UNA awards an automatic GPA-by-ACT grid ($2,000–$8,500, rising to $9,000–$12,000 + housing for Presidential) and — unusually — explicitly lets students stack a $4,000 Housing Scholarship, Leadership, and Honors awards on top.
Verified Jul 20262 months ago
The short answer
Is North Alabama (UNA) worth a closer look?
North Alabama (UNA) is worth checking if your student has strong grades or scores. We found 4 published awards, and 2 are based on those numbers.
Merit tiers42 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team
Free Merit Check
See what North Alabama (UNA)'s published rules mean for your student. Takes 30 seconds.
Published scholarships
These amounts and requirements come from the school’s own published pages. Open an award to see who qualifies and how to keep it.
$2,000-$8,500
Academic Awards (GPA × ACT grid)
Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.00-4.00 unweighted (two bands)
ACT
20-29 (ACT superscore)
See who qualifies and how to keep it+
Who qualifies
Automatically awarded based on unweighted GPA and ACT superscore; must be admitted by the March 2, 2026 priority deadline; first-time, full-time freshmen
How to keep it
Awarded annually; renewal criteria not detailed on this page. No refunds on Academic or Presidential Scholarships.
Notes
GPA 3.00-3.50: ACT 20-21 $2,000; 22-23 $2,750; 24-25 $4,000; 26-27 $6,000; 28-29 $7,500. GPA 3.51-4.00: 20-21 $2,500; 22-23 $3,000; 24-25 $5,500; 26-27 $8,000; 28-29 $8,500. ACT below 20 with 3.0+ GPA: apply via General & Endowed application. 2026 amounts subject to final funding October 1, 2025.
Automatically awarded; admitted by March 2, 2026 priority deadline
How to keep it
Awarded annually; no refunds. Renewal criteria not detailed on this page.
Notes
Each Presidential award includes a Housing Scholarship. GPA 3.00-3.50: ACT 30-32 $9,000+Housing; 33-36 $10,500+Housing. GPA 3.51-4.00: 30-32 $10,000+Housing; 33-36 $12,000+Housing. Housing Scholarship = $4,000/yr for residence halls only (as of June 13, 2025).
ACT 25 or higher generally considered strong; a standardized test score is required for admission consideration
See who qualifies and how to keep it+
Who qualifies
Selective admission to the Cole Honors College based on grades, test scores, leadership, service, essay, activities, and work experience
How to keep it
First-time freshmen: $650/semester for up to eight semesters. Transfer/current students: $650/semester renewable for four to six semesters depending on time remaining toward the degree.
Notes
$650 per semester (≈$1,300/year) automatic for all first-time freshmen admitted to the Cole Honors College, up to eight semesters.
These are the rules we would flag for your family. Each comes from North Alabama (UNA)'s published information.
Outside awardsNo published displacement order
North Alabama (UNA)'s policy doesn't specify whether outside scholarships hit loans, grants, or only the COA ceiling. Get a written aid-office answer before chasing private awards.
What families often miss
Housing Scholarships are stackable with academic awards, but students cannot hold more than one housing scholarship, and the amount can decrease after the deadline.
The $4,000 Housing Scholarship applies only to on-campus residence halls, not apartments.
UNA will not accept unofficial ACT scores (screenshots/self-reports) for official merit awards — scores must arrive via official means (act.org report, transcript, or counselor).
Automatic Academic/Presidential awards require being admitted by March 2, 2026; some scholarships have earlier or later individual deadlines, and amounts are subject to final funding (October 1, 2025) and may decrease after the deadline.
Because UNA allows stacking, eligible students can add the Cole Honors $650/semester award and Leadership/Housing scholarships on top of the automatic grid award.
See costs and school data+
Who this school may work for
GPA-and-ACT strong freshmen who want a transparent automatic award — and the rare chance to stack housing, leadership, and honors scholarships on top; top-stat students (30+ ACT) earn Presidential awards plus housing.
Published yearly cost: Approximately $30,650 for 2025-2026. Source
Cost and graduation facts
Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at North Alabama (UNA), what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.
Average annual net price by family income at North Alabama (UNA), academic year 2021-22 — in-state, Title-IV aid recipients only
Family income
Average net price paid
$0–$30,000
$9,741
$30,001–$48,000
$10,127
$48,001–$75,000
$11,665
$75,001–$110,000
$13,903
$110,001+
$14,866
All income levels (average)
$12,170
Sticker price vs. what students actually pay
Published tuition & fees (in-state), AY 2022-23
$12,120
Published tuition & fees (out-of-state), AY 2022-23
$22,320
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$12,170
That works out to roughly a 49% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $23,786 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).
North Alabama (UNA) is a public school; Scorecard's net price figure covers in-state, Title-IV-aid-recipient payers only — there is no comparable federal figure for out-of-state students.
Outcomes for students who enrolled here
Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
55%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
80%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$22,077 (~$234/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$45,415
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
37%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
47%
See other scholarships and cost examples+
If your student brings another scholarship
The school does not publish a specific outside-scholarship displacement policy; confirm treatment with the aid office before counting on stacking.
Verified policy language (2026-07-02): Scholarships available for stacking are listed below. Separately, the school's own award-stacking rules: UNA explicitly allows stacking — the freshman page lists scholarships 'available for stacking,' the $4,000 Housing Scholarship is stackable (2 years), and Leadership and Honors awards may be stacked on top of the automatic Academic/Presidential award. Only one housing scholarship may be held. (per https://www.una.edu/admissions/new-freshmen/scholarships.html)
Other North Alabama (UNA) scholarships worth checking
These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.
AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityCompetitive; strong record of leadership and volunteerism plus required academic credentials and a 1-2 page activity resume (grades 9-12)
Applicants for the Leadership Scholarship are automatically considered for additional (Leadership) Housing Scholarships
The priority deadline for most UNA freshman scholarships is March 2, 2026 — you must be admitted by then for the automatic Academic/Presidential awards. Some scholarships have earlier or later individual deadlines.
Are UNA scholarships stackable?
Yes. UNA lists scholarships available for stacking; the $4,000 Housing Scholarship (2 years), Leadership, and Cole Honors awards can stack with the automatic Academic/Presidential award. You can hold only one housing scholarship.
How much are the automatic awards?
Academic awards range $2,000–$8,500/year by GPA and ACT superscore; Presidential awards (ACT 30-36) are $9,000–$12,000/year plus a $4,000 housing scholarship.
Does UNA superscore the ACT?
Yes. UNA uses the highest ACT section scores across test dates to form a super composite for scholarship purposes.
What if my ACT is below 20?
Students with an ACT below 20 and a 3.0+ GPA should complete the General & Endowed Scholarship application to be considered for merit-based awards.
See sources and other schools+
How North Alabama (UNA) compares
133 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use unclear or unpublished displacement.
North Alabama (UNA) is in a recognizable cluster (133 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
133 of 749 verified schools publish no clear displacement order.
North Alabama (UNA) is one of them. The right move is the aid-office email script below, not a guess.
665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
North Alabama (UNA) is one of them. The cohort minority (84 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.
Sources used on this page
Every claim is checked against North Alabama (UNA)’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
