The Samford One Stop will be closed for the holidays from Friday, December 20, at 4:30 p.m. to Monday, January 6, at 8 a.m.

• Charges and eligible financial aid will be posted to students’ accounts on January 6.
• Statements will be available on January 6th, and payments are due by January 21.
• It is important to take into consideration holiday mailing time and our holiday closure when mailing personal payments or other outside payments, like 529s, to the One Stop*.
  Mailing Address for Payments:
  Samford University
  ATTN: Samford One Stop
  800 Lakeshore Drive
  Birmingham, AL 35229
• Payment plan enrollment for the spring term opens on January 6 and closes on January 21. Remember that you must enroll in the payment plan each semester. Even if you were enrolled in the fall term, you must enroll again for the spring term.
• Eligible direct deposit refunds will begin being issued on January 8, and eligible paper refunds will be mailed on January 17.

Other important information can be found at Samford One Stop or by logging into your financial portal.
* If you believe your personal, 529, or other outside payment will not arrive by the payment deadline on January 21, please reach out to your One Stop Advisor to make sure she is aware!

Step Sing is one of Samford's most popular traditions and is a popular event across the student body and the wider Birmingham community. We look forward to welcoming families to campus that weekend!

Show dates are Thursday, January 30 – Saturday, February 1, with performances at 7 p.m. nightly, as well as a 1 p.m. Saturday matinee. Ticket orders will open to participants on Tuesday, January 14, and to the public on Friday, January 17.

Other events surrounding Step Sing

Thursday, January 2: Parents Association Donation Drive begins. Donate soup and crackers for the Samford Food Pantry. An Amazon wish list will be sent at this time.
Monday, January 6: Orders open for “Knock Their Socks Off” Step Sing Care Packages, to be distributed to students on January 27-28
Thursday, January 30: Step Sing Marketplace, University Center Lobby, 5-6:30 p.m.

• Step Sing t-shirt, sweatshirt, and button sales
• Step Sing Photo Opps
• Dinner in Food Court and Caf
• Videos of past Step Sing shows shown in Harry’s

Friday, January 31: President’s Reception for Collegiate Partners, 4-5 p.m.
Friday, January 31: Step Sing Marketplace, University Center Lobby, 5-6:30 p.m.

• Step Sing t-shirt, sweatshirt, and button sales
• Step Sing Photo Opps
• Dinner in Food Court and Caf
• Videos of past Step Sing shows shown in Harry’s

Saturday, February 1: Brunch for Step Sing Directors and their Families, 9-10:30 a.m.
Saturday, February 1: Meet and Greet for Parents in Ministry, 10-11 a.m.
Saturday, February 1: Step Sing Marketplace, 4-6:30 p.m.

• Step Sing t-shirt, sweatshirt, and button sales
• Step Sing Photo Opps
• Dinner in Food Court and Caf, with special dinner and cooking demonstration by Chef James Briscione
• Videos of past Step Sing shows shown in Harry’s
• Step Sing cookie sales
• Wild Honey Flower Bouquet Bar Sales
• Hot Chocolate (sponsored by Parents Association)  

Would your company like to recruit Samford students and alumni? As a Samford parent, you know the caliber of our students and alumni! Registration is now open for Samford University’s Job & Internship Fair! This two-day event is the premier opportunity to connect with Samford students and alumni who are seeking full-time and part-time opportunities and internships. Please register for the date that best matches your company:

Samford University Job & Internship Fair: For-Profit

Wednesday, February 26, 2025 from 1:30pm – 4:00pm

Please register via Handshake by clicking on this link.  

Samford University Job & Internship Fair: Government and Nonprofit

Thursday, February 27, 2025 from 9:30am – 12:00pm

Please register via Handshake by clicking on this link.

After filling out your information, you will receive an email with a link and information on how to complete payment. Please note that registration is not complete until payment is received.

• If you already have an account in Handshake and would like help with the fair registration process, please see this video that will walk you through the steps on how to register for the fair. 
• If you do not have an account in Handshake, we recommend creating an account first, then returning to this email to register for the fair. To create an account, visit https://samford.joinhandshake.com/edu. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to Holly Strawn at hstrawn1@samford.edu or 205-726-2980.  

This information below was emailed to residential students and contains important information about Thanksgiving Break, Christmas Break, housing policy and sign-up process for Fall 2025, and other announcements related to Residence Life.

Thanksgiving Break – Residence Halls are OPEN during Thanksgiving Break.  If you are leaving campus, please do the following:

1. Take out all garbage
2. Lock window(s) and door(s)
3. Take your room key and ID card with you
4. Turn off lights
5. Make sure electronics are turned off (do NOT turn off/unplug refrigerators)

Visitation during Thanksgiving Break – There is NO visitation during Thanksgiving Break.  The last day for visitation is Tuesday, November 26.  Visitation begins again on Monday, December 2 at noon.

Residence Life On-Call during Thanksgiving Break – If you need assistance during Thanksgiving Break, please contact Residence Life Staff Member On-Call at 205-726-2030 or Public Safety at 205-726-2020.

