Public · University

University of West Alabama

Livingston, Alabama · Remote rural

#1 most selective in Alabama#2 best value in Alabama
42.6%
Admit rate
$12,684
Avg net price
35%
Graduation rate
$44,232
Median earnings

University of West Alabama is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Livingston, Alabama (remote rural setting), enrolling 2,974 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 2,974 undergradsRemote ruralSelective · 43% admitNCAA Division II with football · Gulf South Conference

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
42.6%
SAT (mid 50%)
860–1120
Avg GPA (est.)
3.02

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

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

About Livingston, Alabama

Livingston is a city in and the county seat of Sumter County, Alabama, United States and the home of the University of West Alabama. The federal government removed most of the Choctaw to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote rural
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
128 miles
Nearest airport
37 miles to Key Field / Meridian (MEI)

How University of West Alabama compares

Selectivity42.6%

More selective than 88% · #1 most selective of 24 in Alabama

SAT average1015

Higher than 9%

Graduation rate35%

Higher than 17% · #19 of 29 in Alabama

First-year retention65%

Higher than 20%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$44,232

Higher than 22% · #16 of 30 in Alabama

Average net price$12,684

Cheaper than 82% · #2 cheapest of 27 in Alabama

Median debt at graduation$24,944

Lower than 39%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 14%

Undergraduate enrollment2,974

Larger than 69%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

6,811students
  • Undergraduate2,97444%
  • Graduate3,83756%

Undergraduates by gender

2,974undergrads
  • Women1,65956%
  • Men1,31544%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White50%
  • Black39%
  • Hispanic2.6%
  • Other or multiracial8.6%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,974
Graduate enrollment
3,837
Student–faculty ratio
19 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
58%
First-generation students
40%
Students over 25
44%
Median family income
$25,552
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$72,009
Endowment
$420,514

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 315 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Alabama79%
  • Other U.S. states21%

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

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
42.6%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
860–1120
SAT average
1015
SAT reading
440–560
SAT math
420–560
ACT composite
16–21
Average GPA (estimated)
3.02

Cost

In-state tuition
$10,990
Out-of-state tuition
$20,090
Room & board
$8,230
Books & supplies
$1,206
Total cost of attendance
$22,758
Average net price
$12,684

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)
35%
Graduated on time (4 years)
14%
First-year retention
65%
Transferred to another college
34%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$37,106
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$44,232
Median debt at graduation
$24,944
Students with federal loans
66%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
32%

About 20% 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
14%
Low-income (Pell)
13%
First-generation
12%

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
920
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
31%
Housing charge (year)
$4,880
Meal plan (year)
$3,306
Application fee
$30
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Gulf South Conference
Varsity athletes
384 (254 men · 130 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 (9)

Football116
Soccer50
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)48
Baseball43
Rodeo38
Basketball30
Softball23
Tennis20
Volleyball16

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
6
Property offenses (2022–2024)
6

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (6,820 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.

4.0reported offenses a year
2.0 violent a year2.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
1.7
Rape
1.0
Aggravated assault
0.7
Fondling
0.3
Burglary
0.3

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
$12,179
$30–48k
$12,523
$48–75k
$14,606
$75–110k
$18,550
$110k+

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
$71,222

$14,606/year × about 4.9 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.

64%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,300
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 64% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,300. 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 300 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)
$44,232
Typical debt at graduation
$24,944
Debt vs. one year's pay
56%
Out-earn a HS grad
47%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.6 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
$41,082
Men
$49,867

Men out-earn women by $8,785 (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
92°F
Winter low
34°F
Annual rain
55″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Livingston, AL US station (0.5 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 West Alabama

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

Colleges near University of West 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.