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Ryan College Bound Empowering students to navigate the college admissions process with clarity, strategy, and unwavering confidence

10/09/2026

Reminder:
College Application Week Closes at Midnight Tonight

GUESS WHAT TOMORROW IS??? October 5th is the beginning of the ALABAMA COLLEGE APPLICATION CAMPAIGN (ALCAC)OCTOBER 5 - 9,...
10/05/2026

GUESS WHAT TOMORROW IS??? October 5th is the beginning of the ALABAMA COLLEGE APPLICATION CAMPAIGN (ALCAC)
OCTOBER 5 - 9, 2026. All college application fees are waived at these schools through Friday. Take advantage of this opportunity and save hundreds of $$$$!

PARTICIPATING COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES
AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE
ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY
ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY
ALLEN UNIVERSITY
ATHENS STATE UNIVERSITY
AUBURN UNIVERSITY
AUBURN UNIVERSITY MONTGOMERY
BEVILL STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
BISHOP STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
CALHOUN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
CENTRAL ALABAMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
CHATTAHOOCHEE VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
COASTAL ALABAMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
ENTERPRISE STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
ENTERPRISE STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, OZARK- FORMERLY ALABAMA AVIATION
COLLEGE
FAULKNER UNIVERSITY
FLORIDA SOUTHERN COLLEGE
FORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
GADSDEN STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
GEORGIA GWINNETT COLLEGE
HUNTINGDON COLLEGE
HUSTON-TILLOTSON UNIVERSITY
JACKSONVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY
JEFFERSON STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
J.F. DRAKE STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
LAGRANGE COLLEGE
LAWSON STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY
LURLEEN B. WALLACE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
MARYVILLE COLLEGE
MILES COLLEGE
MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE
NASHVILLE AUTO DIESEL COLLEGE
NORTHEAST ALABAMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
NORTHWEST SHOALS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
REID STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
SAMFORD UNIVERSITY
SHELTON STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
SNEAD STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
SOUTHERN UNION COMMUNITY COLLEGE
SPRING HILL COLLEGE
STILLMAN COLLEGE
TALLADEGA COLLEGE
TRENHOLM STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
TROY UNIVERSITY
TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY
UNION UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA BIRMINGHAM
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA HUNTSVILLE
UNIVERSITY OF MOBILE
UNIVERSITY OF WEST ALABAMA
UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA
UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDA
WALLACE COMMUNITY COLLEGE - DOTHAN
WALLACE COMMUNITY COLLEGE - SELMA
WALLACE STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE-HANCEVILLE
WOFFORD COLLEGE

If you have any questions, email me at [email protected], and I will be happy to try and answer them.

HAPPY APPLYING!

Confused about which parent needs to complete the FAFSA?
09/29/2026

Confused about which parent needs to complete the FAFSA?

It is true - a true miracle. šŸ¤© The FAFSA is now open!
09/26/2026

It is true - a true miracle. šŸ¤© The FAFSA is now open!

This is a fantastic FREE program that the University of Alabama is offering to Alabama students in grades 9-12 to improv...
09/17/2026

This is a fantastic FREE program that the University of Alabama is offering to Alabama students in grades 9-12 to improve ACT performance and explore college and career opportunities !!!!

One of my favorite weeks of the year is right around the corner - It's Alabama College Application Week, October 5th- 9t...
09/17/2026

One of my favorite weeks of the year is right around the corner -
It's Alabama College Application Week, October 5th- 9th!!!!
You can apply for FREE to colleges in Alabama and a limited number of colleges in neighboring states. Be sure to check in with your school counselor for details.
šŸ„°

09/08/2026

Don't Overlook the Schools in Your Own Backyard.

We recently looked at the financial considerations at Auburn and Alabama, and here's a number that surprises families every time:

Two of the best options in this state are right here at home. And they are not just affordable. They are genuinely good.

For 2026-27, tuition and fees at the University of North Alabama run about $12,251 a year. At UAH in Huntsville, about $12,400. That is right in line with Alabama and Auburn, at schools a Shoals family can reach without ever leaving the area, and often without leaving home at all.

But cost is only half the story. Here is what these two are known for.
UNA, right here in Florence, is a nationally accredited university with real academic muscle. Its business college holds AACSB accreditation, a distinction only about 6% of business schools worldwide earn. Its Anderson College of Nursing ranks among the top nursing programs in the South and posts a BSN licensure pass rate above 99%. UNA is also strong in education, and its Department of Entertainment Industry was named among Billboard's top music business schools. On the money: Excellence Scholarships are automatic based on GPA and test scores; about 76% of new students receive one, and earning just $250 in UNA merit qualifies a student for in-state tuition. For a family across a state line, that can be a $10,000-a-year difference.

UAH in Huntsville is one of the strongest STEM universities in the South, period. It is a top-tier research university; five of its programs rank in the nation's top 25 for federally funded research, and it sits tenth nationally in aerospace engineering and thirteenth for NASA-funded research. With NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Redstone Arsenal, and Cummings Research Park at its doorstep, its students land co-ops and internships that are genuinely hard to match anywhere, which is why UAH graduates enjoy roughly a 93% placement rate and the highest starting salaries of any public university in the state. It is also strong in nursing, cybersecurity, and computer science. Its automatic merit aid can reach full tuition for a strong student, again with no separate application. One thing to know: UAH does not count the ACT science section, so a student's other three sections carry the score.

