At a Glance
UAB admits 94.2% of applicants.
What You'll Actually Pay
See what families at different income levels actually pay after aid.
What families actually pay, by income level
After grants and scholarships. Before loans. Public school prices shown at in-state rates.
Source: College Scorecard / IPEDS, 2024-25
Where the Sticker Price Goes
Based on average need-based grant. Actual cost varies by family income — see chart above.
Shown at in-state rates.
Debt at Graduation
41.4%
receive need-based grant aid
$25,957
average debt at graduation
UAB graduates carry an average of $25,957 in debt.
Merit Aid
3,003
students received merit aid
$9,741
average merit award
Getting In
UAB admits 94.2% of applicants.
SAT — Middle 50% of those who submitted · 5% of the class submitted
ACT — Middle 50% of those who submitted · 47% of the class submitted
19% were in the top 10% of their high school class.
What They Value
Academic
Nonacademic
University of Alabama at Birmingham gives essays less weight than many schools — academics drive most admissions decisions here. Demonstrated interest is Not Considered here — campus visits and emails to admissions won't affect your odds.
Student Life
47.7% of UAB classes have fewer than 20 students.
Share of undergraduate class sections at each size, from CDS Section I-3. More red = more large lectures.
At UAB, 47.7% of your classes will have fewer than 20 students.
Class size data reflects all undergraduate sections including labs, seminars, and lectures. Large research universities often have smaller upper-division and graduate-level sections that improve the overall distribution. First and second-year students typically experience larger classes than these averages suggest.
Source: Common Data Set 2025–26, Section I-3 (class sizes)
18:1
student:faculty ratio
Campus Life
From out of state (freshman class)
16.7%
Live on campus
28%
Who Attends
Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduates, as reported in each school's Common Data Set. "Unknown / Other" includes students who did not report or selected "other."
UAB's student body is 44.2% white.
Popular Majors
Will They Graduate?
UAB graduates 48.7% of students in 4 years.
Graduating late means paying for extra semesters. The 6-year rate tells you who eventually finishes — the 4-year rate tells you what it actually costs.
UAB graduates 48.7% of students in 4 years.
What finishing late actually costs
Based on each school's published cost of attendance. Public school costs shown at in-state rates.
UAB
48.7%
4-yr grad rate
Extra year cost: $28,145*
* In-state cost of attendance. Out-of-state students pay significantly more.
Graduation rate data from Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2018 cohort (most recent available). 4-year rate = students completing in 4 years or less. 6-year rate = students completing within 6 years.
66%
Overall 6-yr rate
55%
Pell recipient rate
An 11 point graduation gap between lower-income and overall students suggests financial or academic challenges for some students.
Freshman Retention
80.1%
80.1% of first-year students return for sophomore year.
City & Culture
Beyond the data — what it's actually like to spend four years in Birmingham.
Birmingham shifted decades ago from a steel-industry economy to one built on medicine, finance, and technology, and UAB is embedded directly in downtown/Southside Birmingham rather than sitting apart as a separate campus town. UAB itself is Alabama's single largest employer, with roughly 28,000 employees and a multibillion-dollar annual economic impact — the university and the city's medical center are effectively the same institution.
Notable Alumni
Vonetta Flowers
Became the first Black athlete to win a Winter Olympic gold medal, in bobsled at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games; was a four-year team captain on UAB's track and field team.
Roddy White
NFL wide receiver drafted in 2005; became the Atlanta Falcons' all-time leading receiver and a four-time Pro Bowl selection.
Class of 2005
Charles E. Samuels Jr.
Earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice at UAB in 1987 and became the 8th Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons — the first African American to hold the post.
Class of 1987
William A. Bell Sr.
Earned a master's degree in psychology and guidance counseling at UAB and served as the 33rd Mayor of Birmingham from 2010 to 2017.
Alumni selected for name recognition and range of fields. Not from the Common Data Set.
The City
Mid-size city
Birmingham, AL
Best For
Traditions
Blaze the Dragon
UAB's mascot, representing the Blazers, who compete in Conference USA.
Weekend Escapes
Within driving distance from Birmingham
Atlanta, GA
About 2.5 hoursThe nearest major metro, with professional sports and a large airport hub.
Gulf Shores, AL
About 3-3.5 hoursAlabama's Gulf Coast beaches, straight down I-65.
Nashville, TN
About 3 hoursMusic City, a straightforward drive north.
Getting There & Game Days
Nearest airport
Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM)
About 15 minutes from campus
For international flights: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) — about 2.5 hours by car.
Pro sports nearby
- Birmingham Legion FC USL ChampionshipAbout 10 minutes away
- Birmingham Squadron NBA G LeagueAbout 10 minutes away
Career Proximity
UAB Medicine and UAB Hospital form Alabama's largest employer and one of the country's leading academic medical centers, sitting on the same campus as undergraduate classrooms.
Top Industries Nearby
Major Employers
- UAB Medicine / UAB Hospital
- Innovation Depot (UAB-affiliated biotech and tech incubator)
- Regions Financial
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama
Downtown Birmingham, immediately adjacent to campus
Who Thrives Here
UAB admits 94.2% of applicants and is test-optional, with enrolled first-years who submitted scoring 1250-1420 on the SAT. In-state tuition and fees run $12,470 against $30,320 for everyone else, and 82.3% of the entering class comes from Alabama. The 12,100-undergraduate student body is genuinely diverse — 44.2% white, 28.8% Black, 9.3% Asian and 8.9% Hispanic. What sets UAB apart is that it isn't adjacent to a hospital system, it is one: UAB Medicine is Alabama's largest employer and one of the country's leading academic medical centers, sitting on the same campus as the undergraduate classrooms, which shapes the school's health-sciences and biomedical-research identity. Campus life is more residential than most large urban publics: 28.0% of undergraduates live on campus. The trade-offs are the ones that come with scale and access. Teaching runs at 18 students per faculty member and 47.7% of class sections have fewer than 20 students. Only 48.7% graduate in four years and 66.0% within six, aid covers 46.2% of demonstrated need, and graduates who borrow leave owing $25,957.