OVERVIEW

The University of Alabama is a public university in the state of Alabama. As the largest university by enrollment in the state of Alabama and the University of Alabama System, it has an enrollment of about 31,747 students in all. It has a nickname of “The Capstone”, which symbolizes that it is the capstone of the public school system in the state of Alabama.

The university was founded in 1831, as was an activity center during the American Civil War and the African-American Civil Rights Movement. It has a massive campus of 1,970 acre in the center of Tuscaloosa, housing 297 buildings in all.

The University of Alabama offers degrees in bachelor’s, master’s, post-master’s certificate, and doctorate programs. At the same time, it also offers some combined-degree programs, such as African American Studies, Applied Mathematics, Health Education/Promotion, Master of Business, and so on.

The mission of the University of Alabama is:

To advance the intellectual and social condition of the people of the State through quality programs of teaching, research, and service.

ACCREDITATION

The University of Alabama is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor’s, master’s, educational specialist, and doctoral degrees.

ACADEMICS

The University of Alabama comprises 12 colleges and schools:

1. Art and Sciences
2. Commerce and Business Administration
3. Communication and Information Sciences
4. Community Health Sciences
5. Continuing Studies
6. Education
7. Engineering
8. Graduate
9. Honors
10. Human Environmental Sciences
11. Law
12. Nursing
13. Social Work

The most popular majors and course of study for students are as follows:

1. Business, management, marketing, and related support services
2. Communication, journalism, and related programs
3. Health professions and related programs
4. Education
5. Family and consumer sciences/human sciences

The university was ranked 79th in the 2011 National Universities Category by the U.S. News & World Report, and No. 31 as a public school, which is the highest ranking among all the universities in the state of Alabama.

The undergraduate programs offered at the University of Alabama put much emphasis on the professional study programs, and the liberal arts as well. The university is also a member of the Association of Research Libraries, and ranked No. 56 in all the 126 members of the system in the year of 2011.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The University of Alabama is a comparatively selective university, with an admission rate of 53.6 percent. Factors including academic GPA, standardized test scores, secondary school record, application essay, recommendations, class rank, etc. are viewed important in the admission. For the applicants, high school diploma is required, and GED is accepted.

COSTS AND FINANCIAL AID

The tuition and fees for in-state students is USD 7,000, and USD 20,500 for out-of-state every academic year. The room and board may cost USD 8,214, and the average book expense is USD 1,100.

Need-based financial aids, including grants, loans and federal work study are offered at the University of Alabama. About 40.3 percent full-time students receive certain kind of financial aids, and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is USD 6,871.