The University of Alabama

Admission to The University of Alabama is relatively accessible, even as its institutional standing has shifted downward over the past decade. In the 2027 U.S. News rankings, the university placed 156th among national universities, down from 110th in 2018. For the 2025 admissions cycle, the school recorded an overall acceptance rate of 76.6%, which is higher than 37% of peer schools in a comparison group of similarly ranked public research universities. This generous acceptance level means that a substantial majority of applicants secure admission each year. However, drawing admitted applicants remains a notable challenge. In 2025, the university registered an enrollment yield rate of 18.5%, indicating that fewer than one in five accepted students chose to matriculate. This comparatively modest yield demonstrates that admitted students frequently weigh Alabama alongside numerous competing collegiate alternatives before making a final enrollment commitment.

Admission to The University of Alabama is accessible for students with solid academic records, though competitive applicants generally present above-average standardized testing and strong high school coursework. In 2025, the university's median SAT score reached 1270, which is higher than 73 percent of peer schools in its comparison group of similarly ranked public universities. Among students submitting ACT results, the middle range of composite scores fell between 24 and 31. High school grades remain an essential component of the evaluation process, with a substantial portion of admitted freshmen achieving top marks. For international students navigating the process, applicant cases collected by Forward Pathway—which represent unofficial tracking data rather than institutional figures—indicate that accepted applicants presented a median unweighted GPA of 3.6. Prospective students preparing an application should aim for academic results within or above these mid-range scores to place themselves in a favorable position for admission.

Academic offerings at The University of Alabama center heavily on professional disciplines, with student enrollment moderately concentrated across several key programs. In 2025, the university conferred 6,882 bachelor's degrees, with the top three majors accounting for 21.2% of all graduating seniors. The largest undergraduate fields are finance, marketing, and registered nursing. Notably, some of these popular choices also align with the university's strongest academic reputations; for example, the undergraduate nursing program achieved a rank of 19th nationally in the 2027 U.S. News rankings, while the undergraduate business school ranked 50th. In contrast, international representation remains under one percent across each of the largest undergraduate majors. Graduate programs also show distinction, particularly in library science and social work. For employment outcomes, earnings data from 2023 show strong financial returns for technical fields, led by computer and information sciences with median first-year earnings of $84,817, followed closely by several engineering disciplines.

The University of Alabama enrolled 40,846 students in 2025, maintaining a predominantly domestic student body where female students form a consistent majority across all academic divisions. Undergraduates make up the overwhelming share of the student body, where White students constitute roughly seven out of ten learners. Asian and international representations remain modest throughout undergraduate cohorts. Among the first-year undergraduate class, Asian students accounted for 121 individuals, while international undergraduates numbered less than one percent of the group. Continuing undergraduates display similarly low shares for both groups. In contrast, international presence increases noticeably at the graduate level, where 866 international students comprise 13.4% of graduate enrollment. Asian graduate students make up a small share of the division. For prospective applicants, the demographic profile highlights a community centered predominantly on domestic students, with global representation concentrated primarily within graduate classrooms.

The undergraduate student body at The University of Alabama consists almost entirely of traditional college-age students, shaping a collegiate environment focused on early-adulthood campus life. In 2025, undergraduates aged 18 to 19 accounted for 42.9% of the bachelor's degree population, while students aged 20 to 21 represented another 38.3%. Only a small fraction of undergraduates are older, indicating that undergraduate campus activities and residential settings predominantly center on students progressing directly from secondary school. In contrast, the graduate division draws an older and more distributed cohort. Learners aged 22 to 24 make up 28.1% of graduate enrollment, followed closely by students in their mid-to-late twenties and thirties. This demographic structure reflects distinct student communities, separating traditional undergraduate campus life from post-baccalaureate academic study.

International enrollment at The University of Alabama follows sharply diverging paths at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The undergraduate international share has decreased over time, falling to 1% in 2025. Compared to a peer group of similarly ranked public research universities, this undergraduate international proportion is higher than only 7% of peer schools. In degree completions, international students accounted for less than one percent of bachelor's degree recipients in 2025, with minimal presence in major fields like finance, marketing, and nursing. In contrast, the graduate division has seen steady international expansion, with international scholars reaching 13.4% of graduate enrollment in 2025. Among 2025 degree earners, international representation was far more visible at advanced levels, culminating in 18.9% of doctoral recipients. Master's programs showing international participation included human nutrition and hospitality administration. For prospective international students, these patterns indicate an undergraduate setting with limited global representation alongside a more internationally integrated graduate community.

Prospective applicants considering The University of Alabama have several regional alternatives within reasonable driving distance across Alabama and Mississippi. Located approximately 47.6 kilometers away in the state's largest metropolitan center, the University of Alabama at Birmingham is a national university ranked 137th in the 2027 U.S. News rankings. Also situated in the Birmingham area, Samford University is a private national university ranked 191st, located 46.9 kilometers from Tuscaloosa. Toward eastern Alabama, Auburn University sits 126.6 kilometers away and holds a rank of 100th among national universities. Across state lines, Mississippi State University provides another large public option 73.8 kilometers away, carrying a 2027 national university rank of 208th. Together, these institutions give families practical comparison points for public and private degree programs located within two hours of Tuscaloosa.

Campus safety indicators at The University of Alabama demonstrate an overall downward trend in incident reports over the past decade. The campus crime rate per 1,000 students decreased from 14.1 in 2016 to 9.1 in 2025. Disciplinary referrals related to substance use make up the vast majority of all recorded campus incidents. Across the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, the university documented 2,776 alcohol disciplinary referrals and 250 drug disciplinary referrals, alongside a smaller number of drug-related arrests. Reported property and interpersonal offenses occurred with much lower frequency during that timeframe, including modest numbers of burglaries, sexual offenses, and dating violence incidents. For students considering life on campus, these figures indicate that the majority of security activity stems from the enforcement of university alcohol and substance policies rather than major personal or property crimes.