ASFA

2012 Seniors Start College with Over $7 Million in Scholarships

Despite steeply rising competition to get into college and soaring college costs across the country, graduates of the Alabama School of Fine Arts class of 2012 enjoyed a banner year. ASFA seniors earned more than $7.48 million in scholarships and awards, and were accepted at 102 art institutes, conservatories, colleges, and universities throughout the United States. 90 percent of the senior class earned scholarships, with an average of nearly $136,000 per student. The seniors have accepted offers and are attending schools such as Brown University, New York University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, The Juilliard School, Bennington College, Carnegie Mellon University, Eastman School of Music, Columbia College, Kansas City Art Institute, Oberlin College, Rochester Institute of Technology, Sweet Briar College, Lawrence University, Hollins University as well as many more, including The University of Alabama, Birmingham- Southern College and Auburn University. ASFA graduates’ success stands in sharp contrast to tough financial aid statistics. Nationally, only about one in 10 undergraduate students in bachelor’s degree programs wins a private scholarship, on average about $2,800 a year, according to Mark Kantrowitz,a leading expert on college financing and publisher of Fastweb.com and FinAid.com. Beyond finances, ASFA students enjoyed great success in other areas as well. The class boasted three National Merit Finalists and one National Achievement Scholar. Two seniors were also U.S. Presidential Scholars Candidates. Last year, ASFA had two of Alabama's three national winners. It was also the first year in the school’s history that ASFA placed 11 student winners in the prestigious National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts youngArts competition, including six Finalists, three Honorable Mentions, and three more Merit Awards.