10-yr median earnings
$49,379
Federal aid recipients only
Public · Mobile, Alabama
University of South Alabama
University of South Alabama is a public institution in Mobile, Alabama. as a public institution, published Scorecard outcomes are the federal Title-IV cohort view of former students — not every graduate and not a guarantee for any one enrollee.
- $17,648
- Avg net price / yr
- $49,379
- 10-yr median earnings
- 52.6%
- 150%-time completion
- 71.0%
- Acceptance rate
The verdict
University of South Alabama pairs above-median former-student earnings with a moderately open admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 30%
- former-student earnings, US
- 71.0%
- acceptance rate
- 52.6%
- 150%-time completion
- +20%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Midsize
Carnegie: R2
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this University of South Alabama profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
D
College Value Score
48/100
University of South Alabama
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings B-
$49,379
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price D
$17,648
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate D
52.6%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$24,929
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment C
63.2%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention D
75.7%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$17,648
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
52.6%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 52.6%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - University of South Alabama vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How University of South Alabama ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
University of South Alabama: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$49,379 Top 30% higher than 70% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | University of South Alabama | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $49,379 | #1524 of 5103 | 70th |
| Average net price | $17,648 | #2609 of 5020 | 48th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 52.6% | #2772 of 4858 | 43rd |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 8,879 | #404 of 5462 | 93rd |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
8,879
Undergraduate enrollment
71.0%
Acceptance rate
1,147
SAT average
52.6%
150%-time completion
$49,379
10-yr median earnings
75.7%
First-year retention
How University of South Alabama ranks in Alabama
State rank among 69 reporting Alabama colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | University of South Alabama | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $49,379 | #15 of 69 | 78th |
| Average net price | $17,648 | #40 of 65 | 38th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 52.6% | #20 of 65 | 69th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 8,879 | #6 of 73 | 92nd |
Highest former-student earnings in Alabama
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jersey College - Dothan | $66,087 | - |
| 2 | Auburn University | $65,337 | $24,323 |
| 3 | Columbia Southern University | $63,534 | $14,580 |
| 4 | University of Alabama in Huntsville | $61,767 | $18,796 |
| 5 | Marion Military Institute | $59,644 | $8,627 |
| 6 | The University of Alabama | $59,221 | $22,420 |
| 7 | Samford University | $58,469 | $32,622 |
| 8 | United States Sports University | $55,257 | $24,076 |
| 9 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | $54,501 | $18,749 |
| 10 | Cardiac and Vascular Institute of Ultrasound | $52,669 | - |
| 11 | Spring Hill College | $51,500 | $20,449 |
| 12 | Athens State University | $50,273 | - |
| 15 | University of South AlabamaThis school | $49,379 | $17,648 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 71.0% |
| SAT Average | 1,147 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 470 – 580 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 500 – 610 |
| ACT Average | 23 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 20 – 26 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at University of South Alabama
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$12,657 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$13,265 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$16,277 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$25,322 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at University of South Alabama - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $10,116 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $19,092 |
| Average Net Price | $17,648 |
38.0%
Pell Grant Rate
47.3%
Federal Loan Rate
$24,929
Median Debt
$264/mo
Monthly Payment
2013–2023: what University of South Alabama costs has stayed close to flat
Average net price moved +16.2% over 10 years, from $13,027 to $15,142 in nominal dollars. The median college measured over the same span moved +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $13,0272023 · $15,142
Over the same years, enrollment went -22.7% (11,048 → 8,540 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
62.3%
Female
33.4%
First Generation
Outcomes
75.7%
Retention Rate
$41,307
Median Earnings (6yr)
62.3%
Earning Over $25K
63.2%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 52.6% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 75.7% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $41,307 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $49,379 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 62.3% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 63.2% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $24,929 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $264/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 36 | 1,833 | $58,152 | $100,166 | $24,805 |
| Master's | 15 | 1,109 | $73,932 | $124,566 | $55,037 |
| Doctoral | 5 | 7 | $105,870 | $137,559 | $101,120 |
| Graduate Certificate | 1 | 123 | - | - | - |
Top programs at University of South Alabama by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$137,559 median earnings
- Allied Health Diagnostic, …
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions
$124,566 median earnings
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$122,851 median earnings
- Medicine
Medicine
$114,506 median earnings
- Educational Administration…
Educational Administration and Supervision
$101,194 median earnings
- Electrical, Electronics, a…
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
$100,166 median earnings
- Communication Disorders Sc…
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
$94,463 median earnings
- Chemical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
$93,943 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Matches use Scorecard measures among reporting colleges — not state-system recommendations or geographic proximity.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Public institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Public institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at University of South Alabama? ▼
University of South Alabama is a public institution in Mobile, Alabama. The acceptance rate is 71.0%. The average SAT score is 1,147. Undergraduate enrollment is 8,879 students.
How much do University of South Alabama former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at University of South Alabama who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $49,379 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $41,307.
How much does University of South Alabama cost? ▼
The average net price at University of South Alabama is $17,648. In-state tuition is $10,116 and out-of-state tuition is $19,092. Median student debt at graduation is $24,929.
What is the graduation rate at University of South Alabama? ▼
University of South Alabama has a 52.6% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 75.7%.
Is University of South Alabama worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at University of South Alabama is $24,929, while former students earn a median of $49,379 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 50% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 63.2% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $264.
Sources & methodology
Public-college profiles lean on IPEDS enrollment and Scorecard Title-IV outcomes. State appropriations are outside this page; the figures below are the federal cohort measures only.
Every number is read live from the Mar–Jul 2026 Scorecard/IPEDS retrievals. Public institutions often enroll large Title-IV cohorts, so medians can be stable — still cohort averages, never a personal forecast. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from University of South Alabama
- Compare University of South Alabama against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Alabama side by side.Browse Alabama
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Public-college Scorecard figures are historical Title-IV cohort averages — confirm current tuition, aid, and admissions rules with the institution before deciding.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Public-institution profiles compile Scorecard Title-IV earnings, IPEDS enrollment/admissions, and Treasury linkage fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.