More selective than 17% of Alabama colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $28,145. College Scorecard.
Higher than 79% of Alabama colleges we cover and 68% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 81% of Alabama colleges we cover and 54% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
UAB acceptance rate & admissions
Of 10,919 applicants, University of Alabama at Birmingham admitted 9,655 and 2,095 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1210–1450 on the SAT or 23–30 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
UAB tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Alabama residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What UAB costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of University of Alabama at Birmingham took 4.4 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Alabama. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $16,172 | $70,672 | 3.1 years |
| $30–48k | $15,500 | $67,735 | 2.9 years |
| $48–75k | $19,161 | $83,734 | 3.6 years |
| $75–110k | $21,805 | $95,288 | 4.1 years |
| $110k+ | $22,597 | $98,749 | 4.3 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.4 years, the average time graduates took (43% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($54,501) minus $31,484 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in AL (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $23,017 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
UAB majors, earnings & careers
University of Alabama at Birmingham offers 49 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Business & Finance · 9
- Science & Math · 9
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 8
- Engineering · 6
- Humanities & Languages · 6
- Health & Medicine · 4
- Arts & Design · 3
- Education · 2
- Communications & Media · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at UAB
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences | $104,654 | $24,000 |
| Biomedical Engineering | $90,415 | $22,676 |
| Electrical Engineering | $90,089 | $27,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $89,589 | $26,354 |
| Materials Engineering | $83,985 | — |
| Management Information Systems | $79,843 | $27,901 |
| Nursing | $78,224 | $21,911 |
| Civil Engineering | $78,054 | $26,596 |
Quick list of all 49 majors
- Accounting$69,201
- Anthropology$31,991
- Biology$55,174
- Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology—
- Biomedical Engineering$90,415
- Business Administration$63,036
- Business Economics—
- Chemistry$60,318
- Civil Engineering$78,054
- Communications$44,461
- Computer and Information Sciences$104,654
- Criminal Justice$51,643
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$49,139
- Education (Subject Teaching)$52,435
- Electrical Engineering$90,089
- Engineering—
- English$48,706
- Entrepreneurship—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Finance$66,980
- General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations$76,648
- Genetics—
- Health Administration$53,021
- Health Sciences—
- History$48,565
- Human Resources$61,781
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$45,714
- Linguistics—
- Management Information Systems$79,843
- Marketing$56,591
- Materials Engineering$83,985
- Mathematics$57,453
- Mechanical Engineering$89,589
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology—
- Music$41,768
- Neuroscience—
- Nursing$78,224
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Physiology—
- Political Science$44,493
- Psychology$46,369
- Public Health$44,398
- Security / Homeland Security—
- Social Sciences, Other$47,004
- Social Work$47,791
- Sociology$40,148
- Studio Art$43,138
- Theatre$37,173
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Birmingham
Overall prices in the Birmingham, AL area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,375. Housing costs 28% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 58 inches of rain a year, 1 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (very high); river flooding (relatively high); heat wave (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Jefferson County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Jefferson County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare UAB with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Alabama by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Alabama at Birmingham | 88% | $18,749 | 64% | $54,501 | This school |
| Troy University | 96% | $16,527 | 50% | $42,062 | |
| University of North Alabama | 87% | $12,170 | 55% | $45,415 | |
| Jacksonville State University | 78% | $14,279 | 55% | $45,235 | |
| University of South Alabama | 71% | $17,648 | 53% | $49,379 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
University of Alabama at Birmingham would cost you $2,222 more per year than Troy University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at University of Alabama at Birmingham, mostly from higher housing & meal costs (+$5,594).
- University of Alabama at Birmingham gives aided families $2,758 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Alabama resident | UAB | TROY | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $9,098 | $10,176 | −$1,078 |
| Books & supplies | $1,200 | $1,366 | −$166 |
| Housing & meals | $13,590 | $7,996 | +$5,594 |
| Personal & travel | $5,757 | $5,004 | +$753 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$1,500 | −$1,377 | −$123 |
| Sticker price | $28,145 | $23,165 | +$4,980 |
| Average grants | −$9,396 | −$6,638 | −$2,758 |
| You pay | $18,749 | $16,527 | +$2,222 |
“+” means UAB costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about UAB
What is the UAB acceptance rate?
University of Alabama at Birmingham accepts 88% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 9,655 of 10,919 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1210–1450 on the SAT or 23–30 on the ACT.
How much does University of Alabama at Birmingham cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $28,145 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $18,749 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $16,172 and families earning $110k+ pay $22,597.
How much do UAB graduates earn?
Former University of Alabama at Birmingham students earn a median $54,501 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the UAB graduation rate?
64% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 80% return for their second year.
How long does a UAB degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at University of Alabama at Birmingham costs about $83,734 after grants ($19,161 a year for 4.4 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $54,501 ten years after starting, $23,017 more than high school graduates in Alabama ($31,484), so the cost is repaid in 3.6 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “University of Alabama at Birmingham: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-alabama-at-birmingham (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).