In-state 4-Year Colleges & Universities
Alabama A&M University
About: Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (AAMU) is a historic, student-friendly and community-focused institution of higher learning. Reflecting on its heritage as a historical black college and university (HBCU) and a traditional 1890 land-grant institution, AAMU functions as a teaching, research and public service institution, including extension. Founded in 1875 by a former slave, Dr. William Hooper Councill, AAMU is a dynamic and progressive institution with a strong commitment to academic excellence. The serene, intimate campus is situated on “The Hill,” only a short distance from downtown Huntsville, the site of the school’s founding.
Location: Huntsville, Alabama
Enrollment: 6,100
Notable People: William Hooper Councill, Jearl Miles-Clark, Ruben Studdard, Vivian Malone Jones
Auburn University
About: Auburn University, chartered in 1856, is located in Auburn, Alabama, and traces its beginning to the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts institution whose doors opened in 1859. From 1861 to 1866 the college was closed because of the Civil War. The college had begun an affiliation with the Methodist Church before the war. Due to financial straits, the church transferred legal control of the institution to the state in 1872, making it the first land-grant college in the South to be established separate from the state university. It thus became the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama.
Location: Auburn, Alabama
Enrollment: 27,287
Notable People: Lionel Richie, Bo Jackson, Tim Cook, Gov. Kay Ivey
Auburn University at Montgomery
About: Founded in 1967 and located in Alabama’s capital city, Auburn University at Montgomery has distinguished itself as the college of choice for students in Alabama’s River Region and beyond. In 2019, Auburn University at Montgomery earned a No. 33 ranking among regional public universities in the South from U.S. News & World Report. AUM was also recognized by U.S. News as the most ethnically diverse campus in Alabama and the 13th most diverse in the South region with more than 40 nationalities represented. AUM also earned recognition from The Princeton Review as one of the best colleges in the Southeast and is the only River Region university to be designated a “Military Friendly School” by Victory Media.
Location: Montgomery, Alabama
Enrollment: 5,211
Notable People: Octavia Spencer, Richard Marcinko, Orlando Graham
Faulkner University
About: Faulkner University has been a part of Montgomery, Alabama since 1942 when Dr. Rex Turner, Dr. Leonard Johnson and Joe Greer established Montgomery Bible College on a few acres on Ann Street. Their mission was to create an institution that provided preacher training and education based in God’s Holy Word. The university is now home to five colleges: the Alabama Christian College of Arts and Sciences, the Harris College of Business and Executive Education, the V.P. Black College of Biblical Studies, the College of Education, and the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law. A growing number of degree programs are now offered online, in addition to on-ground programs at our campuses.
Location: Montgomery, Alabama
Enrollment: 3,262
Notable People: Bobby Bright, Marcus Brimage, Ray Ray Armstrong
Huntingdon College
About: Huntingdon College is a private Methodist, liberal arts college in Montgomery, Alabama. It was founded in 1854 as a women’s college. Huntingdon’s longest traditions are its hallmarks: faith, wisdom, and service. Do you love to learn? Do you yearn to serve others? For more than 160 years, Huntingdon has provided an outstanding liberal arts education that touches not only the mind and heart, but also the spirit. A college of the United Methodist Church, we are led by our motto, “Enter to grow in wisdom, go forth to apply wisdom in service.”
Location: Montgomery, Alabama
Enrollment: 1,107
Notable People: Kathryn Tucker Windham, Jeff Sessions, Joe Durant
Jacksonville State University
About: At Jacksonville State University, you can earn a degree in more than 95 academic programs and concentrations, within a community that supports you every step of the way. Founded in 1883, Jacksonville State offers programs of study in five academic units leading to bachelor’s, master’s, education specialist, and doctorate degrees in addition to continuing and distance education programs. The university was founded as Jacksonville State Normal School, and in 1930 the name changed to Jacksonville State Teachers College, and again in 1957 to Jacksonville State College. The university began operating as Jacksonville State University in 1966. Jacksonville State’s Business School was ranked within the nation’s 90th percentile by the Princeton Review.
Location: Jacksonville, Alabama
Enrollment: 9,021
Notable People: Rick Bragg, Randy Owen, Heather Whitestone, JoAnn H. Morgan
Judson College
About: Since 1838, Judson College has been committed to preparing young women for lives of purpose through the transmission of knowledge, the refinement of intellect, the nurturing of faith, the promotion of service, and the development of character. A private, four-year, Christian college with degree programs in liberal arts and the sciences, Judson College helps each student reach her full potential by providing her with opportunities to engage her mind, practice her faith, and live her purpose. With a student to faculty ratio of 6:1 and an institutional commitment to teaching rather than research, Judson provides an academically engaging and emotionally supportive environment in which highly-trained instructors place the utmost priority on student learning. Judson currently offers 20 majors, 22 minors, 10 pre-professional degree programs, and the Associate Degree in Nursing.