The lesson from all four posts is the same. The frightening national headlines describe a world most of our families will never live in. The real options, affordable, excellent, and close to home, are right in front of us.

My job is to help you see them clearly and claim every dollar and every opportunity your student has earned.

Please do not hesitate to let me know if there is anything you would like to discuss!

Best,
Melissa Ryan
Ryan College Bound
College Bound with ConfidenceĀ®
(256) 577-6006
[email protected]
ryancollegebound.com

09/08/2026

POST 2
The Number on the News Is Not the Number Your Family Will Pay

Earlier this week, I promised some real figures. Here they are, straight from Auburn and Alabama for 2026-27.

Tuition and fees at Auburn: about $13,572 for an Alabama resident. For an out-of-state student, $37,596. Same school, same degree, roughly a third of the price if you stay in state.

At the University of Alabama, in-state tuition and fees run around $12,500 a year. Then UA's automatic merit scholarships range from $6,000 a year up to full tuition, based on a student's GPA and test score. No separate application, no essay contest. Earn the numbers, get the award.

So picture an in-state student with a strong ACT and a good GPA. She starts at a fraction of the out-of-state price, then stacks a scholarship on top. That is a world away from the sticker shock on the news.

The worth of a degree isn't measured by its sticker price. The real question is which school gives your student the best education for the least debt, and for our families, that answer is often a good one.

Don't let the scariest headline set your expectations. Come find out what your student actually qualifies for. The gap between the news number and your real number is often enormous, and closing it is exactly the work worth doing this fall. Ryan College Bound is ready, willing, and able to help you analyze your options.

Ryan College Bound
College Bound with ConfidenceĀ®

09/02/2026

SO, IS COLLEGE WORTH THE COST? A Word for Anxious Families

POST 1
If the headlines about $100,000-a-year colleges have put a knot in your stomach, you're not alone. A recent Princeton Review interview confirmed what I hear every week: most families now expect to need financial aid, and the debt is one of their biggest fears.

So let me say this plainly. A college degree is still, on average, one of the best investments a young person can make. Graduates earn more over a lifetime (1.5million), face lower unemployment, live longer, and have more freedom to choose their career and where they live.

That hasn't changed, even in an economy nervous about AI. And the fields expected to hold their value, like healthcare, business, STEM, education, and the skilled trades and services, are well represented right here in our region.

But here's what a national news segment can't tell you: those $100,000 schools are not your only option, and for most of our students, they were never the right one.

More on that this week, with real Alabama numbers that might help you sleep a little better.

Ryan College Bound
College Bound with ConfidenceĀ®

08/25/2026

R Y A N C O L L E G E B O U N D
Athletic Scholarships: A Reality Check for Families

The frenzy around youth sports is very concerning to me. When are these children supposed to ever rest much less address their academics.

Many students are playing with more than one club team. And, they are not going down the block to the local field. Generally, they are traveling and playing or practicing every day of the week even Wednesday night and Sundays. Not to mention all the costs that parents are incurring to participate.

Please ask yourself, who is the true beneficiary? It is certainly not your child. I suspect it is probably the ones who are establishing and coaching these programs. Kids bodies are not made for this! They are growing and developing at a rapid pace; please, let these children rest!

Sorry, rant is over. Following are some statistics regarding the chances that your student athlete may benefit from athletic scholarships.

An honest picture to plan around - because sports can open real doors, but athletic money is rarer and smaller than most families expect.

By the Numbers
About 2% of high school athletes receive any athletic scholarship (NCAA).

Most are partial, not full rides. Only around 1% of athletes get a true ā€œfull rideā€; the rest cover the gap with other aid.

Awards are often modest - frequently a fraction of a collegeā€™s total cost, not the whole bill.

Where Athletic Money Exists
Available at NCAA Division I and II, NAIA, and junior colleges.
Division III offers no athletic scholarships - but often strong academic and need-based aid, and being a recruited athlete can still help in admissions.

What Changed in 2025
New rules (House v. NCAA settlement, July 1, 2025) replaced scholarship caps with roster limits. Schools that opt in can now fund every athlete on the roster and pay players directly through revenue sharing.

The trade-off: roster caps are cutting walk-on spots, and money is concentrating in football and menā€™s basketball - so non-revenue sports like tennis, swimming, and track may see fewer awards. The picture varies by sport and by whether a school opted in.

What Actually Pays for College (for Most Families)
Academic/merit aid and need-based aid usually outweigh athletic aid - and can be combined with it.
Treat any athletic scholarship as a welcome bonus, not the funding plan.

Smart Questions Before You Count on Athletic Money
Is the offer full or partial - and for how many years? (Most are one-year agreements.)
Has the school opted into the new revenue-sharing model?
How does the athletic offer compare with academic-aid packages at other schools?
Does this sport and division realistically fit my student?

Ryan College Bound ā€¢ College Bound with ConfidenceĀ® ā€¢ [email protected] ā€¢ (256) 577-6006

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