I am going to walk you through what the federal data — IPEDS and the Department of Education — actually say about this school. I am not going to sell you anything or scare you with anything. I am going to show you the number, and then tell you what it means and what it does not mean. In the end, the decision is still yours and your child's.
What kind of university it is and where it stands
UAB is classified by Carnegie among doctoral universities with the highest research activity in the United States. It is public, four-year, and reports the doctorate as the highest level it offers. That tells you something important: it is not a small school focused only on undergraduate education. It is a large institution, with serious research and real graduate offerings.
It is also classified as a "primarily nonresidential" institution. That means, according to the technical definition Carnegie uses, that fewer than 25 out of every 100 degree-seeking undergraduate students live in university-owned housing, or that fewer than half study full time — the data do not distinguish which of the two conditions applied. It does not mean there are no dormitories. It does have housing, as we will see later. But if your child will commute every day, what you need to plan for is not only tuition: it is the bus, gas, and travel time.
UAB is in Birmingham, Alabama, within Jefferson County, in the Birmingham metropolitan area. That tells you where it is, not how to get there. If your child plans to live at home, I recommend something very specific: drive the route on a weekday, at the exact time they would have class. The real travel time is almost never what the map says.
One note worth clearing up right away: UAB does not appear designated as a historically Black college or university (HBCU), a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 universities in the federal directory, 138 have one of those three designations; UAB is not among them. That does not say which communities it serves today or how your child will feel on that campus. Ask that during the visit, by speaking with current students.
Carnegie also places it among institutions that receive many transfer students. If your child plans to arrive at UAB after studying somewhere else, this is the first sign that you should request, in writing, which courses will count and which will not. The label "receives many transfer students" does not tell you how many credits people arrive with or how many are lost along the way.
A large community, with more graduate students than it appears
The number you will probably see first is 21,160: students enrolled in the official fall count. That places UAB in the highest band the government uses to measure university size, and compared with 519 selective public four-year schools, it falls on the large side: between one and three out of every ten have more students than it does.
But here is the important turn: that large number includes graduate students. Of the 21,160, 12,382 are undergraduates and 8,778 are graduate students. If your child is starting college, the number that matters to them is not 21,160. It is 12,382. A large part of this university is made up of people who already finished a degree and came back for more.
Among undergraduates, there are more women than men: 63 out of every 100. Out of every 100 students, 17 are between 25 and 64 years old — this is not a campus exclusively made up of young people ages 18 to 22. And 82 out of every 100 first-time students reported an Alabama address when applying. It is, above all, a university for its own state.
And here is a truth I would rather tell you directly, without decoration: Hispanic or Latino students are 8 out of every 100 undergraduates. It is a small minority, and compared with similar schools, it is below half of the group. That neither removes UAB from your child's list nor puts it on the list. It is simply a fact about who is enrolled today. If your child will be one of the few, the right question is not "should they go?" but "what student groups, what cultural center, what supports are here?" — and that question is answered by speaking with someone who already studies there, not by reading a national statistic.
How the academic year works and how broad the offerings are
UAB organizes the year in semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. That means consistent dates for everyone, with no calendar surprises.
The university reported that it accepts credit from AP exams and also what IPEDS calls "credit for life experience" — learning through independent study, adult courses, work experience, portfolios, licenses or certifications, among other routes, including military training. It also enrolls high school students in college-credit courses within a formal dual-enrollment program.
Here is the hard truth that I do not want to soften for you: reporting that it accepts AP does not mean it grants credit for every exam. The data do not say what scores it requires or whether those credits count toward your child's specific major. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it on paper.
As for what students study: between July 2022 and June 2023, UAB awarded 2,937 bachelor's degrees, distributed broadly across 20 program families (CIP). No one family accounts for more than 20 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year — the largest was health professions. It is a broad offering, without a single specialty dominating everything. But 20 families with activity are not 20 exact majors: each family groups several programs. Verify the specific program your child is interested in.
As for class size: the reported ratio is 18 students for every full-time-equivalent faculty member. It is an average figure on the general scale, but compared with schools of the same type, it falls in the highest quarter — that is, among those with higher student-faculty ratios in their group. This number does not tell you the actual size of a first-year class: it is an institutional average, not a classroom measure.
