The Honors College now serves more than 7,200 exceptional students; however, our resources have not kept pace with this growth. This new investment will allow us to:

• Expand course offerings and reduce class sizes
• Strengthen academic advising, student engagement, and leadership development
• Recruit additional Honors faculty and staff
• Advance our strategic plan focused on academic excellence, student support and community-building

The goal is to ensure that every Honors student continues to receive a personal, high-impact educational experience.

The Enrichment Fee applies only to students entering the Honors College in Fall 2025 and beyond. Students who were enrolled in the Honors College prior to Fall 2025 will not be charged this fee. Additionally, students who qualify for the Pell Grant based on financial need are exempt, regardless of their date of entry.

The fee will appear on your student account alongside your regular tuition and fees.

Every scholarship package is different, so we strongly encourage you to contact UA’s Office of Scholarships at scholarships.ua.edu to understand precisely how your aid applies. They’ll be able to provide personalized guidance based on the specific terms of your award.

If you are a National Merit Finalist and have questions about the fee as it relates to the terms of your award package, please call the Honors main office.

Many of the nation’s top Honors Colleges charge similar or significantly higher fees. At $600 per year, UA’s fee remains modest and is designed to deliver a meaningful return on your investment.

The UA System Board of Trustees approved the Honors College Enrichment Fee at the last meeting of the academic year as part of their annual vote on tuition and fees. Because this is the first fee of its kind at UA, we needed time to coordinate with a broad network of campus offices—including Student Accounts, Financial Aid, Admissions, and Communications—to ensure all systems and messaging were aligned before notifying students and families. That kind of cross-campus collaboration requires time, and we wanted to ensure that we could answer your questions clearly and support you fully from the moment the fee was announced.

When we received the opportunity to begin capacity building for the Honors College—a historic moment for our community—we decided to act immediately. By implementing the Enrichment Fee starting with the Fall 2025 incoming class, we can begin hiring additional faculty and staff, expanding course offerings, and enhancing student support systems immediately. This ensures that the students paying the fee will benefit from those improvements throughout their entire time in Honors.

We understand that changes in cost can raise questions, and we’re here to support students and families as they navigate this transition.

Yes. All incoming students who join the Honors College in Fall 2025 or later—including those enrolled in partner programs like STEM Path to the MBA, McCollough, Blount, and others—will pay the Enrichment Fee.



Students in partner programs are full members of the Honors College and have access to the full range of benefits we provide: early Honors registration, community events, research opportunities, career development, and more. While some partner programs follow a distinct academic pathway, they are deeply integrated into the Honors College community. The Enrichment Fee helps ensure we can meet the needs of all 7,200+ Honors students across every pathway we offer.

We understand how frustrating it can be not to be able to get into an Honors course right away. Because UA’s registration process unfolds in waves, seats in popular courses like UH 100 and UH 110 often open closer to the start of the semester. We encourage you to keep checking, as many students are able to enroll during those later windows.



It’s important to know that the Enrichment Fee is not a course fee; it’s a membership fee that supports your whole experience as a student in the Honors College. From the moment you join, you have access to specialized advising, research and leadership opportunities, engagement events, and priority campus resources. If you’re not able to take a course this fall, you’ll still be able to meet your first-year requirement in the spring while continuing to benefit from all the opportunities that come with being a member of the Honors College.

The Honors College Enrichment Fee supports the people, resources, and opportunities that define your Honors experience at UA. Your fee helps make possible:



– Small, dynamic seminars taught by outstanding faculty

– Personalized academic advising with Honors-trained staff

– Exclusive access to research, service, and leadership opportunities

– Support for national scholarships and fellowships

– An embedded Honors counselor focused on student well-being

– Priority housing in Honors communities

– Invitations to special events, alumni networking, and faculty-led programs

– Mentorship and community-building from your first day on campus



We encourage you to spend some time exploring our website to learn more about the many incredible benefits of being part of a Top 10 Honors College in the country. This fee ensures you have access to the high-impact, personal, and enriching experience that makes Honors at UA so distinctive.

If you or your family have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us at honors@ua.edu. Our team is here to support you every step of the way.