University of North Alabama Acceptance Rate, Admissions & Graduation

Let’s go through it calmly, with the official numbers on the table, so that when the time comes to decide, you decide with the complete map and not just half of it.

What kind of university is it?

University of North Alabama is in Florence, Alabama, within Lauderdale County, in the Florence-Muscle Shoals metropolitan area. It is a public four-year institution, and the federal system records it as offering up to the doctorate as its highest reported level. That is a general institutional fact: it does not mean that the specific program your child is interested in goes up to that level. If their program connects to graduate study, ask the program directly.

In the way the government classifies the country’s universities, it appears as a medium-sized, four-year, primarily residential school: between one-quarter and one-half of its undergraduate students lived in institution-owned, controlled, or affiliated housing, and at least half studied full time. It is also classified, at the graduate level, within the master’s category—not research doctorates—and among institutions that receive many transfer students. If your child plans to come here after studying elsewhere, ask in writing which courses will count and which will not. The “high transfer” label does not tell you how many credits people bring in or how many they lose along the way.

One thing worth clarifying from the start: University of North Alabama does not have any of these three special designations: it is not a historically Black college or university (HBCU), it is not a tribal college or university, and it is not a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 universities in the federal directory, 138 have one of the three. Not having one does not say which students it serves or how your child will feel there. Ask directly: what cultural centers and student organizations exist today, and confirm it by speaking with someone who already studies on campus.

If your child plans to live at home while studying, here is simple and useful advice: drive the route on a weekday, at the exact time of their classes. The real travel time is almost never what the map says.

The size of the community and who makes it up

University of North Alabama reported 10,059 enrolled students in the official fall count. It is a large school, in the 10,000 to 19,999 student range the government uses to classify size. Among public four-year universities with selective admission in this data set, its size is among the most common: neither among the largest nor the smallest.

But that total number hides something important: it is divided into 7,451 undergraduate students and 2,608 graduate students. If your child is starting a bachelor’s degree, the number that matters to them is 7,451, not the total of 10,059. A large part of that bigger figure is people who have already completed a degree and returned for a more advanced one.

Now, who makes up that undergraduate community:

Five out of every hundred is a small minority. Among the 519 public four-year schools with selective admission in this data set that report this information, University of North Alabama falls in the bottom quarter: three out of every four similar schools reported a higher share of Latino students.

I want to be direct with you here, because this is a hard truth and not a condemnation. Having few Latino students does not make a school bad, and having many does not make it good. This figure counts who is enrolled, and nothing more. But if your child will be one of the few in their classroom, that does matter for their daily experience. Ask what student groups and supports exist, and speak with a Latino student who is already there before deciding. The number is for the whole school; their specific program may look different.

How the academic year works and which credits they recognize

The calendar is semester-based: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The university reported that it accepts credit for AP exams, but did not indicate that it grants credit for life experience. It also stated that it accepts credit for military training and enrolls high school students in credit-bearing college courses, both within and outside a formal dual-enrollment program.

Here is the fine print that does matter: saying they accept AP does not mean they grant credit for every exam or every score. We do not know how many points they require or whether those credits count toward your child’s specific program. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.

As for what is studied there: between July 2022 and June 2023, the university awarded 1,219 bachelor’s degrees, distributed across 22 program families. The largest was business and administration, with 23 out of every 100 degrees that year, but no other program dominated. It is a broad, distributed offering, not concentrated in one thing. Even so, 22 active families are not 22 exact programs: verify the precise program your child is interested in.

As for class size: University of North Alabama reports 18 students for each full-time-equivalent faculty member. It is a middle-range ratio compared with the country overall, but among schools of its same type it falls in the highest quarter. Both things are true at the same time. And note: this number does not tell you the actual size of a classroom. It is an institutional ratio, not a promise of small classes.

Academic pathways the institution reports

University of North Alabama reports offering study abroad, credit-bearing developmental education, preparation for teacher certification below the postsecondary level, the option to complete preparation in certain teacher-specialization areas there, and state approval of its program for initial teacher certification. If any of these pathways interest your child, this is a good starting point for asking the program directly what it involves in practice.

Admission: the door almost always opens

Here is the heart of this university. In its official admissions report, University of North Alabama counted 4,398 first-time applicants and offered admission to 4,243. That is 96 out of every 100. Only 155 out of 4,398 were left without an offer.