UAB also reports offering study abroad, co-curricular undergraduate research, noncredit developmental education, and teacher-certification preparation pathways, including state approval for initial certification.
What admission is like: what it requires, what it does not require, and who actually stays
Here is one of the most useful facts in this entire article. UAB reported that it does not have open admissions — it reviews components before saying yes. Of nine admission criteria evaluated in this report, it marked three as required: the high school transcript, high school GPA, and completion of the academic curriculum the university requires.
And the list of what is NOT considered is longer: class rank, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, a portfolio or skills examination, work experience, English-language-proficiency testing for applicants, and whether a family member studied there. Even if submitted, the report says they do not enter the admission decision.
Simply put: the transcript is what drives the decision here. IPEDS does not say how much each required component weighs or how they are combined, so this does not prove that GPA is the only factor. Before submitting the application, call admissions and ask about your child's specific case — what they require in this cycle takes priority over this 2023 report. The undergraduate application fee is $40.
Now, observed selectivity: UAB received 10,919 first-time applications in 2023 and offered admission to 9,655. That is 88 out of every 100 — a high acceptance rate, slightly above half compared with 519 similar selective public schools. Even so, 1,264 applicants were not offered admission. It is one of the schools that does accept students, but you still need to submit the complete application on time.
Here is a number many families do not know, and it completely changes the reading: out of every 100 admitted students, only 22 enrolled. The other 78 did not come to UAB that fall, even though they had been admitted. And do not read that as a stain on the university — the federal record does not say why each person chose what they chose. What I can tell you is this: what others decided does not tell you what they will offer you. Wait for your own letter with the net price — the actual amount the year will cost your family — before deciding whether UAB remains on the list.
Regarding standardized tests: the SAT and ACT are not required. If they are submitted, they are considered; if not, the application remains valid. Only 5 out of every 100 enrolled students submitted SAT scores — among the lowest proportions among 406 comparable universities. Among those who did submit them, the middle half scored between 570 and 700 in reading and writing, and between 560 and 700 in math. That range is not a minimum your child must reach or a guarantee if they reach it — these are data on students who already enrolled, not on all applicants.
And regarding transfers: of the cohort that entered in 2017 seeking a bachelor's degree, 20 out of every 100 transferred without finishing at UAB and enrolled at another school. It is a common proportion compared with similar schools. Transferring is not failing. What is useful is for your child to know beforehand how to request the records to leave if necessary. On the other hand, in fall 2023, 1,060 undergraduate students arrived at UAB for the first time as transfers from another institution — a substantial incoming flow. But that number does not say how many courses were recognized. Request that list in writing before your child moves.
The price: two price tags, and a gap you need to know
At University of Alabama at Birmingham, among 410 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and paid the in-state or district rate, whose records reported family EFC income of less than $30,000, the average net price was $14,816. Among 216 students in the same population with family EFC income of $48,001 to $75,000, it was $18,310; among 256 students with family EFC income above $110,000, it was $21,326. For dependent students, the band adds their parents' income and their own.
The difference between the average for the lower-income band (410 students) and that for the highest band (256 students) is $6,510. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship, the average was $17,413.
Among the 519 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure 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, scholarships, and loans: separate the piles before deciding
Out of every 100 degree-seeking students at UAB, 75 received some scholarship or aid that does not have to be repaid. Among those who received it, the average was $10,555 per year — that average counts only those who received something, not everyone.
The Pell Grant, federal aid for lower-income families, went to 34 out of every 100 students. That is less than the share receiving any scholarship or grant overall — the difference may come from state, institutional, or other aid sources, and this breakdown does not tell you exactly where it comes from. Ask which programs make up that difference.
Regarding loans: 41 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan in 2022-23 — more than two out of every ten, but fewer than half. Among those who borrowed, the average was $6,788 that year. This average does not include Parent PLUS loans signed by parents, debt from banks or credit cards, or accumulated debt at graduation — for that, all years would have to be added, and that figure is not here.
I will tell you with the same frankness I always use: this percentage describes other families, not yours. When your child's financial-aid letter arrives, separate it by hand into three piles — what does not have to be repaid, what must be repaid with interest, and what must be earned through work. Many letters mix them into a single column, and that is where families get confused.