Location: Marion, Alabama
Enrollment: 322
Notable People: Titlayo Adedokun, Caroline Dormon, Ada Jack Carver Snell
Samford University School of Public Health
About: Samford’s School of Public Health focuses on issues that affect the health of entire populations, offering degrees through our five distinctive academic departments. The health care industry is at pivotal time, ripe with opportunities to make substantial improvements to meet the needs of patients. More than ever, many professions are working together to advance the health of patients in the fast changing delivery of healthcare in this country and world. Public health focuses on all aspects of the patient from the medical encounter to communities where the patient lives, works, eats, and receives support for vital human services. If you find your calling here, you’ll work to address some of the most important aspects of health, from access to and management of healthcare, prevention of diseases and improving the health of populations, to support services for infants and mothers, and the appropriate nutrition at every stage of life.
Location: Homewood, Alabama
Enrollment: 485 (for the School of Public Health, not entire university)
Notable People: Tony Hale, Bobby Bowden, Kimberly Schlapman, Karen Fairchild
Stillman College
About: Stillman College, authorized by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States in 1875, held its first classes in 1876 and was chartered as a legal corporation by the State of Alabama in 1895. At that time, the name was changed from Tuscaloosa Institute to Stillman Institute. The Institute was a concept initiated by the Reverend Dr. Charles Allen Stillman, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Tuscaloosa. The mandate for the Institution expanded over the years and it acquired its present campus tract of over 100 acres. All Stillman College students take 12 hours (4 courses) of religious education fulfilling general education requirements. Stillman College leadership and staff are members of the clergy; the VP Academic Affairs and the VP Student Affairs are pastors of local churches
Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Enrollment: 615
Notable People: Jermaine “FunnyMaine” Johnson, Jeff Henderson, Brian Witherspoon
The University of Alabama
About: As the state’s flagship university, The University of Alabama family has always focused on being the best. This is where legends are made. Founded in 1831 as the state’s first public college, The University of Alabama is dedicated to excellence in teaching, research and service. We provide a creative, nurturing campus environment where our students can become the best individuals possible, learn from the best and brightest faculty, and make a positive difference in the community, the state and the world. You’ll like what you find here. Become part of The University of Alabama family. Our beautiful, 1,200-acre campus has everything you need to be successful during your college years. Be energized through leading-edge research initiatives and state-of-the-art labs. Be inspired by professors who are experts in their fields of study. Be active in campus life through one of more than 600 student organizations. Be involved in a wide range of volunteer opportunities and internships. Connect with what’s important to you.
Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Enrollment: 38,563
Notable People: Jimmy Wales, Mark Ingram Jr., Marillyn Hewson, Harper Lee
The University of Alabama – UA Early College
About: If you’re in high school, you don’t have to wait to get your college career started. Through The University of Alabama Early College program you can take college courses online or on campus while still in high school, earning up to 30 credit hours. Thousands of high school students have gotten a big jump on college through UA Early College.
Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Enrollment: 1,966
The University of Alabama – Human Environmental Sciences
About: The College of Human Environmental Sciences at The University of Alabama is one of the largest divisions of Human Sciences in the country, enrolling almost 4,000 students. A common thread running through each area of study at our College is the determination to improve the quality of life for individuals, families and communities. The College brings together disciplines that impact the human condition including clothing, textiles, and interior design; consumer sciences; public health; athletic training; human development and family studies; human nutrition and hospitality management. In all areas of study, experiential learning opportunities help prepare students for success after graduation by allowing them to practice skills learned in the classroom.
Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Enrollment: 3,900
The University of Alabama – College of Communication & Information Sciences
About: The University of Alabama’s College of Communication and Information Sciences is a comprehensive multidisciplinary division in which teaching, research and service are focused on shared creation, presentation, dissemination, retrieval, collection, analysis and evaluation of messages and meanings in a variety of settings. The mission is supported by one of the country’s most diverse combinations of academic and service programs. The College of Communication & Information Sciences offers undergraduate degrees in advertising, creative media, news media and public relations, master’s degrees in advertising & public relations, book arts, communication studies, journalism, library & information studies and telecommunication & film, and an interdisciplinary doctoral degree. The College is the only communication unit in the state offering bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.
Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Notable People: Rece Davis, Hannah Brown, Joe Scarborough
The University of Alabama – College of Education
About: The University of Alabama has long been concerned with programs for the preparation of public school personnel. In 1844, only 13 years after the University’s establishment in 1831, a Normal Department was provided for those who wished to prepare for teaching careers. In 1872, the Normal Department become the Normal School. By 1899, the Trustees had replaced the Normal School with the School of Pedagogy and Psychology, which in 1902 became the School of Philosophy and Education. In 1908, the school was reorganized as the Department of Education; one year later further organizational changes resulted in the name being changed to the School of Education. The present College of Education was established in 1928. Until 1924, the University’s offerings in teacher education were almost entirely limited to undergraduate programs for elementary and secondary teachers. Graduate work in school administration was added in 1924; and all programs, undergraduate and graduate, were greatly expanded during 1927 and 1928. Doctoral programs were authorized in 1951. Currently, the College of Education is divided into six departments.
Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Notable People: Autherine Lucy
The University of Alabama – School of Social Work
About:The School of Social Work was established in 1965 by an act of the Alabama Legislature to address the state’s critical shortage of and pressing need for professionally trained social workers. Since our founding, we have been proud to lead the charge in training students for tomorrow’s workforce. Prior to 1965 there were fewer than 100 trained social workers in the state, accounting for about 19 percent of the persons employed in the state’s social welfare positions. Forty-eight of the state’s 67 counties had no professional social workers. Today, our program is the only one of its kind in the state that offers BSW, MSW and PhD degrees in social work.
Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
The University of Alabama – College of Engineering
About: One the first five universities to offer engineering instruction in the nation, The University of Alabama has more than 175 years of engineering education experience. Today’s College of Engineering is large enough to offer academic diversity and challenge, yet small enough to ensure personal attention and excellent instruction. Students in the College earn national scholarships and graduate fellowships and earn more in their first jobs than the nation’s average starting salary for engineering graduates. The foundation is the College’s academic programs. UA’s College of Engineering features a wide variety of nationally-accredited programs, affording students the flexibility to shape their academic goals to suit developing interests.
Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
The University of Alabama – College of Arts & Sciences
About: The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest division and the academic heart of The University of Alabama, offering the foundation disciplines on which all others depend. There are approximately 8,400 undergraduate students and 1,000 graduate students in over 100 programs of study across 64 fields spanning the arts, sciences, and social sciences. The College offers 19 academic programs that aren’t offered anywhere else in the state. Internationally recognized scientists, writers, artists, and scholars teach in Arts and Sciences classrooms and labs. Our students work closely with professors who are not merely experts in their disciplines, but also creators of new knowledge. Nearly a third of our undergraduates work on independent research and creative projects under the guidance of faculty mentors. The College is one of the oldest and largest liberal arts colleges in Alabama and among the finest in the region. It is recognized nationally for the number of undergraduate and graduate students who receive national awards and scholarships.
Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Enrollment: 9,400
Notable People: Kathryn Stockett, Robert J. Van de Graaff
The University of Alabama – Culverhouse College of Business
About: Culverhouse College of Business students have access to an uncommon variety of resources within an institution that is renowned for its top faculty, staff that take a hands-on approach toward student support, and a cutting-edge curriculum. We were ranked by U.S. News & World Report #43 in the nation overall and 27th among public business schools. For 2019-2020, the Manderson Graduate School of Business MBA ranks 26th among public universities and 50th overall, according to U.S. News & World Report. The Marillyn A. Hewson Data Analytics Lab opened in 2015 with Lockheed Martin, Healthcare Business Solutions and SAS as partners. The Lab provides collaboration among students, faculty and corporate partners to take on issues facing businesses globally.
Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Enrollment: 9,131
Notable People: Marilyn Hewson
The University of Alabama at Birmingham
About: The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) traces its roots to the 1859 founding of the Medical College of Alabama and the 1936 opening of the Birmingham Extension Center of the University of Alabama. In 1945 the Medical College of Alabama was moved from Tuscaloosa and the University’s Medical Center was founded in Birmingham. In 1954 the Extension Center was moved to a newly constructed facility adjacent to the Medical Center, bringing together for the first time the University’s two academic components in Birmingham. Later, in November of 1966, the Extension Center and the Medical Center were administratively merged to form the “University of Alabama in Birmingham,” an organizational component of the University of Alabama (in Tuscaloosa). In 1969 UAB became an independent institution, one of the autonomous universities within the newly created three-campus University of Alabama System. Today, UAB is a comprehensive urban university with a nationally recognized academic health center. UAB is the only public, four-year degree granting university in the state’s largest metropolitan area. UAB is the largest research institution in the state of Alabama and is the largest single employer in the state.
