What kind of school it really is
Auburn University at Montgomery is a public four-year university located in Montgomery, Alabama, within Montgomery County and that city's metropolitan area. That does not mean the campus is right in the urban center: if your child plans to live at home, I recommend something very specific—drive the route on a weekday, at the exact time of their classes. The actual travel time is almost never what the map shows.
The federal system that classifies universities in the United States records it as a master's university with large programs, and its most recent profile lists it as a medium-sized, primarily residential four-year institution: during the period used for that classification, between 25 and 49 out of every 100 undergraduate students lived in institution-provided housing. It also appears among schools that receive a high proportion of transfer students arriving from other universities. IPEDS records the doctorate as the highest level it reports offering, and classifies it as an institution that primarily awards bachelor's degrees or higher levels. That does not confirm that your child's exact major exists or that there is a clear undergraduate-to-graduate path within it: that must be asked program by program.
Something worth saying clearly: Auburn University at Montgomery does not appear on any of three specific federal government lists. It is not a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. This does not say which students it serves or how your child will feel there. The only thing it says is that it does not carry those three labels. If it matters to you to know what community and cultural supports are on campus today, ask directly by speaking with someone who already studies there.
And if your child arrives transferring credits from another school: request in writing, before enrolling, which courses will count and which will not. This university receives quite a few transfer students, but that does not tell you how many credits they will actually arrive with, or how many are lost along the way.
A medium-sized community, with few Latinos
Auburn University at Montgomery had 5,189 enrolled students in the most recent official count. It is neither a very small school nor a huge school: it falls right in the middle of the 519 selective public four-year universities used for comparison in this analysis. Of that total, 3,407 are undergraduate students and 1,782 are graduate students. If your child is just starting college, the number that matters is 3,407, not the total: a substantial share of enrollment has already completed a bachelor's degree and is doing something else.
Here is a fact that must be stated without embellishment. Among undergraduates, 2 out of every 100 students reported themselves as Hispanic or Latino. It is one of the lowest proportions among the 519 comparable schools: nine out of ten of them report a higher proportion. That does not make this university bad, nor would a high proportion make another one good. It is simply a fact about who is enrolled. If your child will be among the few, it is worth asking during the visit which student group, cultural center, or person in the offices speaks Spanish, and talking with a student who is already there before deciding. Also remember that this number describes the entire school: the experience within a particular major may look different.
In the rest of the composition: there are more women than men—66 out of every 100 among undergraduates—, 20 out of every 100 are between 25 and 64 years old, and 89 out of every 100 first-time students came from the state of Alabama.
How academic life is structured
The calendar is organized by semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The university reports that it accepts credit for AP exams and military training, but did not indicate that it accepts credit for life experience. Saying they accept AP does not mean they grant credit for every exam: we do not know what scores they require or whether those credits will count toward your child's specific major. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling, and do not calculate savings until you have it in hand. It also enrolls high school students in college courses through a formal dual-enrollment program.
As for what it offers: in the last reported year, it awarded 704 bachelor's degrees, distributed across 19 distinct program families. No single one takes a large share—not even business and administration, the largest, which represented only 19 out of every 100 degrees that year. It is a broad offering, without one dominant area. Still, these 19 families do not equal 19 exact majors in the current catalog, because each family groups several programs. It is worth verifying the precise program that interests your child.
The student-to-instructional-staff ratio, measured in full-time equivalents, is 15 to 1. Compared with similar schools, it falls just below the middle of the table: neither among the lowest nor the highest. This number does not tell you the actual size of first-year classes, so by itself it decides nothing.
The institution also reports structured academic opportunities: study-abroad programs, a complete program that can be taken in the evening or on weekends, developmental education with and without credit, and preparation and certification pathways for people who want to teach, including state approval for initial teacher certification.
What it is like to get in
Let us start with the most reassuring part: there is no cost to apply. The published undergraduate application fee is $0.
