After reducing scholarship offerings two years ago, Troy is now expanding scholarship opportunities for prospective students.

“Year in and year out, it’s necessary to assess our scholarship program and recruitment strategy, which scholarships are a big part of to make sure we are as competitive as we can be from an external perspective,” said Buddy Starling, associate vice chancellor for enrollment management. “We also have to assess our spending on scholarships and make sure they are in line with any budget constraints out there from an internal perspective. Having looked at that, perhaps we could make a little adjustment to make our scholarships more competitive.”

Starling said several other institutions in Alabama have recently expanded scholarship opportunities and it was necessary for Troy to follow suit to remain competitive, while remaining “good stewards” of the university’s revenue.

“The scholarship arena overall is very, very active,” Starling said. “Most institutions, any institution today, is offering a very healthy inventory of scholarships, ranging from very average ACT scores to very high ACT scores … The expectations of parents and students today – one of the first questions you’re going to hear is ‘What do your scholarships look like and what do I qualify for?’ There is a growing interest in scholarships and financial aid and we want to be competitive as possible and at the same time be good stewards. There’s not a university around that is not giving up something in a way of scholarships; it’s not really what you’re giving up, but what you’re gaining in the quality of students and what they’re going to do with their lives.”

The adjustment to scholarships comes at a time when Troy officials have expressed a goal of increasing Troy campus enrollment to 10,000 students. Troy estimated that more than 7,000 students were on campus at the beginning of the fall semester, as well as an additional 1,000 online students.

“Any time we can increase our recruiting effort we’re going to shape enrollment in so many ways,” Starling said. “And scholarships are not only important for recruiting purposes; we retain those students at a higher rate than a non-scholarship student.”

Starling said the biggest changes made were to the “top-end” scholarships, with an attempt to attract high-achieving students.

“It’s really important attracting those students,” Starling said. “Those are the same students who are often going on to graduate schools, professional schools of law and that’s really important try to shape the student profile.”­­

The new scholarship list, which went into effect Sept. 1 and is available to students who will enroll in fall of 2020, represents changes to some existing scholarships, as well as some new scholarship programs.

Included among the new scholarships is an upgrade to the Millennium Scholars Award, which features two tiers, one which provides tuition and traditional housing, which requires an ACT score of 30 (1360 RSAT) to 32 (1440 RSAT) and a high school GPA of 3.7, and one which provides tuition, full housing and meal plan, which requires a 33 (1450 RSAT) to 36 (1600 RSAT) score on the ACT and a 3.7 high school GPA. The Millennium Scholars Award is for entering freshmen.

Other scholarship opportunities, award amounts and their requirements are:

• Trojan Leadership Scholarship (four consecutive years), $2,000 to $4,000, ACT: 20 to 25 (1030-1220 RSAT), a high school GPA: 3.0; available to entering freshmen
• Chancellor’s Award (four consecutive years), $6,000 to $10,000, ACT: 26-29 (1230-1350 RSAT), a high school GPA: 3.5; available to entering freshmen
• Troy Legacy Scholarship, $1,000 (for one year), at least ACT: 20 (1030 RSAT), a high school GPA: 3.0, and must have a parent or grandparent who is an alumnus and a member of the Troy University Alumni Association or a local alumni chapter, available for entering freshmen
• Sunshine Scholars Award (renewable annually), $1,000 to $2,000, ACT: at least 20 (1030 RSAT), a high school GPA: 3.0, and must be a Florida resident and attend the Troy Campus; available for entering freshmen
• Online Transfer Award (two consecutive years), $1,500 ($300 per term), a 3.0 GPA, and must be an online learner; available for transfer students who are non-Alabama residents
• Transfer Merit Scholarship (two consecutive years), $2,000, 45 transfer credit hours, a 3.0 GPA, must be an Alabama resident, and attend one of TROY’s Alabama campuses in Troy, Montgomery, Dothan or Phenix City; available for transfer students

Corporate Partnership, 10 percent tuition discount scholarship, for any degree-seeking student that is an employee of a corporate partner of the University.