Food Service during Thanksgiving Break   Hours of Operation on Tuesday, November 26

• Freshens: 7:30am to 2:00pm
• Einstein’s 7:30am to 2:00pm
• Bistro: 7:00am to 4:00pm
• UC Retail 7:00am to 4:00pm
• The Caf: 7:00am to 8:00pm

All Retail locations will be closed Wednesday, November 27 thru Sunday, December 1. The Caf will re-open Sunday, December 1 from 5:00pm - 8:00pm

HUB – The HUB will close on Tuesday, November 26 at 4:30 and reopen on Monday, December 2 with regular hours.    

Christmas Break – Residence Halls are CLOSED during Christmas Break.  Students should plan to leave the residence halls 24 hours after your last exam.  Residence Halls close for graduating seniors at 9:00 am on Sunday, December 15. There will be no Housing extensions after Residence Halls close on Sunday, December 15.    

Spring Housing Cancellation – If you are not returning to on-campus housing in the Spring Semester (i.e. – you are graduating, transferring, withdrawing), you should complete the Spring Housing Cancellation Form which is found on the Portal under the Housing Tab.

Spring Semester Move-In – Residence Halls re-open for the Spring Semester on Saturday, January 11 at 10:00am – 8:00pm or Sunday, January 12 from 10:00am – 8:00pm. 

Housing Plans for Fall 2025/Spring 2026

Per your Residence Hall Contract, please note that all students who are under 21 by the date classes start in Fall 2025 or have not achieved senior classification within the same timeline are required to live on-campus.  Students will not be permitted to stay off campus and will be required to take part in the room assignment process in February 2025. For any questions, please contact residence life at reslife@samford.edu.

We are looking forward to Grandparents' Day at Samford, Friday, February 21, 2025. Registration and details coming soon, so stay tuned!

Highlights include:

• Morning Worship Service
• Campus Bus Tours
• Demonstrations and Session at Brock School of Business and College of Health Sciences
• Lunch with President Taylor
• A Capella Choir Performance
• Planetarium Show
• Samford Grandparent T-shirt

Read the Parent and Family Engagement Report, celebrating highlights and initiatives from Fiscal Year 2024.

Parent Engagement Annual Report FY 24

An Important Message Regarding Academic Resources

The mission of the Academic Success Center is to facilitate students’ successful transition through Samford University by identifying and providing academic resources in a highly collaborative and student-centered manner.

The director works closely with faculty, the admissions office, Career Development, and the counseling offices to provide academic assistance as needed. First-year and transfer students are particularly encouraged to take advantage of the center’s services to facilitate their transition to Samford University.

The Academic Success Center and Office of Accessibility and Accommodations provides the helpful guide below for your student as they manage registration, class schedules, FERPA, and accommodations.

How-To Guide for New Students

An Important Message Regarding Samford Student Employment

Samford University provides work opportunities for students through the two following programs: Federal Work Study (FWS) jobs are need-based, as determined by the FAFSA, and Institutional Student Employment Program (ISEP) jobs are not need-based. Students are federally required to provide documents in order to complete the employment process.

For most students the required I9 documents are:

1. an unexpired US Passport, OR
2. an unexpired state driver’s license and a Birth Certificate, OR
3.  an unexpired driver’s license and a social security card. 

Students can find job postings here. 
For questions, please contact studentjobs@samford.edu.

An Important Message from Samford One Stop

Hello new Bulldogs and Bulldog families. Welcome to the Samford family! We understand this is an exciting but also overwhelming time in the life of your student and family. You will be overloaded with information in the coming days and months. As a result, we want to give you a head start by providing you with some important financial information regarding your student’s account and aid. It’s a good idea to save this document for future reference. While some pieces of information may change from year to year, most will remain the same.

The following information will help you navigate the sometimes-complicated aspects of student accounts, financial aid, and all other matters related to the business of being a Samford student. 

Resource Guide

The Samford One Stop prepares the hearts and minds of Samford students to be fiscally responsible global citizens and is here to help you navigate all the related financial applications, options, systems, processes, etc. Our advisors will assist you with issues related to the distribution of your parking permit and Samford ID, student account, payments, including 529 payments, and payment plans, financial aid, Veteran’s benefits, other aid resources, refunds, tuition insurance, and more. We are located on the ground floor in Ingalls Hall, just below the Office of Admission.

Location: Ingalls Hall – Ground Floor
Hours: M-F 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Phone: 205-726-2905
Email: onestop@samford.edu
Samford Portal: connect.samford.edu
Web: samford.edu/go/onestop
Social Media: @SamfordOneStop

Interest-free Payment Plans

As an alternative to borrowing, Samford provides interest-free payment plan options for all eligible students enrolled in fall, spring and summer terms. If you do not enroll in a payment plan during the enrollment period, your fall term balance will be due in full on September 3. Enrollment for Fall 2024 Payment Plans opens July 15. Learn more about payment plans, student accounts, financial aid, and all other matters related to the business of being a Samford student in the One Stop Resource Guide.