UAB also reports a tuition installment-payment plan and participation in a Promise program, as additional mechanisms for managing cost.
Campus life, athletics, and support: what exists, without promising more
UAB does have institution-owned housing, and it does not require all first-time students to live there — that rules out a universal requirement; it does not say that no program has one. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies by plan. The reported maximum capacity of institutional housing is 3,480 students. Having rooms does not guarantee an available bed: request in writing the year's rate, the application deadline, and whether a space is guaranteed or you are placed on a waiting list.
There is ROTC from two branches: Army and Air Force. Navy is not marked. Reporting it does not say whether the program is completed on this specific campus or how many spaces are available — ask by name before building your child's plan around this.
UAB competes in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported membership in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. If your child wants to play, membership belongs to the school, not a promise to them: write directly to the coach for the sport and ask about roster space, division, and athletic scholarship, in writing.
There is distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Out of every 100 undergraduate students, 19 took their entire course load at a distance, and 81 took at least one in-person class. The university also reports at least one complete distance program, although the data do not confirm whether that specific program is undergraduate — confirm it by major.
The library has employed staff, spending above the federal threshold of $100,000, physical and digital materials, and interlibrary loan. That does not guarantee specific databases for your child's major — ask by program name.
Finally, UAB reports combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services for graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program, a point of contact for veterans and military students, a student veterans organization, and a services page for students with disabilities.
Do they stay? Do they graduate? The long-degree numbers
Here is perhaps the part that should matter most to you as a parent, because it speaks to whether students actually reach the finish line.
Of the cohort that entered full time in fall 2022, 82 out of every 100 met the official retention criterion the following year: they were still enrolled or had already graduated. It is a figure that falls in the higher range compared with similar schools. Among part-time students, that number drops to 47 out of every 100 — but they are different groups, with different lives; do not compare those two figures as though they were equivalent.
Regarding graduation: of a cohort of 2,198 students who began bachelor's-degree study in 2017 full time, 62 out of every 100 graduated within six years. At four years, the figure was 43 out of every 100 — 19 points fewer. That difference matters greatly because four years is the period most families budget for.The data do not say how many semesters each person attended and do not report tuition, rent, or earnings.
Of that same cohort of 2,198: 1,371 graduated here, 432 transferred to another institution without completing at UAB, 69 remained enrolled without finishing, and 325 fell into the federal category of "no longer enrolled" — which does not explain the reason and may include people who did graduate after the measured period. Before making any commitment, request in writing how long the program your child is interested in usually actually takes, and how the total cost changes if it extends longer.
There is an even longer measure: following a cohort that entered between July 2015 and June 2016 —including full-time and part-time students— 57 out of every 100 had a UAB degree or certificate eight years later. Among those who received Pell, the figure was 54 out of every 100, six points below those who did not receive it. Compared with similar schools, this falls below half of the group. 20 out of every 100 had an "unknown" enrollment status at the cutoff — which does not mean they dropped out or are not continuing to study elsewhere. The record simply does not determine it.
What comes next is yours, and what comes next is your child's
Now you know in depth one of the pieces you need to decide: what kind of university UAB is, how much it costs in its two versions, how people get in, how many stay, and how many graduate. It is a large research university, with relatively accessible admission at the front door but a real gap between who gets in and who actually enrolls, with a price that rises considerably if your family lives outside Alabama, and with graduation outcomes that exceed half but also leave a significant share without a degree within the measured period.
None of this tells you whether UAB is the right university for your child. That depends on what they want to study, what they have already built, and what your family can and is willing to pay. That combination —what the university offers, what your child seeks, and what your family can sustain— is what creates a real plan.
If you live in Alabama, the calculation changes; if you live outside it, that $13,032 annual difference deserves its own budget. If your child plans to live at home, drive the route before assuming anything. And if you already have the admission letter in hand, wait for the financial-aid letter before making the final decision — that number, yours, is the one that truly counts.
Source note: the information in this article comes from IPEDS and the United States Department of Education, with the years and periods indicated in each data point. Best College Aid does not represent University of Alabama at Birmingham or any government agency.