What You'll Actually Pay
Price after grants
$19,169 to $26,729 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: $33,382 a year in-state. Average need-based aid package: $18,351.Aid and debt
33.6%
receive need-based grants
$39,767
average debt at graduation
12,246
students got merit aid
about 34% of undergraduates
$17,494
average merit award
Getting In
Key dates
Test scores
SAT, middle 50% of those who submitted: 1100–1360 · 19% of the class submitted
ACT, middle 50% of those who submitted: 22–31 · 53% of the class submitted
23% were in the top 10% of their high school class.
What they value
- Very important
- Course rigor (AP/IB)
- GPA
- SAT/ACT scores
- Important
- Extracurriculars
- Volunteer work
- Considered
- Class rank
- Personal essay
- Recommendations
- Special talent
- Character
- First-gen status
- Legacy status
- Where you're from
- In-state residency
- Work experience
- Not considered
- Demonstrated interest
What this means for you
Alabama rates course rigor as Very Important, and your activities as Important.
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Rigor means AP, IB, and dual enrollment carry real weight — make sure your mix of AP or IB courses is strong. Depth and leadership in a few activities matter more than a long list.
Alabama 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)
Alabama just showed you what it values in an application. Use that to write a Why-Alabama essay that's actually about you — not a template.
Get sourced starting points for your essayStudent Life
40.1% of Alabama classes have fewer than 20 students.
40.1%
under 20 students
39.8%
20 to 49
20.1%
50 or more
Every class section counts, labs and seminars included; first-year courses tend to be larger. Alabama CDS 2025–26, I-3.
19:1
student:faculty ratio
Campus life
26.4%
live on campus
30.1%
of men in fraternities
44.1%
of women in sororities
Who attends
- White68.9%
- Black12.9%
- Hispanic7.8%
- Multiracial3.8%
- Unknown / other3.5%
- Asian1.5%
Enrolled undergraduates; international students are counted separately and not included. Alabama CDS 2025–26, B2.
Popular majors
Will They Graduate?
58.1% of Alabama students graduate in 4 years.
58.1%
finish in 4 years
Entered fall 2019
73.7%
finish in 6 years
Entered fall 2019
88%
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
58.4% finish in 6 years, against 73.7% of all students.
A 15.3-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 Tuscaloosa.
Tuscaloosa is a true college town — the university is the center of gravity, and on football Saturdays the population roughly doubles.
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Cost of living is low, the campus is beautiful, and there's an easy, built-in social life if you want one. It suits students who want campus to be the center of their world; if you're picturing a big-city college experience, Birmingham is an hour away and worth factoring in.
The City
College town
Tuscaloosa, AL
Best For
Notable alumni
Notable Alumni
Harper Lee
Wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, which won the Pulitzer Prize and remains one of the most widely taught American novels.
E. O. Wilson
Biologist who founded the field of sociobiology and won two Pulitzer Prizes for his writing on evolution and ecology.
Marillyn Hewson
Led Lockheed Martin as CEO from 2013 to 2020 and was repeatedly ranked among the most powerful women in business.
Jimmy Wales
Co-founded Wikipedia, now one of the most visited websites in the world and run as a nonprofit.
Ozzie Newsome
Hall of Fame tight end who became the NFL's first Black general manager and built two Super Bowl-winning Ravens teams.
Sela Ward
Two-time Emmy-winning actor known for Sisters, Once and Again, and FBI, and a former Alabama homecoming queen.
Alumni selected for name recognition and range of fields. Not from the Common Data Set.
Traditions
Traditions
The Walk of Champions
Two hours before every home game, the football team walks through the crowd along the plaza at the north end of Bryant-Denny Stadium. Thousands of fans line the path, and the plaza is ringed with statues of every national-championship-winning head coach.
Rammer Jammer
After a home win, the student section sings the Rammer Jammer cheer, calling out the losing team by name. It's traditionally saved for the very end, once the outcome is settled.
The Elephant Stomp
The Million Dollar Band performs a pregame concert on the steps of Gorgas Library, and students pack the Quad to hear it before heading into the stadium. It doubles as the meeting point for the tailgates that cover the Quad all morning.
Weekend escapes from Tuscaloosa
Weekend Escapes
Within driving distance from Tuscaloosa
Birmingham
1 hourAlabama's biggest city, with a nationally recognized restaurant scene and the Civil Rights Institute in the historic Fourth Avenue district.
Nashville
3.5 hoursLive music seven nights a week on Broadway, plus the Country Music Hall of Fame — the standard long-weekend road trip.
Gulf Shores
4.5 hoursWhite-sand Gulf beaches that become the default destination for spring break and warm-weather weekends.
Getting there and game days
Getting There & Game Days
Nearest airport
Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International (BHM)
1 hour from campus
For international flights: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) — about 3 hours by car, or a short connecting flight.
Pro sports nearby
- Birmingham Barons MiLBAbout 1 hour away
- Birmingham Stallions UFLAbout 1 hour away
- Atlanta Braves MLBAbout 3.5 hours away
Internships and jobs nearby
Career Proximity
Tuscaloosa has a major auto plant in its own backyard, and Birmingham's healthcare, banking, and insurance employers are an hour up the interstate.
Top Industries Nearby
Major Employers
- Mercedes-Benz U.S. International
- UAB Health System
- Regions Financial
- Protective Life
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama
Birmingham — about 1 hour from campus
Who thrives here
Who Thrives Here
Alabama draws strong out-of-state students with an unusually aggressive merit program — over 12,000 students receive awards averaging $17,500 — inside a big SEC campus culture where about a third of men and 44% of women join Greek life. Be honest with yourself about the trade-off: 58% graduate in four years, and average debt at graduation is $39,800.