Among the 519 public four-year schools with selective admission in this data set, University of North Alabama is among those that accept the most applicants. At least nine out of every ten similar schools accepted an equal or smaller percentage of their applicants.

What does this mean for your child? That the effort they put into the process pays off more in meeting the deadline and completing the application file correctly than in fighting for a spot. But—and this also has to be said plainly—being easy to get into does not mean it is inexpensive, nor that most students finish. Before deciding, look at the net price and graduation rate. Those two figures weigh more than the admission figure.

University of North Alabama does not have completely open admission: it does review items before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, it marked three as required: the high school transcript, high school GPA, and English-proficiency testing for those to whom it applies. The list of what it does NOT consider is longer: class rank, the courses taken, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, a portfolio or competency examination, work experience, and whether a family member attended. The SAT and ACT are also not considered for the admission decision, even if they are submitted—that does not say whether they use them for scholarships or other purposes; ask separately.

One fact that eases the cost from the first step: the undergraduate application fee is $0.

And if your child studied outside the United States, or attended high school in Spanish, ask today whether they must take the English-proficiency test and what exempts them. These are the kinds of things discovered too late when they are not asked about in time.

Getting in is not the same as enrolling

Of every 100 students University of North Alabama admitted for the first year of 2023, only 26 ultimately enrolled there. The other 74 had the letter in hand and did not use it. This percentage is among the most common at similar schools: neither very high nor very low.

It does not measure quality or prestige. It counts how many admitted first-time students decided to enroll that fall. When your child receives their letters, this number does not decide anything for your family: put the letters side by side and compare net price, program, and distance before deposit day.

Those who arrive from another school, and those who leave for another

University of North Alabama receives many transfer students: 603 undergraduate students enrolled there in fall 2023 after previously studying at another institution.

But there is also outflow. Of the first-time, full-time cohort that entered in 2017 seeking a bachelor’s degree, 29 out of every 100 transferred to another school without finishing at University of North Alabama. Compared with 395 similar schools in this data set, it is a proportion on the high side: seven out of every ten, or more, saw an equal or smaller proportion leave.

Here is something almost no family knows, and it is valuable to know: a student who transfers does not count as a graduate of this school, even if they complete their degree somewhere else. Remember this when you compare graduation rates later in this article. And many students changing schools does not mean they did poorly—the report counts the change, not the reason or outcome.

The cost: what is published and what is actually paid

At University of North Alabama, among 201 first-time, full-time students seeking a credential who received federal Title IV aid and paid the in-state or district rate, whose records reported family EFC income below $30,000, the average net price was $8,309. Among 117 students from the same population with family EFC income of $48,001 to $75,000, it was $11,901; among 125 students with family EFC income above $110,000, it was $14,273. For dependent students, the range combines their parents’ income and their own.

Between the average for the lower-income range (201 students) and that for the highest range (125 students), there is a difference of $5,964. Among first-year students who received any scholarship, the average was $10,441.

The price they advertise is not the same as the one paid. Here, for lower-income students, the average net price was $8,309 in academic year 2022-23.

The income ranges in this profile describe first-time, full-time students seeking a credential who received federal Title IV aid; at this public institution, they use the in-state or district rate. The overall average with scholarships, when it appears, describes first-time, full-time students seeking a credential 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.

Financial aid and loans: who receives what

Of every 100 students seeking a degree at University of North Alabama, 82 received some scholarship or aid that does not have to be repaid, averaging $9,410 per year among those who received it. The Pell Grant—federal aid for lower-income families—reached 33 out of every 100.

These two figures cannot be subtracted from one another because they do not share the same denominator or exactly the same year: the overall aid percentage is calculated across all degree-seeking students, while the average amount counts only those who received something. When your child’s 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 one column, and that can confuse anyone.

Regarding loans: 30 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal student loan in school year 2022-23, averaging $6,558 among those who borrowed. Compared with similar schools in this data set, it is a proportion on the low side—seven out of every ten, or more, had a higher share of students with loans.

It is important to say this with complete clarity: this percentage describes other families, not yours. What your child would need to borrow comes from their own financial-aid letter, not this overall average. Wait for that letter before ruling out the school and before committing to it. And remember that this average is only federal loans in the student’s name for one year—it does not include Parent PLUS loans parents sometimes sign for, bank debt, or the accumulated debt with which someone graduates.

The institution also reports a tuition installment payment plan as a way to manage the cost.