Auburn University at Montgomery does not have open admission—it reviews certain components before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, it marked three as required: the high school transcript, the high school grade-point average, and the English-language proficiency exam for those to whom it applies. In contrast, the list of what it reported as not considered is longer: the specific course plan the university requires, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, a portfolio or competency exam, work experience, and whether a family member attended there. IPEDS does not report how each element is weighed against the others, so this does not prove that the transcript is the only factor, but it does send a clear signal about what they prioritize in the paperwork.
If your child studied outside the United States or attended high school in Spanish: ask today whether the English-language proficiency exam applies and what waives it. It is one of those things discovered too late if you do not ask in time.
As for how accessible admission is: in the most recent cycle, the university received 2,213 first-time applications and offered admission to 2,050. That is 93 out of every 100 applicants accepted. It is a high rate compared with similar schools—seven out of ten of them, or more, accept an equal or lower percentage. Only 163 applicants were left without an offer. Put simply: they do accept students here. But you have to submit the complete application on time.
Now comes something different that confuses many families: out of every 100 admitted students, only 20 ultimately enrolled. The other 80 had a place here and did not take it. Do not read that as a stain on the school—the record does not explain why each person made the decision they made. What I can tell you is this: what others decided does not predict what they will offer you. Wait for your net-price letter—what the year will really cost you—before crossing this school off or keeping it on the list.
Regarding standardized tests: the SAT and ACT are not required. If you submit them, they consider them; if not, the application proceeds just the same. In practice, almost no one submits them: only 3 out of every 100 enrolled students submitted SAT scores, and the available percentiles were calculated from only 11 students—a sample too small to treat as a reliable range for the university.
And there is a transfer fact that deserves honest attention. Of the cohort that entered in 2017 seeking a bachelor's degree, 29 out of every 100 transferred to another institution without completing here. It is a high proportion compared with similar schools. This fact matters for one specific reason: a student who transfers and finishes at another school does not count as an Auburn University at Montgomery graduate in the official statistics, even if they successfully complete their degree elsewhere. Keep this in mind when you read the graduation figures later.
The price: two numbers, not one
At Auburn University at Montgomery, among 98 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid, paid the in-state or district rate, and whose records reported family EFC income below $30,000, the average net price was $12,999. Among 36 students from the same population with family EFC income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $16,689; among 29 students with family EFC income above $110,000, it was $16,075. For dependent students, the band adds their parents' income and their own.
Between the average for the lower-income band (98 students) and that for the highest band (29 students), there is a difference of $3,076. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship, the average was $15,458.
Among the 519 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this fact with the same time coverage, this one falls in the most expensive quarter for lower-income families. That does not mean you should rule it out. It means you need to request the aid letter before deciding.
The income bands on this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at this public institution, they use the in-state or district rate. The overall average with grants, when it appears, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional scholarships or grants; it also uses that rate. If your family lives outside the state or district, the calculation is different. Ask about it before applying.
Aid, grants, and loans: what arrives and what must be borrowed
Out of every 100 degree-seeking students, 76 received some grant or aid that does not have to be repaid, averaging $8,210 per year among those who received it. And 46 out of every 100 received a Pell Grant, the federal aid for families with demonstrated financial need. Remember that the percentage and the average do not multiply each other: one counts how many received it, and the other shows how much those who did receive it got.
Now the debt part, without softening it: 46 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal student loan in the most recent school year. Compared with similar schools, it is a high proportion. Those who borrowed took out an average of $6,756 that year. If your child borrowed something similar in each of the four years of the program, the total would be around $27,024, not counting interest—and that calculation is worth making before the first signature, not after. This number does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign for, or debt from a bank or credit card, so it is not the total debt with which someone graduates.
This percentage describes other families, not yours. What your child would need to borrow depends on their own financial-aid letter. Wait for that letter before ruling out the school or committing to it. The university also offers a tuition payment plan in installments for those who prefer to spread the cost over the year.
Campus life, support, and activities
Auburn University at Montgomery does have its own housing, with reported capacity for 1,200 students on or off campus, and it does not require all first-time, full-time students to live there—which does not rule out that a specific program may require it. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies according to the selected plan. Having housing does not guarantee an available bed: request in writing the yearly rate, the application deadline, and whether you are guaranteed a space or placed on a waiting list.