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
Enrollment: 17,189
Notable People: Walt Maddox, Regina Benjamin, Sam Hunt
The University of Alabama at Birmingham – Collat School of Business
About: At the Collat School of Business, you can choose from eight business majors, as well as numerous business minors. An Undeclared Business major is also available if you know that you want to pursue a business degree, but have not yet decided on a majors. At the Collat School of Business, our goal is not just to prepare you for the world of business. It’s to prepare you for the world. Because no matter what you want to do with your life, whether it’s accounting, management, marketing, or any other discipline, we’ll make sure you’re ready to graduate-and ready to succeed. Students receive a distinctly personal approach to learning that includes smaller class sizes and real, meaningful connections with faculty and other advisers to help you navigate and succeed in your pursuits. Local partnerships allow students to experience first-hand what it is like doing business in Alabama’s largest business district through internships and other applied learning opportunities in and out of the classroom.
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
The University of Alabama at Birmingham – College of Arts & Sciences
About: Welcome to the College of Arts and Sciences. Our distinctive combination of strong academic programs, outstanding teaching, and a diverse student body nestled in the historic and vibrant city of Birmingham make the College a unique destination for those seeking excellence in education, research, and entrepreneurship. Our 19 departments — home to over 300 full-time faculty and more than 40 baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degrees — make us the largest academic entity in the UAB academic enterprise. We are home to research centers, community outreach programs, and interdisciplinary cooperation. Our goal is clear: to ensure that each of our students leaves UAB with the knowledge and tools to succeed in an expanding and increasingly complex global future.
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
The University of Alabama at Birmingham – School of Education
About: At the UAB School of Education, we are working to create the most prepared, inspired, and dynamic practitioners in the workforce today. We are known for our cutting-edge programs that prepare professionals to serve in a diverse world. Our outstanding faculty are not only leaders in their fields, but also excellent mentors and educators who inspire others to grow and learn. We make a difference in the lives of our students and in the communities they serve.
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
The University of Alabama at Birmingham – School of Health Professions
About: We are the fastest growing school at UAB and one of the largest health professions schools in the nation. With 20+ programs and 40+ offerings at the bachelor, master, and doctoral levels, our students have the opportunity to develop skills and expertise in some of healthcare’s most challenging and rewarding fields.
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
The University of Alabama at Huntsville
About: The University of Alabama in Huntsville is one of the nation’s premier research universities, offering a challenging hands-on curriculum that ensures our graduates are prepared to become tomorrow’s leaders. UAH is a public national university located in Huntsville, AL, which has been named one of the best places to live by U.S. News & World Report. Its students hail from 49 U.S. states and nearly 60 countries. Included among this year’s record-setting enrollment of over 9,900 was an incoming freshman class with an average ACT score of 28.4 and an average GPA of 3.91. Once they graduate, these students typically go on to earn a higher average starting ($57,500) and mid-career ($103,900) salary than most of their peers across Alabama.
Location: Huntsville, Alabama
Enrollment: 9,736
Notable People: John Hendricks, Jan Davis, Cameron Talbot
The University of North Alabama
About: UNA is a public university in Florence, Alabama. It is the state’s oldest four-year public university. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Tuscumbia, Sheffield and Muscle Shoals. The four cities compose a metropolitan area with a combined population of 140,000 people. The University of North Alabama was founded as LaGrange College in 1830. It was reestablished in 1872 as the first state-supported teachers college south of the Ohio River. A year later, it became one of the nation’s first coeducational colleges. UNA offers career-centered programs to prepare for certain workforces. These programs include, but are not limited to: Communication Arts, Computer Science, Education, Counseling, Engineering Technology, Professional Studies, Exercise Science, Psychology, Social Work, Information Systems, Nursing, Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, and Professional Marketing. Offices such as Academic Affairs, Registrar, Student Success Center, Admissions, Student Financial Aid, and others help students through the courses of the four academic colleges.
Location: Florence, Alabama
Enrollment: 8,000
Notable People: Pam Long, Patterson Hood, Jim Blasingame, Wendell Wilkie Gunn
Troy University
About: From award-winning academic opportunities to exciting Division 1 athletics events, Troy University provides students around the globe with top-notch learning opportunities—in class and online. For 15 consecutive years, TROY has been named to The Princeton Review’s “Best in the Southeast” list.
Location: Troy, Alabama
Enrollment: 18,440
Notable People: Jill Dobson, Marcus Richardson, William G. Gregory, Danielle Frye
University of Montevallo
About: For those who seek personalized, hands-on education but crave the excitement of a large university experience — meet Montevallo, where you’ll never get lost in the shuffle. A Montevallo education means you won’t spend these years simply striving for a piece of paper that says, “you did it.” It means you will enjoy small class sizes, personalized attention, engaging student activities and abundant opportunities for real world experience. You will emerge a well-rounded, highly educated individual who isn’t just ready for the world—you’re ready to change it.
Location: Montevallo, Alabama
Enrollment: 2,600
Notable People: Rusty Greer, Nancy Worley, Ray Reach