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Greetings from the University of South Alabama!

Happy new academic year. As always, we are thrilled to be partnering with you.

We are writing with some updates from South:

• We just released our new scholarships and they reflect about a 20% increase over the last two years! South is now more affordable than ever. 
• We have a test optional program for students. And those students are also eligible for scholarship consideration. Our automatic admission begins at a 3.4 GPA and we review holistically anyone below that mark. 
• We are offering a $100 visit credit for anyone who attends a campus event or a tour (hyperlink) and then enrolls.
• Our big fall open house, USA Day, is on October 1. This will be an amazing opportunity for your students to experience South and all it has to offer.
• In addition to our visit opportunities, our virtual tour is an excellent way for students to learn more about South.
• Students can apply to South with our application or the Common App.

For rising high school seniors applying as Fall 2023 Freshman Applicants, our application will open on Monday, August 1^st. Students can apply for admission through our Admissions Website, or through the Common Application.

For students with a 3.6 or higher GPA, we will be continuing the test-optional option for first-year students who would start in Fall 2023. However, the test-optional admissions pathway is significantly more difficult to be accepted for admission through, and we only anticipate that 10% of our freshman class (at the most) will come from this pathway next fall. If you have any students that feel like they should apply test-optional, please have them reach out to me so that I can best advise them based off their situation.

Applying Without a Test Score 

Students who were able to take a standardized test can use their scores for the admissions process as in years past. Applicants with at least a 3.6 GPA and unable to test will be reviewed holistically through our test-optional pathway. Any valedictorian or salutatorian from an accredited Alabama school with 50 or more graduates will also automatically qualify for admission.

*Please note that for students who apply test-optional, a 3.6 GPA is not a minimum to be accepted for admission. It is a minimum to apply test-optional, and will be a significantly more difficult admissions track. We highly encourage those students who have been able to test to send their scores*

For students who do apply for admissions with a test score, we will continue superscoring this year for both admissions and scholarships.

*Please note that while we do superscore, we do not accept the superscore sent to us by the ACT. The reason for this is to ensure accurate reporting, as the superscore that the ACT provides does not factor in any cancelled test scores, and it also does not include each individual section score. For this reason, students need to make sure they have each individual composite score from the SAT and ACT sent to us electronically directly from the testing agency so that we can properly calculate their superscore.*

Traditional Applicants

Submitted Admission Application.

Paid the $50 non-refundable application fee.*

*ACT/SAT fee waiver, NACAC fee waiver, Free or Reduced Lunch documentation*

Official ACT/SAT test scores sent from the testing agency.

Uploaded copy of high school transcript(s).

Test-optional Applicants (students unable to secure a test and have a minimum 3.6 cumulative GPA)

Submitted Admission Application.

Paid the $50 non-refundable application fee.*

*ACT/SAT fee waiver, NACAC fee waiver, Free or Reduced Lunch documentation*

Uploaded copy of high school transcript(s).

Our application deadlines will be as is shown below. This is the deadline for a completed application file to be on hand, not just the application itself.

1. Early Action: September 15^th (Receives a decision in mid-October)
2. Early Action: October 15^th (Receives a decision in mid-November)
3. Early Action: December 1^st (Receives a decision in mid-January)
4. Regular Decision: February 1^st (Receives a decision in Early March)

Please note, students must complete their application file by December 1^st at the absolute latest to be considered for scholarships. Also, regardless of which Early Action admissions deadline a student applies for, our Scholarship Department will recognize the highest ACT or SAT superscore we have calculated in our system on January 10, 2023 for merit scholarship consideration.