Army ROTC is confirmed in writing in the official report; Navy and Air Force are not marked, which does not mean they are impossible, but rather that you need to ask directly.
In athletics, the university competes at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NCAA, with confirmed membership in basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. If your child is interested in competing, write directly to the coach for that sport—ask whether there is room on the team, which division they compete in, and whether that sport offers an athletic scholarship.
Regarding format: the university offers distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Out of every 100 undergraduate students, 19 took their entire course load online, and the other 81 took at least one in-person class. It also reports at least one complete program that can be completed entirely at a distance, although the report does not confirm at what exact level.
The library has paid staff, annual spending above the threshold recorded by the government, physical and digital materials, and interlibrary lending. Reported services and support include combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services upon program completion, child care on campus, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program for veterans, a dedicated point of contact for veterans and military students, a student veterans organization, and a published services page for students with disabilities.
How many stay, how many graduate
Here is the part that carries the most weight, and it deserves to be stated directly.
Of the cohort that entered full-time seeking a bachelor's degree, 66 out of every 100 met the official retention criterion one year later: they were still enrolled here or had already completed their degree. Compared with similar schools, this figure is in the lower part of the table. That does not mean the rest failed—the data do not distinguish between someone who transferred, someone who paused their studies, or someone who had any other reason.
| Time window | With a degree from here |
|---|---|
| 4 years | 14 out of every 100 |
| 6 years | 36 out of every 100 |
| 8 years (different cohort) | 42 out of every 100 |
Of the 625 students who entered in 2017 as first-time, full-time bachelor's degree seekers, with no prior college attendance, 223 appeared as graduates here six years later: 36 out of every 100. At four years, the timeframe most families budget for, the figure is only 14 out of every 100—22 points lower than at six years. Compared with similar schools, this university is in the bottom quarter of the table.
It is worth seeing the full breakdown of those 625 students: 223 completed a bachelor's degree here, 180 transferred without completing here and then enrolled at another institution, 31 were still enrolled here without having finished within the timeframe, and 191 were marked as “no longer enrolled”—a category that does not explain the reason and may include people who did finish, but after the official cutoff. Do you remember the transfer fact we saw earlier? Those 180 are exactly that story: they left, and in this school's statistics they do not count as graduates, even if they finished somewhere else.
Looking at a different and broader cohort—1,258 undergraduate students, full-time and part-time, who entered between 2015 and 2016—42 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from here eight years later. Among those who specifically received a Pell Grant, the figure falls to 36 out of every 100—12 points lower than among those who did not receive it. If your family would qualify for Pell today, this does not determine what will happen to your child, but it is a question worth asking directly at the school: which counselor would be assigned, what emergency aid exists, and whether the internal scholarship renews every year. Ask for the response in writing.
What you already know, and what comes next
Now you know something real about Auburn University at Montgomery: a medium-sized public university, with a fairly open entry door—93 out of every 100 applicants receive a yes—and a list price that, compared with similar schools, is among the lowest. You also know that the path to a degree is longer and more uncertain than the first glance suggests: few graduate within four years, student debt is more common here than at comparable schools, and a considerable portion of each cohort completes its degree at another institution.
None of these numbers decides anything for you. Your child is responsible for their effort, their curiosity, the major they choose, and how they pursue it. You are responsible for the family's money, the dates, the documents, and asking the questions this guide has already marked for you: the written credit evaluation, the net-price letter before deciding, the exact housing rate, and what exists specifically for the program that interests your child.
You now know one piece of the plan deeply: what this university really is and offers. Put it together with what your child wants to study, what they have already built in high school, and what your family can pay without compromising its stability. From that combination, and not from a single number, comes the decision.
Source note: the information in this article comes from data reported by Auburn University at Montgomery to the IPEDS system of the United States Department of Education, corresponding primarily to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles, except where a different period is indicated. Best College Aid does not represent Auburn University at Montgomery or any government agency; this article organizes and explains public information to help families understand it.