2022 best colleges in Alabama
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Net cost: The median annual cost of all students that receive any aid. This does not refer to the “sticker price”, the price listed by the college.
Earnings: The median earnings of all bachelor-level students 10 years after enrollment. This includes both students that do and do not graduate, across all majors.
Payback: The amount of time in years it takes to pay off the median net cost by the median earnings. For this calculation, the median earning of high school graduates (in the school’s home state) are deducted from the median earnings.
Degree premium: The difference between the school’s median earnings and the median earnings for all schools in the same state. This is called “Vs. state average” in school profiles below.
Ranking: The payback rate is divided by the degree premium (set as a percentage), the lower the number the higher the rank. (i.e. payback=1, degree premium 20% higher than state school median: 1/120% = .883.
University of Alabama in Huntsville
Huntsville, Alabama
Admission rate: 78%
Grad rate: 54%
Net cost: $15,860
Payback: 2.4 Years
Earnings: $54,361
Vs. state average: + $10,998
Economic score: 1.91
Auburn University
Auburn, Alabama
Admission rate: 86%
Grad rate: 78%
Net cost: $24,104
Payback: 3.1 Years
Earnings: $56,933
Vs. state average: + $13,570
Economic score: 2.37
The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Admission rate: 81%
Grad rate: 69%
Net cost: $22,597
Payback: 3.2 Years
Earnings: $52,751
Vs. state average: + $9,388
Economic score: 2.64
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Admission rate: 81%
Grad rate: 57%
Net cost: $16,953
Payback: 3.2 Years
Earnings: $46,990
Vs. state average: + $3,627
Economic score: 2.91
Samford University
Birmingham, Alabama
Admission rate: 84%
Grad rate: 70%
Net cost: $29,673
Payback: 4.0 Years
Earnings: $53,223
Vs. state average: + $9,860
Economic score: 3.27
Birmingham-Southern College
Birmingham, Alabama
Admission rate: 61%
Grad rate: 67%
Net cost: $22,107
Payback: 3.9 Years
Earnings: $50,775
Vs. state average: + $7,412
Economic score: 3.35
University of South Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Admission rate: 74%
Grad rate: 47%
Net cost: $15,501
Payback: 3.5 Years
Earnings: $43,123
Vs. state average: - $240
Economic score: 3.49
Spring Hill College
Mobile, Alabama
Admission rate: 55%
Grad rate: 56%
Net cost: $22,221
Payback: 4.4 Years
Earnings: $47,960
Vs. state average: + $4,597
Economic score: 3.95
University of North Alabama
Florence, Alabama
Admission rate: 83%
Grad rate: 51%
Net cost: $14,130
Payback: 3.9 Years
Earnings: $39,316
Vs. state average: - $4,047
Economic score: 4.33
University of Mobile
Mobile, Alabama
Admission rate: 67%
Grad rate: 59%
Net cost: $17,122
Payback: 4.1 Years
Earnings: $40,280
Vs. state average: - $3,083
Economic score: 4.47
Huntingdon College
Montgomery, Alabama
Admission rate: 55%
Grad rate: 50%
Net cost: $21,486
Payback: 4.7 Years
Earnings: $45,389
Vs. state average: + $2,026
Economic score: 4.48
Jacksonville State University
Jacksonville, Alabama
Admission rate: 64%
Grad rate: 48%
Net cost: $15,559
Payback: 4.4 Years
Earnings: $39,354
Vs. state average: - $4,009
Economic score: 4.90
University of Montevallo
Montevallo, Alabama
Admission rate: 61%
Grad rate: 50%
Net cost: $16,435
Payback: 4.5 Years
Earnings: $38,378
Vs. state average: - $4,985
Economic score: 5.08
Tuskegee University
Tuskegee, Alabama
Admission rate: 62%
Grad rate: 64%
Net cost: $34,575
Payback: 7.5 Years
Earnings: $44,419
Vs. state average: + $1,056
Economic score: 7.32
Oakwood University
Huntsville, Alabama
Admission rate: 89%
Grad rate: 50%
Net cost: $24,274
Payback: 7.3 Years
Earnings: $37,922
Vs. state average: - $5,441
Economic score: 8.39
Judson College
Marion, Alabama
Admission rate: 57%
Grad rate: 45%
Net cost: $16,827
Payback: 11.3 Years
Earnings: $29,569
Vs. state average: - $13,794
Economic score: 16.63
Amridge University
Montgomery, Alabama
Admission rate: N/A
Grad rate: 36%
Net cost: $8,705
Payback: 2.8 Years
Earnings: $37,895
Vs. state average: - $5,468
Economic score: 3.20
Auburn University at Montgomery
Montgomery, Alabama
Admission rate: 96%
Grad rate: 38%
Net cost: $13,987
Payback: 3.8 Years
Earnings: $41,679
Vs. state average: - $1,684
Economic score: 3.96
Troy University
Troy, Alabama
Admission rate: 93%
Grad rate: 37%
Net cost: $14,285
Payback: 3.9 Years
Earnings: $39,339
Vs. state average: - $4,024
Economic score: 4.33
Faulkner University
Montgomery, Alabama
Admission rate: 76%
Grad rate: 42%
Net cost: $20,715
Payback: 5.4 Years
Earnings: $39,437
Vs. state average: - $3,926
Economic score: 5.97
