Bama isn’t telling you much.
Just know - they have a boat load of smart kids - amongst the most NMFs if not the most in the country but also relatively easy standards.
If you were to apply to a Pitt, it would tell you a bit more - but what’s the point- you can’t afford it.
Besides, we’ve seen examples - a student in at MIT but not BU and in at UCB but not San Diego State.
Colleges decide independently.
No doubt kids are at Ivy but turned down at various publics - beyond the Michigan, UVA, UNC, types, etc.
But getting one in the win column is always good - but given your budget (not sure what it is but it sounds like it’s low), if you’re going to be NMF, yep, get int he school quickly.
it’s the 3.5 I’m still unsure of.
Are they 3.5 unweighted on the HS transcript?
I’m not sure if they are looking at unweighted or weighted - so I contact them and ask. I put up the info earlier.
The quicker you reach out the quicker you can dial into whether the student will qualify for the scholarship or not.