by an outside source, then merit scholarships can be used for room and board, books, fees, etc. My son has the full Presidential plus a 4 yr ROTC so he is going to school for free. Each school varies on whether or not they allow stacking. I've also heard that ROTC can be slow paying R&B so this has been a good option for us.
Click to expand...

I'll take your word that merit scholarships awarded by the college or the state in Alabama can be used for room and board if outside sources cover tuition. I just want to mention, for lurkers who may not be reading critically, that this is not necessarily true for merit scholarships from other parties. It depends on the scholarship. Even if your child is attending college at a state school in Alabama.
 
merit and rotc scholarship

+1 kinnem, our DS' merit scholarship disappeared once he contracted with AROTC, we had to pay full amount for room and board. Many schools only allow merit scholarship for tuition and/or fees.
 
Here is a link to Alabama's scholarship page in case anyone would like to verify what I said. http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/in_state.html

At the bottom of the page, it says, "*For scholarships awarded only by Undergraduate Admissions — If tuition is being paid by an outside source, the scholarship dollars may be used for other educational expenses (room, board, books, etc)."

I know this to be a fact because my son is doing EXACTLY this. He has the full Presidential Merit scholarship AND and 4 year ROTC scholarship at the University of Alabama.

I would not try to speak to other universities and their policies.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top