Colleges in Alabama
This page aggregates every Title IV–eligible college and university with a primary campus in Alabama, drawing from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, IPEDS institutional reports, and de-identified IRS earnings linkage for federal-aid recipients. Coverage includes public flagships, regional comprehensives, community and technical colleges, private nonprofit institutions, and for-profit schools.
The state-aggregate statistics below include all reporting institutions in Alabama as a single denominator — community colleges, public universities, private nonprofits, and for-profit institutions are pooled. State averages are therefore useful for high-level framing (in-state tuition is X, average admission rate is Y, average earnings are Z) but should not be read as representative of any specific sector or institution. Drill into individual school profiles for the full picture: admissions, costs (sticker and net), federal-aid usage, completion, retention, demographics, and earnings outcomes 6 and 10 years after enrollment.
The most-recent Scorecard release is from September 2024. Tuition figures reflect institutional reports for the 2022–23 academic year and may differ from current-year prices. Earnings data has an inherent lag — the 10-year earnings horizon reflects students who enrolled approximately a decade prior to the data publication, as the IRS-matching process requires time to accumulate post-enrollment income.
Largest Colleges in Alabama by Enrollment
Highest Earnings 10-Year Median — Alabama
What the IPEDS Data Shows for Colleges in Alabama
Alabama has 81 Title IV-participating postsecondary institutions in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the federal directory that captures every college eligible to award federal student aid. The ownership mix is 41 public institutions, 0 private nonprofits, and 0 private for-profit schools — a structural split that drives most of the tuition variation visible in the table below. Public institutions typically report substantially lower in-state tuition because state appropriations subsidize the published price, while private nonprofits often show higher sticker prices that are partially offset by institutional aid.
Cost and selectivity signals vary widely even within a single state. The average in-state tuition across Alabama institutions is $10,862, and the average admission rate (weighted by institutions that report one) sits at 73.8%. Admission rates from IPEDS exclude open-enrollment institutions, which is why community colleges and many for-profits show as unreported rather than at 100 percent. Looking at the table, the acceptance-rate column is blank for schools that don’t screen applicants, a meaningful distinction when evaluating selectivity alongside earnings.
Post-graduation outcomes tie cost to return. Graduates of Alabama colleges earn a mean of $40,724 ten years after enrollment, based on U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal aid applicants through the College Scorecard data file. Because earnings depend heavily on field of study and local labor markets, state-level averages should be read alongside each school’s program mix. The table sorts every institution with reported IPEDS enrollment so prospective students can compare acceptance rates, enrollment scale, and median earnings side by side rather than relying on third-party rankings.
All Schools in Alabama
| School Name | City | Type | Enrollment | Acceptance Rate | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa | Public | 33,227 | 76.6% | $59,221 |
| Auburn University | Auburn | Public | 26,816 | 45.9% | $65,337 |
| Columbia Southern University | Orange Beach | Private For-Profit | 12,176 | — | $63,534 |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham | Public | 11,635 | 88.2% | $54,501 |
| Troy University | Troy | Public | 9,805 | 96.0% | $42,062 |
| University of South Alabama | Mobile | Public | 8,879 | 71.0% | $49,379 |
| John C Calhoun State Community College | Tanner | Public | 7,070 | — | $38,192 |
| Jacksonville State University | Jacksonville | Public | 7,036 | 77.7% | $45,235 |
| University of Alabama in Huntsville | Huntsville | Public | 6,591 | 68.6% | $61,767 |
| Alabama A & M University | Normal | Public | 6,124 | 58.0% | $40,628 |
| University of North Alabama | Florence | Public | 5,811 | 87.3% | $45,415 |
| Jefferson State Community College | Birmingham | Public | 5,470 | — | $40,719 |
| Coastal Alabama Community College | Bay Minette | Public | 4,798 | — | $34,894 |
| George C Wallace State Community College-Hanceville | Hanceville | Public | 4,423 | — | $39,842 |
| Samford University | Birmingham | Private Nonprofit | 4,206 | 82.4% | $58,469 |
| Southern Union State Community College | Wadley | Public | 4,173 | — | $36,597 |
| Gadsden State Community College | Gadsden | Public | 3,548 | — | $32,937 |
| Alabama State University | Montgomery | Public | 3,477 | 97.5% | $34,502 |
| Shelton State Community College | Tuscaloosa | Public | 3,148 | — | $35,014 |
| George C Wallace Community College-Dothan | Dothan | Public | 3,017 | — | $31,399 |
| University of West Alabama | Livingston | Public | 2,974 | 42.6% | $44,232 |
| Lawson State Community College | Birmingham | Public | 2,900 | — | $31,701 |
| Tuskegee University | Tuskegee | Private Nonprofit | 2,630 | 48.7% | $49,641 |