Campus life, format, and supports

University of North Alabama does offer institution-controlled housing, with a reported maximum capacity of 2,441 students. It is not required for all full-time, first-time students to live there—that negates a universal requirement, but does not say that no specific program has one. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies by plan selected. Having rooms does not guarantee a bed will be available: ask in writing for this year’s rate, the deadline to apply for housing, and whether you are guaranteed a space or placed on a waitlist.

Regarding ROTC: the only branch confirmed in writing in the report is Army. Navy and Air Force are not marked. Not confirmed does not mean impossible—it means you need to ask directly if your child is interested in another branch.

In athletics, University of North Alabama competes in the NCAA, with reported membership in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. If your child wants to compete, membership belongs to the school, not to them: write directly to the coach for that sport, ask whether there is space, what division that discipline competes in, and whether it provides athletic scholarships. Have them answer in writing.

Regarding distance education: the university does offer it, at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Of every 100 undergraduate students, 16 took their entire academic load at a distance, and 84 took at least one in-person class. It also reports having at least one complete program that can be completed entirely at a distance—confirm the exact level and program if that interests your family.

The library operates with employed staff, annual spending above the $100,000 threshold recorded by the government, physical and digital materials, and interlibrary loan. That is a baseline, not a guarantee that specific databases exist for your child’s program—ask by program name.

Finally, the institution reports these services and supports: combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services upon program completion, a dedicated point of contact for veterans and military students, a student veterans organization, and a web address for disability services.

Who stays, and who finishes

This is perhaps the most important section of the entire article, because it connects everything above with the final outcome.

Retention. Of the full-time cohort that entered in fall 2022 (1,106 students), 78 out of every 100 met the official retention criterion: they were still enrolled there or had already completed a bachelor’s degree one year later. It is a figure somewhat above half of similar schools in this data set—neither among the best nor the worst. The much smaller part-time cohort (34 students) had retention of 44 out of every 100—but do not compare these two figures directly: they are different groups of people, with different lives.

Graduation. Of the 1,105 students who entered a bachelor’s program in 2017 as full-time, first-time students, 597 had a degree from this school six years later. That is 54 out of every 100—almost half and half. At four years, the timeframe most families budget for, the figure is only 33 out of every 100. There are 21 points of difference between four and six years, which tells you something very concrete: the fifth year, and sometimes the sixth, costs money. Before signing, ask in writing how long the program your child is interested in actually tends to take, how its required courses are scheduled, and how the total cost changes if it takes longer.

Compared with similar schools in this data set, University of North Alabama is above the median on this six-year measure.

At eight years. A different, broader cohort—2,118 undergraduate students who entered between July 2015 and June 2016, including full-time and part-time students—reached 53 out of every 100 with a degree or certificate from this school as of August 2023. Among those who received a Pell Grant, that figure drops to 45 out of every 100—fourteen points below those who did not receive Pell. This is a difference worth asking the school about directly: what specifically is available for those students—a designated adviser, emergency aid, whether institutional aid renews every year. And have them answer in writing.

It is worth remembering here what we saw earlier: a student who transfers to another school does not count as a graduate of University of North Alabama, even if they complete their degree elsewhere. These graduation figures do not capture that path.

What you can do with all of this

You now know deeply one of the pieces you need to decide. University of North Alabama is a university where the front door is almost always open—96 out of every 100 applicants receive a yes—and where the published price is, compared with similar schools, relatively low. But it is also a university where a little more than half of a cohort graduates within six years, where finishing on time in four years is the exception rather than the rule, and where Latino students are still few.

None of this tells you whether it is the right university for your child. That depends on what they want to study, what they have built so far, and what your family can and is willing to pay. If you live outside Alabama, the difference of $10,200 per year in tuition is something you need to face directly starting now. If your child is concerned about being one of the few Latino students in their classroom, that is a conversation worth having with someone already there, not only with a brochure.

What you can do now is request the AP credit evaluation in writing, ask about the English test if it applies, wait for the financial-aid letter before ruling out or committing to this school, and ask directly how long the program your child is interested in actually tends to take.

Put it all together. A plan comes from that combination.

Source note: the information in this article comes from official data reported by University of North Alabama to the U.S. Department of Education’s IPEDS system, primarily from cycles 2022-23 and 2023-24. Best College Aid does not represent University of North Alabama or the U.S. government, and this piece does not replace direct verification with the institution’s admissions and financial-aid office.