Public · University

University of South Alabama

Mobile, Alabama · Midsize city

71.0%
Admit rate
$17,648
Avg net price
53%
Graduation rate
$49,379
Median earnings

University of South Alabama is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Mobile, Alabama (midsize city setting), enrolling 8,879 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 8,879 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 71% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Sun Belt ConferenceNear the coast

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
71.0%
SAT (mid 50%)
970–1190
Avg GPA
3.73

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

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

About Mobile, Alabama

Mobile is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The Mobile tribe became allies with the French colonists and suggested the location for the original town of Mobile and a river fort. Unlike other Alabama cities, Mobile's French and Spanish colonial history has given it a culture distinguished by French, Spanish, Creole, African, and Catholic heritage, in addition to later British and American influences. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
8 miles to Mobile, AL
To the ocean
8 miles
Nearest airport
4 miles to Mobile (MOB)

How University of South Alabama compares

Selectivity71.0%

More selective than 62% · #11 most selective of 24 in Alabama

SAT average1147

Higher than 44%

Graduation rate53%

Higher than 46% · #13 of 29 in Alabama

First-year retention76%

Higher than 49%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$49,379

Higher than 37% · #12 of 30 in Alabama

Average net price$17,648

Cheaper than 61% · #12 cheapest of 27 in Alabama

Median debt at graduation$24,929

Lower than 39%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 14%

Undergraduate enrollment8,879

Larger than 87%

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

University of South Alabama campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

13,641students
  • Undergraduate8,87965%
  • Graduate4,76235%

Undergraduates by gender

8,879undergrads
  • Women5,53162%
  • Men3,34838%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White60%
  • Black23%
  • Hispanic5.7%
  • Asian3.8%
  • Other or multiracial7.9%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
8,879
Graduate enrollment
4,762
Student–faculty ratio
19 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
38%
First-generation students
33%
Students over 25
12%
Median family income
$36,199
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$69,849
Endowment
$710,294,000

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 1,920 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Alabama73%
  • Other U.S. states26%
  • International1.0%

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

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
71.0%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
970–1190
SAT average
1147
SAT reading
500–610
SAT math
470–580
ACT composite
20–26
Average GPA
3.73

Cost

In-state tuition
$10,116
Out-of-state tuition
$19,092
Room & board
$11,366
Books & supplies
$864
Total cost of attendance
$25,476
Average net price
$17,648

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)
53%
Graduated on time (4 years)
37%
First-year retention
76%
Transferred to another college
26%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$41,307
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$49,379
Median debt at graduation
$24,929
Students with federal loans
47%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
42%

About 16% 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
37%
Low-income (Pell)
39%
First-generation
40%

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
3,405
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
38%
Housing charge (year)
$4,480
Meal plan (year)
$4,350
Application fee
$35
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Sun Belt Conference
Varsity athletes
503 (304 men · 199 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 (11)

Football122
Track and Field (Indoor)93
Track and Field (Outdoor)92
Baseball40
Basketball29
Soccer26
Softball26
Cross Country24
Golf20
Volleyball19
Tennis12

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
33
Property offenses (2022–2024)
41

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (14,003 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.

25reported offenses a year
11 violent a year14 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
7.7
Aggravated assault
4.3
Rape
3.7
Motor vehicle theft
3.7
Arson
2.3
Fondling
2.0
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
$12,657
$30–48k
$13,265
$48–75k
$16,277
$75–110k
$23,252
$110k+
$25,322

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
$72,506

$16,277/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.

90%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,778
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 90% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,778. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

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 1,599 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)
$49,379
Typical debt at graduation
$24,929
Debt vs. one year's pay
50%
Out-earn a HS grad
56%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.0 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
$44,766
Men
$56,616

Men out-earn women by $11,850 (26%) 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
41°F
Annual rain
67.1″
Annual snow
0.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.97.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Mobile, AL US station (3.8 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 South Alabama

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

Colleges near University of South Alabama

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.