| Auburn University at Montgomery | Montgomery | Public | 2,542 | 91.6% | $44,391 |
| Athens State University | Athens | Public | 2,446 | — | $50,273 |
| Bishop State Community College | Mobile | Public | 2,437 | — | $29,916 |
| Bevill State Community College | Jasper | Public | 2,177 | — | $34,107 |
| University of Montevallo | Montevallo | Public | 2,151 | 53.8% | $42,957 |
| Northwest Shoals Community College | Muscle Shoals | Public | 1,969 | — | $33,828 |
| H Councill Trenholm State Community College | Montgomery | Public | 1,674 | — | $32,183 |
| Northeast Alabama Community College | Rainsville | Public | 1,629 | — | $34,913 |
| Enterprise State Community College | Enterprise | Public | 1,585 | — | $42,572 |
| Faulkner University | Montgomery | Private Nonprofit | 1,549 | 73.1% | $43,457 |
| Snead State Community College | Boaz | Public | 1,427 | — | $35,735 |
| University of Mobile | Mobile | Private Nonprofit | 1,307 | 77.9% | $43,611 |
| Central Alabama Community College | Alexander City | Public | 1,203 | — | $33,506 |
| Strayer University-Alabama | Birmingham | Private For-Profit | 1,196 | — | $40,092 |
| Miles College | Fairfield | Private Nonprofit | 1,155 | — | $32,627 |
| Oakwood University | Huntsville | Private Nonprofit | 1,153 | 45.2% | $42,488 |
| Chattahoochee Valley Community College | Phenix City | Public | 1,110 | — | $36,438 |
| Lurleen B Wallace Community College | Andalusia | Public | 1,097 | — | $32,307 |
| J F Ingram State Technical College | Deatsville | Public | 960 | — | — |
| Huntingdon College | Montgomery | Private Nonprofit | 879 | 69.5% | $49,601 |
| George C Wallace State Community College-Selma | Selma | Public | 855 | — | $31,598 |
| Spring Hill College | Mobile | Private Nonprofit | 782 | 76.6% | $51,500 |
| J. F. Drake State Community and Technical College | Huntsville | Public | 755 | — | $28,281 |
| Stillman College | Tuscaloosa | Private Nonprofit | 706 | 62.3% | $35,421 |
| Talladega College | Talladega | Private Nonprofit | 701 | 85.4% | $32,229 |
| Fortis Institute-Birmingham | Birmingham | Private For-Profit | 613 | — | $32,886 |
| Herzing University-Birmingham | Birmingham | Private Nonprofit | 442 | 93.3% | $36,909 |
| Reid State Technical College | Evergreen | Public | 416 | — | $28,982 |
| Fortis College-Montgomery | Montgomery | Private For-Profit | 359 | — | $26,652 |
| Marion Military Institute | Marion | Public | 329 | 97.0% | $59,644 |
| Fortis College | Mobile | Private For-Profit | 315 | — | $26,652 |
| South University-Montgomery | Montgomery | Private For-Profit | 299 | — | $34,421 |
| Remington College-Mobile Campus | Mobile | Private Nonprofit | 257 | — | $31,349 |
| Amridge University | Montgomery | Private Nonprofit | 241 | — | $37,621 |
| United States Sports University | Daphne | Private Nonprofit | 228 | 61.4% | $55,257 |
| Fortis College-Dothan | Dothan | Private For-Profit | 177 | — | $32,754 |
| Ross Medical Education Center-Huntsville | Huntsville | Private For-Profit | 132 | — | $30,060 |
| Paul Mitchell the School-Birmingham | Hoover | Private For-Profit | 129 | — | $24,367 |
| Winonah's International School of Cosmetology | Hoover | Private For-Profit | 120 | — | — |
| Blue Cliff Career College | Mobile | Private For-Profit | 107 | — | $21,365 |
| Alabama School of Nail Technology & Cosmetology | Jackson | Private For-Profit | 97 | — | — |
| New Beginning College of Cosmetology | Albertville | Private For-Profit | 81 | — | — |
| Heritage Christian University | Florence | Private Nonprofit | 75 | 90.0% | $42,597 |
| Huntsville Bible College | Huntsville | Private Nonprofit | 64 | — | — |
| Cardiac and Vascular Institute of Ultrasound | Mobile | Private For-Profit | 56 | — | $52,669 |
| Brown Beauty Barber School | Bessemer | Private For-Profit | 54 | — | — |
| The Salon Professional Academy-Huntsville | Huntsville | Private For-Profit | 53 | — | — |
| University Academy of Hair Design | Tuscaloosa | Private For-Profit | 38 | — | — |
| Selma University | Selma | Private Nonprofit | 32 | — | — |
| Midfield Institute of Cosmetology | Midfield | Private Nonprofit | 9 | — | — |
| Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine | Dothan | Private Nonprofit | — | — | — |
| Troy University-Montgomery Campus | Montgomery | Public | — | — | $42,062 |
| Troy University-Dothan Campus | Dothan | Public | — | — | $42,062 |
| Troy University-Online | Troy | Public | — | — | $42,062 |
| Columbia College - Redstone Arsenal | Redstone Arsenal | Private Nonprofit | — | — | $45,378 |
| Bluefield University - Edward Via College - Auburn | Auburn | Private Nonprofit | — | — | $48,896 |
| Jersey College - Dothan | Dothan | Private For-Profit | — | — | $66,087 |
| Alabama School of Nail Technology & Cosmetology - Saraland | Saraland | Private For-Profit | — | — | — |
Featured Colleges in Alabama
Quick picks from this state — compare two schools side by side
Explore More Data
About This Data
School data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS institutional characteristics files. Enrollment, admissions, and earnings figures are the most recently available. Earnings represent median income 10 years after enrollment for students who received federal financial aid, drawn from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal student aid applicants.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.