Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 46.59
Liaison Bambi Ingram
Submission Date July 29, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Alabama at Birmingham
PA-7: Affordability and Access

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.88 / 4.00 Julie Price
Sustainability Coordinator
Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have policies and programs to make it accessible and affordable to low-income students?:
Yes

A brief description of any policies and programs to minimize the cost of attendance for low-income students:

UAB received funding for two federal TRIO Student Support Services grants. One for all majors has been continually funded since 1976 to help 200 students in the amount of $413,326. Since 1997, UAB has funded Retention and Graduation Stipends for low-income TRIO students in the amount of $100,000 annually. A newly funded program in 2015 for Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Healthcare (STEM-H) is designed to serve 120 students in the amount of 220,000.


A brief description of any programs to equip the institution’s faculty and staff to better serve students from low-income backgrounds:

Faculty are required to complete DSS training, which includes information from the Office of Student Advocacy, Rights, and Conduct. The information provides by this office (linked below) includes information about counseling services, interventions, food pantries, case managers, etc to better equip faculty to address students of concern.

http://www.uab.edu/students/sarc/


A brief description of the institution’s programs to guide and prepare students and families from low-income backgrounds for higher education:

Most of UAB's efforts in this area are addressed through TRIO Academic Services. UAB's TRIO Academic Services (TAS) is a Student Support Services program that is a part of a network of TRIO programs fully funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The mission of TAS is to provide academic and personal support to help participants be successful as they pursue their educational goals at UAB.

To participate in TAS, you must apply and be accepted to the program. TAS accepts new students into the program each fall semester. TAS New Participant Applications are available from April 1 to July 15 of each year. An application can be downloaded by clicking on the link below (this link will only be active from April 1 to July 15) or can be picked up from our office during this time period. Applications are also mailed to all conditionally-admitted students accepted to UAB between April 1 and July 1. The application deadline is August 25.

TRIO Academic Services provides continuous support
Throughout your freshman and sophomore years, TAS provides continuous intensive support that is available whenever you need it. You can also take advantage of these free services during your junior and senior years, but typically less assistance is needed then.

The following are just a few of TAS’ valuable services:

One-on-one assessment of your needs by TAS staff each semester
Midterm monitoring of your progress so that TAS can adjust services to meet needs identified by instructors
Close monitoring to ensure you meet financial aid requirements
Tutoring assistance
Help with developing good study skills
Academic, career, personal, financial, and graduate school counseling
Assistance with preparation for graduate and professional school entrance examinations; and additional services based on your individual needs.


A brief description of the institution's scholarships for low-income students:

The Office of Undergraduate Scholarships does have several awards that include a need-based component and defines “need” as being Pell Grant eligible (EFC of $5,000 or less), though selections for these awards are made in combination with merit-based components such as GPA, ACT, essay, scholarship application, etc. These awards can be found at the link below:
https://uab.academicworks.com/opportunities?utf8=%E2%9C%93&term=need&commit=Search

In addition, UAB sponsors travel awards to help low-income TRIO students travel abroad.


A brief description of the institution’s targeted outreach to recruit students from low-income backgrounds:
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A brief description of the institution’s other policies or programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students:
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Does the institution have policies and programs to support non-traditional students?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s scholarships provided specifically for part-time students:
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A brief description of the institution’s on-site child care facility, partnership with a local facility, and/or subsidies or financial support to help meet the child care needs of students:

UAB has a Child Development Center on the main campus in downtown Birmingham. The rates are minorly subsidized compared with other accredited day care facilities in downtown Birmingham.

https://www.uab.edu/humanresources/home/childdevelopmentcenter


A brief description of the institution’s other policies and programs to support non-traditional students:

Many programs targeted to non-traditional students (ex. Business and Education) have course offerings in the evening to accommodate working schedules.

In addition, UAB's OFFICE OF VETERAN RECRUITMENT & STUDENT SERVICES offers scholarships, personal support, and many other resources for prospective and current student veterans.
http://www.uab.edu/students/veterans/


Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (tracking accessibility and affordability)? (If data is not available, select 'No'):
Yes

The percentage of entering students that are low-income (0-100):
38

The graduation/success rate for low-income students (0-100):
55

On average, the percentage of need that was met for students who were awarded any need-based aid (e.g. as reported to the U.S. Common Data Set initiative, item H2) (0-100):
54

The percentage of students graduating with no interest-bearing student loan debt or for whom no out-of-pocket tuition is required (i.e. the percentage of graduates who have not taken out interest-bearing loans) (0-100):
41

Estimated percentage of students that participate in or directly benefit from the institution’s policies and programs to support low-income and non-traditional students (0-100):
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.