The University of Alabama

Overview

Rankings

• #1 Best Business Colleges in Alabama
• #1 Best Communications Colleges in Alabama
• #4 Best Bachelor's Programs in Alabama
• #4 Best Master's Programs in Alabama
• #5 Best Colleges in Alabama
• #6 Best Online Colleges in Alabama
• #6 Best Psychology Colleges in Alabama
• #7 Best Biology Colleges in Alabama

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into The University of Alabama? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, The University of Alabama admits most of the students who apply; the acceptance rate is roughly 77%. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,285. The graduation rate is roughly 74%.

Acceptance Rate

77%

Retention Rate

89%

SAT Average

1285

ACT Midpoint

26

SAT Range

1170–1400

ACT Range

24–31

Full-Time Faculty

79%

Faculty Salary (mo)

$11,419

Student–Faculty Ratio

19:1

Diversity Index

0.48

First-Gen Students

23%

Applicants

54,072

Admitted

43,290

Inside the Admissions Office

School-reported Common Data Set · 2025-26

The acceptance rate tells you how hard The University of Alabama is to get into. Its Common Data Set tells you what happens once you are admitted: how many students say yes, how many arrived without test scores, and whether applying early tilts the odds. 18% of admitted students go on to enroll here, making it a school most admitted students ultimately pass on.

Yield Rate

18%

of admits enroll

Submitted SAT

19%

of enrolled freshmen

Submitted ACT

53%

of enrolled freshmen

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend The University of Alabama? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at The University of Alabama is $34,172, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $22,420. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $19,169 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $22,750 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition

$12,180

Out-of-State

$34,172

Avg Net Price

$22,420

Median Debt

$22,750

Pell Grant Rate

18%

Federal Loan Rate

32%

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at The University of Alabama — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Graduate Outcomes

Is The University of Alabama Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of The University of Alabama earn a median of $59,221, roughly in line with the national average for college graduates.

6 Years After Entry

$52,233

8 Years

$56,012

10 Years

$59,221

Debt-to-Earnings

0.38x

Earning > $25K

70%

Social Mobility

Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records

Does The University of Alabama Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

The University of Alabama is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.62%, well above the typical college. About 6.5% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 24.9% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $106,100, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate

1.62%

Bottom 20% → Top 20%

Success Rate

24.9%

If bottom 20% get in

From Bottom 20%

6.5%

Share of students

Parent Median Income

$144,153

today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is The University of Alabama? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at The University of Alabama. Its economic connectedness score is 1.37, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias sits near the middle of the range (0.11). Around 5% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness

1.37

Cross-class friendships

Friending Bias

0.11

Lower = more inclusive

Volunteering Rate

4.9%

Support Ratio

0.99

Community support

Innovation & Knowledge Creation

Patents, inventors, and research influence · Opportunity Insights & Times Higher Education

The University of Alabama produces inventors at a measurable rate, with 26 patents tied to its graduates.

Inventor Rate

0.18%

Top 79% nationally

Patents Produced

26

Linked to graduates

Patent Citations

47

Downstream influence

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Investment Income

$-286,146,166

Top Programs

The fields The University of Alabama awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

• Business & Marketing 30% $84,379 early-career
• Communications 10% $46,255 early-career
• Social Sciences 10% $49,387 early-career
• Health Professions 9% $67,084 early-career
• Engineering 8% $90,849 early-career
• Psychology 5% $31,393 early-career
• Biology & Biomedical 4% $28,834 early-career
• Education 2% $46,008 early-career

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.