9 Top Alabama Colleges and Universities

Alabama has a wide range of options for both public and private institutions. From a large public university like the University of Alabama to small Huntingdon College, Alabama has schools to match a wide range of student personalities and interests. The 9 top Alabama colleges listed below represent such diverse school types and missions that I have simply listed them alphabetically rather than force them into any sort of artificial ranking -- it makes little sense to try and compare a large public university to a small private Christian college. The schools were chosen based on factors such as academic reputation, curricular innovations, first-year retention rates, six-year graduation rates, selectivity, financial aid and student engagement.

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Auburn University

Location: Auburn, Alabama
Enrollment: 28,290 (22,658 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: public university
Distinctions: over 140 degree programs; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; over 300 student clubs and organizations; strong Division I athletic programs within the Southeastern Conference
For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Auburn University profile

Birmingham-Southern College

Location: Birmingham, Alabama
Enrollment: 1,293 (all undergraduate)
Type of Institution: private Methodist liberal arts college
Distinctions: good financial aid; strong student-faculty interaction; featured in Loren Pope's Colleges That Change Lives; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; good financial aid; 13 to 1 student / faculty ratio
For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Birmingham-Southern College profile

Huntingdon College

Location: Montgomery, Alabama
Enrollment: 1,148 (all undergraduate)
Type of Institution: private Methodist college
Distinctions: 14 to 1 student / faculty ratio; average class size of 20; popular programs in business; most students receive grant aid; level tuition payments for four years
For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Huntingdon College profile

Top Georgia Colleges

By Allen Grove

Samford University

Location: Birmingham, Alabama
Enrollment: 5,471 (3,341 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: private Christian university
Distinctions: largest private university in Alabama; 138 undergraduate majors; 12 to 1 student / faculty ratio; no classes are taught by graduate students; good value; member of the NCAA Division I Southern Conference
For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Samford University profile

Spring Hill College

Location: Mobile, Alabama
Enrollment: 1,476 (1,381 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: private Catholic college
Distinctions: 14 to 1 student / faculty ratio; average class size of 18; attractive 381-acre campus; good value; most students receive grant aid; popular programs in business and nursing; founded in 1830 (oldest Catholic college in the Southeast)
For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Spring Hill College profile

University of Alabama in Huntsville

Location: Huntsville, Alabama
Enrollment: 8,468 (6,507 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: public university
Distinctions: 16 to 1 student / faculty ratio; popular programs in business, nursing and engineering; strong research initiatives including partnerships with NASA, the U.S. Army, Pratt & Whitney, and others; NCAA Division II Athletics (Division I Hockey)
For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the University of Alabama in Huntsville profile

University of Alabama Main Campus

Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Enrollment: 37,663 (32,563 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: public university
Distinctions: Alabama's flagship institution of higher learning; highly ranked public university; good value; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; strong athletic programs in the NCAA Division I Southeastern Conference
For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the University of Alabama profile

University of Mobile

Location: Mobile, Alabama
Enrollment: 1,480 (1,376 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: private Christian university
Distinctions: 13 to 1 student / faculty ratio; 800-acre campus; good value; broad academic offerings for a small college; popular programs in nursing, business and education
For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the University of Mobile profile

University of Montevallo

Location: Montevallo, Alabama
Enrollment: 2,798 (2,409 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: public liberal arts college
Distinctions: good value; attractive 160-acre campus; center of campus is a National Historic District; 75 majors to choose from; 16 to 1 student / faculty ratio
For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the University of Montevallo profile

Explore Great Colleges in the South

If you're interest in attending a college in the South, check out these other great schools: