Program Options at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
The University of Alabama at Birmingham appears in our ranking of the 20 Best Online Schools for Marketing.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham offers more than 140 programs of study that are available at the university’s campus in Birmingham, as well as via online study. Students can even enroll in classes while they are still in high school through the University of Alabama at Birmingham Dual Enrollment program. Popular programs at the university include those in health professions, business, biology, engineering, and education.
The university enjoys a freshman retention rate of 82 percent, and its student-faculty ratio is 19:1. More than 40 percent of the university’s classes are held with fewer than 20 students enrolled. Students interested in dual enrollment must attend a partner high school like Mountain Brook High School or any of the city schools in Birmingham, as well as formally apply to the program and pay a $30 application fee.
Students with interest in online degrees can enroll in programs that deliver virtually all of their content online with some time spent on campus or 100 percent online with no on-campus requirements. There are also some blended programs available where students participate in on-campus classes, as well as internet-based education.
Some of the bachelor’s degrees available include a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, which is available 100 percent online, the Bachelor of Criminal Justice, which is mostly online, and the Registered Nurse to BSN Pathway, which is a blended program. Other degrees include a Bachelor of Science in Marketing, a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems, and a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management.
There are also many graduate degrees available with varying campus requirements like the Master of Education in School Psychometry, which is delivered mostly online and the Master of Accounting, which is offered 100 percent online. Other degrees include the Master of Engineering and the Master of Science in Nutrition Sciences.
Both degrees are offered with multiple concentrations, so students can focus on engineering topics like structural engineering, information engineering, or sustainable smart cities, as well as health topics for the nutrition sciences degree that include dietitian education, lifestyle management, or the clinical track with a prior learning option.
About the University of Alabama at Birmingham
The University of Alabama at Birmingham was once an academic extension center in the 1930s and would become a four-year college in 1966 with the university being formally established in 1969. The university’s campus is located in the neighborhood of Southside in Birmingham, Alabama, and the school also runs a hospital with the only Level 1 trauma center in the entire state.
The university’s official colors are white, green, and gold and the university’s economic impact on the state is more than $7 billion each year. The university has 17 intercollegiate sports teams that are nicknamed the Blazers and participate in NCAA Division I games. The school’s mascot is named Blaze the Dragon. Almost 22,000 students attend the university in areas of study like engineering, business, education, and health-related fields.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Accreditation Details
The University of Alabama at Birmingham is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and first obtained that accreditation in 1970. Institutional accreditation allows the university to award college degrees, as well as for its students to participate in the federal student loan program. The university will undergo reaccreditation in 2025. There are also some programs accredited by agencies recognized by the Department of Education.
Accreditations include those from the American Dental Association, the American Occupational Therapy Association, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, and the American Optometric Association. Other approvals come from the American Physical Therapy Association, the American Psychological Association, the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation, and the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Application Requirements
Prospective students who want to apply to the University of Alabama at Birmingham will need to submit the official application, an application fee of $30, and scores from the SAT or ACT. Students can submit a high school transcript that includes their standardized test scores, and the university will consider that submission as official evidence of the student’s scores. The deadline for priority consideration is June 1 for the fall semester and November 1 for the spring semester.
The admissions process at the University of Alabama at Birmingham is holistic, and consideration is given to many different factors like the strength of the student’s curriculum, standardized test scores, and high school GPA. The average GPA for freshmen at the university is 3.73, and students typically average 1210 on the SAT or 25 on the ACT. Students should submit their application by December 1 if they want to be considered for scholarships.
Tuition and Financial Aid
The per-credit charge for Alabama residents in undergraduate programs at the University of Alabama at Birmingham is $357 per credit, and the non-resident charge is $850 per credit. Students in some programs may pay a different amount. For example, degrees in the health professions, public health, and nursing are $421 per credit hour for residents and $1,005 per credit hour for non-residents. The dual enrollment program is $178.50 for residents and $424.50 for non-residents.
Graduate students will pay a rate consistent with their program of enrollment. Rates for residents range from $433 per credit hour to $572 per credit hour, and rates for non-residents vary from $1,026 per credit hour to $1,098 per credit hour. Some programs are charged an overall program fee rather than a per-credit rate. For example, the program in dentistry is $14,288 for residents and $33,0986 for non-residents.
Student loans are a popular option for students interested in obtaining financial assistance for paying for their tuition. Loan options include subsidized and unsubsidized Federal Direct Loans and Federal Direct Parent Loans for undergraduates. Students can also consider alternative education loans, as well as pursue grants from federal, state, private, and institutional sources.
Many of the institutional scholarships offered to students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham are awarded based on the student’s GPA or standardized test scores. Not only can residents qualify for merit-based scholarships, but the university also offers scholarships to students living outside the state. Scholarships at the University of Alabama at Birmingham include the Presidential Recognition Scholarship, the Collegiate Honors Scholarship, and the UAB Breakthrough Scholarship.
