dcwins.com
Seniors in Birmingham City Schools who want to attend a four-year college or university have until Feb. 1 to complete their Birmingham Promise scholarship application – a deadline that is coming months earlier than in years past.
Birmingham Promise provides up to four years of tuition assistance for graduates of Birmingham City Schools who attend public colleges and universities in Alabama. The application deadline for students who plan to attend two-year colleges will remain May 1.
“We want to make sure that all students in Birmingham City Schools have the chance to pursue their college dreams,” said Samantha Williams, executive director of Birmingham Promise. “We have learned over the past few years that our students need to apply to college by February in order to maximize their housing and external scholarship options. We know that February 1 is early, but applying later than that jeopardizes students’ ability to successfully attend the college of their choosing.”
Birmingham Promise covers up to four years of tuition in public Alabama colleges and universities for all Birmingham City Schools graduates. To date, Promise has provided more than $15 million in tuition assistance to more than 1,600 graduates of Birmingham City Schools.
Students who are not sure about their plans should apply by Feb. 1 to make sure they still have all their choices, Williams said.
The Birmingham Promise application is simple, and all graduating seniors at Birmingham City Schools should have received a link to the application via their Outlook email school account. Anyone with questions or needing help can email scholarships@birminghampromise.org or call 205-843-5967.
In addition to completing a Birmingham Promise application, students must also fill out their Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which is commonly referred to as FAFSA.
For that, parents or guardians will need to furnish financial information from records such as tax returns and bank statements. Promise encourages parents to gather those documents in advance and read FAFSA questions and instructions carefully. They can also find FAFSA tips and common errors to avoid at https://birminghampromise.org/resources/financial-aid/. Promise provides last-dollar assistance, meaning it covers tuition and mandatory fees not covered by other sources of financial aid, including Pell grants. Students are encouraged to complete the Promise application even if they think their tuition is covered and even if they plan to attend a private or out-of-state college.
“Completing the application keeps students’ options open in case other assistance falls through, or they end up staying in state at a public college or university,” Williams said. “We don’t want anyone to miss out on the benefits of Birmingham Promise simply because they didn’t meet the deadline to apply.”
