What You'll Actually Pay
Price after grants
$15,500 to $22,597 a year for in-state students, depending on income.
College Scorecard 2024 estimate · in-state rates
See the price at your income ↑Sticker price
Full cost before aid: $28,145 a year in-state. Average need-based aid package: $11,134.Aid and debt
41.4%
receive need-based grants
$25,957
average debt at graduation
3,003
students got merit aid
about 25% of undergraduates
$9,741
average merit award
Getting In
Key dates
Test scores
SAT, middle 50% of those who submitted: 1250–1420 · 5% of the class submitted
ACT, middle 50% of those who submitted: 23–30 · 47% of the class submitted
19% were in the top 10% of their high school class.
What they value
- Very important
- Course rigor (AP/IB)
- GPA
- Considered
- SAT/ACT scores
- Not considered
- Class rank
- Personal essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Special talent
- Character
- First-gen status
- Legacy status
- Where you're from
- In-state residency
- Volunteer work
- Work experience
- Demonstrated interest
What this means for you
UAB rates course rigor as Very Important.
MoreLess
Rigor means AP, IB, and dual enrollment carry real weight — make sure your mix of AP or IB courses is strong.
UAB doesn't consider demonstrated interest in admissions at all — visits and follow-up emails won't move the needle here.
Source: Common Data Set 2025–26, Section C7 (admissions factors)
UAB just showed you what it values in an application. Use that to write a Why-UAB essay that's actually about you — not a template.
Get sourced starting points for your essayStudent Life
47.7% of UAB classes have fewer than 20 students.
47.7%
under 20 students
39.2%
20 to 49
13.1%
50 or more
Every class section counts, labs and seminars included; first-year courses tend to be larger. UAB CDS 2025–26, I-3.
18:1
student:faculty ratio
Campus life
16.7%
first-years from out of state
28%
live on campus
Who attends
- White44.2%
- Black28.8%
- Asian9.3%
- Hispanic8.9%
- Multiracial5.3%
- Unknown / other0.7%
Enrolled undergraduates; international students are counted separately and not included. UAB CDS 2025–26, B2.
Popular majors
Will They Graduate?
48.7% of UAB students graduate in 4 years.
48.7%
finish in 4 years
Entered fall 2019
66%
finish in 6 years
Entered fall 2019
80.1%
return after first year
Finishing late means paying for extra semesters, so the 4-year rate is the one that shows the cost.
Students with Pell Grants
55% finish in 6 years, against 66% of all students.
An 11-point gap: Pell Grant students finish less often than students overall.
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.
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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.
The City
Mid-size city
Birmingham, AL
Best For
Notable alumni
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.
Traditions
Traditions
Blaze the Dragon
UAB's mascot, representing the Blazers, who compete in Conference USA.
Weekend escapes from Birmingham
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 and game days
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
Internships and jobs nearby
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
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 40.9% of demonstrated need, and graduates who borrow leave owing $25,957.