Public · University

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama · Midsize city

88.2%
Admit rate
$18,749
Avg net price
64%
Graduation rate
$54,501
Median earnings

University of Alabama at Birmingham is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Birmingham, Alabama (midsize city setting), enrolling 11,635 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 11,635 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 88% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · American Athletic Conference

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against University of Alabama at Birmingham's admitted students.

Admit rate
88.2%
SAT (mid 50%)
1210–1450
Avg GPA (est.)
3.53

Enter a test score to see where you land against University of Alabama at Birmingham's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and University of Alabama at Birmingham's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. The Birmingham area was historically part of the territory of the Muscogee Confederacy. Birmingham is the cultural and entertainment capital of Alabama with numerous art galleries in the area including the Birmingham Museum of Art, the largest art museum in the Southeast. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
1 mile to Birmingham, AL
To the ocean
201 miles
Nearest airport
5 miles to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth (BHM) · major hub

How University of Alabama at Birmingham compares

Selectivity88.2%

More selective than 28% · #20 most selective of 24 in Alabama

SAT average1258

Higher than 72%

Graduation rate64%

Higher than 67% · #7 of 29 in Alabama

First-year retention80%

Higher than 63%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$54,501

Higher than 52% · #7 of 30 in Alabama

Average net price$18,749

Cheaper than 56% · #14 cheapest of 27 in Alabama

Median debt at graduation$22,300

Lower than 57%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 18%

Undergraduate enrollment11,635

Larger than 90%

Percentiles compare University of Alabama at Birmingham with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Alabama.

University of Alabama at Birmingham campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

20,581students
  • Undergraduate11,63557%
  • Graduate8,94643%

Undergraduates by gender

11,635undergrads
  • Women7,43664%
  • Men4,19936%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White47%
  • Black27%
  • Hispanic8.6%
  • Asian9.4%
  • Other or multiracial8.4%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
11,635
Graduate enrollment
8,946
Student–faculty ratio
18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
34%
First-generation students
34%
Students over 25
17%
Median family income
$34,489
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$113,508
Endowment
$858,989,211

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 2,095 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Alabama82%
  • Other U.S. states16%
  • International1.8%

Most first-years stay in state — University of Alabama at Birmingham draws overwhelmingly from Alabama.

2% 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
88.2%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1210–1450
SAT average
1258
SAT reading
600–710
SAT math
610–740
ACT composite
23–30
Average GPA (estimated)
3.53

Cost

In-state tuition
$9,098
Out-of-state tuition
$22,562
Room & board
$14,170
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$28,145
Average net price
$18,749

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)
64%
Graduated on time (4 years)
44%
First-year retention
80%
Transferred to another college
19%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$46,572
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$54,501
Median debt at graduation
$22,300
Students with federal loans
40%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
45%

About 21% 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)

All students
44%
Low-income (Pell)
45%
First-generation
43%

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
3,480
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
30%
Housing charge (year)
$8,550
Meal plan (year)
$6,030
Application fee
$40
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
American Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
470 (228 men · 242 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)

Football120
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)94
Soccer62
Baseball45
Basketball31
Softball27
Golf20
Beach Volleyball20
Volleyball18
Tennis15
Bowling12
Rifle6

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
4.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
115
Property offenses (2022–2024)
176

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (20,905 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.

97reported offenses a year
38 violent a year59 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
37
Burglary
20
Fondling
19
Aggravated assault
12
Rape
6.0
Arson
1.3
Robbery
1.0

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.

< $30k
$16,172
$30–48k
$15,500
$48–75k
$19,161
$75–110k
$21,805
$110k+
$22,597

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.

Est. total to a degree
$85,898

$19,161/year × about 4.5 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.

88%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$9,230
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 88% — get grant money from University of Alabama at Birmingham itself, averaging $9,230, 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 2,172 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)
$54,501
Typical debt at graduation
$22,300
Debt vs. one year's pay
41%
Out-earn a HS grad
63%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.1 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

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.

Women
$50,753
Men
$61,246

Men out-earn women by $10,493 (21%) 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
91°F
Winter low
35°F
Annual rain
56.6″
Annual snow
1.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Birmingham AP, AL US station (5.2 mi from campus).

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 University of Alabama at Birmingham

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of Alabama at Birmingham side by side →

Colleges near University of Alabama at Birmingham

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.