Alabama has 84 colleges including 42 four-year colleges, 26 community colleges, and 16 trade schools. By control type, 42 schools are public and 42 schools are private. 316,144 students enrolled in Alabama colleges according to IPEDS.

For 4-year colleges, commonly said to as colleges, there are 42 schools are active in Alabama (18 public and 24 private). 224,049 students enrolled in the schools, by gender, 95,349 men and 128,700 women students.

These colleges have an average acceptance rate of 73.75% and an average SAT score of 1,127. The average tuition & fees for in-state students is $10,992 and for out-of-state students is $22,113. The average enrollment is about 5,335 students per college. On average, each college offers about 79 programs.

8 Prominent Alabama Colleges

The following table lists major colleges in Alabama that have high enrollment, good academic reputation, and recognized by Alabama residents. It includes 4 public institutions and 4 private institutions.

Alabama Major Colleges by Region
RegionProminent Institutions
TuscaloosaUniversity of Alabama (Tuscaloosa)
AuburnAuburn University (Auburn)
BirminghamUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham (Birmingham), Samford University (Birmingham)
HuntsvilleUniversity of Alabama in Huntsville (Huntsville)
MobileUniversity of South Alabama (Mobile)

The University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, is generally considered the flagship institution in Alabama. It offers wide range of programs in both undergraduate and graduate levels, including 189 graduate programs and 12 online programs. Its total enrollment is approximately 40,846 including 6,289 online students.

The University of Alabama has the highest enrollment among these colleges, with a student population of 40,846 students. It offers the largest number of programs of 363.

Of the major colleges in Alabama, 3 law schools and 1 medical schools are affiliated with these colleges. You can check the law schools and medical schools in the table below.

Notable public institutions

Prominent private institutions

  • Samford University: Offering offering 144 programs; $40,150 tuition & fees; 82.36% acceptance rate; and 6,097 student population.
  • Tuskegee University: Offering offering 71 programs; $25,386 tuition & fees; 48.68% acceptance rate; and 3,121 student population.
  • Faulkner University: Offering offering 69 programs; $23,920 tuition & fees; 73.07% acceptance rate; and 3,086 student population.
Comparison of Alabama Major Colleges
NameGraduate ProgramsDistance LearningTuition & FeesAdm. RateSAT ScoreEnrollOffered ProgramsLaw SchoolMedical School
The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa
YesYes$34,17276.65%127040,846363Visit
Auburn University
Auburn
YesYes$34,92245.92%132034,145303
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham
YesYes$22,56288.18%134020,905217Visit
Samford University
Birmingham
YesYes$40,15082.36%11506,097144Visit
University of Alabama in Huntsville
Huntsville
YesYes$26,40868.57%13108,564123
Tuskegee University
Tuskegee
YesYes$25,38648.68%3,12171
Faulkner University
Montgomery
YesYes$23,92073.07%3,08669Visit
University of Mobile
Mobile
YesYes$26,91077.89%1,54573