Public · University
The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama · Midsize city
- 76.6%
- Admit rate
- $22,420
- Avg net price
- 73%
- Graduation rate
- $59,221
- Median earnings
The University of Alabama is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Tuscaloosa, Alabama (midsize city setting), enrolling 33,227 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against The University of Alabama's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 76.6%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1170–1400
- Avg GPA
- 3.86
Enter a test score to see where you land against The University of Alabama's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and The University of Alabama's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Reportedly the name Tuscaloosa is a compound Choctaw Indian word; "tusko" meaning "warrior" and "loosa" meaning "black". The Black Warrior River flows through the north portion of the city. The Tuscaloosa Public Library is a joint city-county agency with nearly 200,000 items and approximately 47,000 registered patrons (28% of the county's population). (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 47 miles to Birmingham, AL
- To the ocean
- 173 miles
- Nearest airport
- 52 miles to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth (BHM) · major hub
How The University of Alabama compares
More selective than 51% · #14 most selective of 24 in Alabama
Higher than 77%
Higher than 83% · #4 of 29 in Alabama
Higher than 85%
Higher than 66% · #4 of 30 in Alabama
Cheaper than 38% · #20 cheapest of 27 in Alabama
Lower than 55%
Lower than 14%
Larger than 98%
Percentiles compare The University of Alabama with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Alabama.
The University of Alabama campus
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate33,22784%
- Graduate6,45716%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women20,44562%
- Men12,78238%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White71%
- Black11%
- Hispanic7.5%
- Asian1.5%
- Other or multiracial8.5%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 33,227
- Graduate enrollment
- 6,457
- Student–faculty ratio
- 19 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 18%
- First-generation students
- 23%
- Students over 25
- 6%
- Median family income
- $66,734
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $102,771
- Endowment
- $1,565,891,763
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 8,279 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Alabama36%
- Other U.S. states64%
- International0.6%
A national draw — only 36% of first-years come from Alabama; 64% arrive from other states.
1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 76.6%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1170–1400
- SAT average
- 1285
- SAT reading
- 590–690
- SAT math
- 580–710
- ACT composite
- 24–31
- Average GPA
- 3.86
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $12,180
- Out-of-state tuition
- $34,172
- Room & board
- $15,016
- Books & supplies
- $700
- Total cost of attendance
- $33,382
- Average net price
- $22,420
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 73%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 57%
- First-year retention
- 89%
- Transferred to another college
- 17%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $52,233
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $59,221
- Median debt at graduation
- $22,750
- Students with federal loans
- 32%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 55%
About 17% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 9,294
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 28%
- Housing charge (year)
- $6,250
- Meal plan (year)
- $4,616
- Application fee
- $40
- Athletics
- NCAA Division I-FBS
- Football conference
- Southeastern Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 828 (404 men · 424 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (12)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 2.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 143
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 99
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (40,846 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$22,258/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
A meaningful share of freshmen — 66% — get grant money from The University of Alabama itself, averaging $16,096, which softens the sticker price.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 7,981 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $59,221
- Typical debt at graduation
- $22,750
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 38%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 68%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $14,623 (27%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 92°F
- Winter low
- 35°F
- Annual rain
- 57.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Northport 2 S, AL US station (2.6 mi from campus).
What The University of Alabama graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to The University of Alabama
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare The University of Alabama side by side →
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
Baton Rouge, Louisiana · Midsize city · 3 mi to Baton Rouge
- Students
- 30,594
- Admission
- 73%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1285
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $61k
Oregon State University
Corvallis, Oregon · Small city · 37 mi to Eugene
- Students
- 30,743
- Admission
- 77%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1290
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $64k
University of Missouri-Columbia
Columbia, Missouri · Midsize city · 1 mi to Columbia
- Students
- 23,929
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1247
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $63k
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Cincinnati, Ohio · Large city · 2 mi to Cincinnati
- Students
- 29,882
- Admission
- 85%
- Net price
- $26k
- SAT
- 1282
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $55k
Indiana University-Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana · Small city · 46 mi to Indianapolis
- Students
- 37,806
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1313
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $64k
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon · Midsize city · 1 mi to Eugene
- Students
- 20,497
- Admission
- 88%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1272
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $61k
Colleges near The University of Alabama
University Academy of Hair Design
Tuscaloosa, AL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 38 students
Stillman College
Tuscaloosa, AL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 706 students
Shelton State Community College
Tuscaloosa, AL · Public · Certificate · 3,148 students
Brown Beauty Barber School
Bessemer, AL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 54 students
University of Montevallo
Montevallo, AL · Public · Bachelor's · 2,151 students
Midfield Institute of Cosmetology
Midfield, AL · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 9 students
Miles College
Fairfield, AL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,155 students
Lawson State Community College
Birmingham, AL · Public · Associate · 2,900 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.












