For those interested in studying in Alabama, we have a very useful list. We selected the best Alabama institutions for prospective students. Please know that rankings are based on academic research, alumni reviews, graduation rates, as well as assessment from peer colleges. On the page, you will find major admissions stats such as acceptance rate, tuition fees, average SAT scores for each ranked college or university.
| Rankings | Schools |
| 1 | University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL) Tuition: in-state: $9,200, out-of-state: $22,950 Total enrollment: 31,647 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 43.5% Average freshman retention rate: 85% 6-year graduation rate: 66% Classes with under 20 students: 45.3% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 22-29 |
| 2 | Auburn University (Auburn University, AL) Tuition: in-state: $9,446, out-of-state: $25,190 Total enrollment: 25,469 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 70.0% Average freshman retention rate: 87% 6-year graduation rate: 66% Classes with under 20 students: 25.9% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 24-30 |
| 3 | University of Alabama at Birmingham (Birmingham, AL) Tuition: N/A Total enrollment: 17,575 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 72.2% Average freshman retention rate: 80% 6-year graduation rate: 45% Classes with under 20 students: 38.8% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 21-27 |
| 4 | University of Alabama in Huntsville (Huntsville, AL) Tuition: N/A Total enrollment: 7,629 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 63.7% Average freshman retention rate: 77% 6-year graduation rate: 45% Classes with under 20 students: 39.0% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 22-29 |
| 5 | University of South Alabama (Mobile, AL) Tuition: N/A Total enrollment: 14,769 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 87.3% Average freshman retention rate: 66% 6-year graduation rate: 39% Classes with under 20 students: 41.2% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 19-25 |
Nature of Alabama
The state of Alabama is located in the South of the United States and belongs to the southeastern central states. The territory of Alabama is about 136,000 km 2 (30th place in the USA).
Alabama is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida to the south, and Mississippi to the west.
The lands of Alabama drop from the northeast of the state, where the southern foothills of the Appalachians are located, to the southwest, to the Gulf of Mexico.
In the northern part of Alabama, the Cumberland Plateau is located, which is part of the Appalachian Plateau. To the south and somewhat to the east stretch the “Ridges and Valleys” (Ridge and Valley), a region formed by relatively low mountain ranges and valleys separating them. Further south is the southern tip of the Piedmont Plateau, where Mount Cheaha, the highest point in Alabama, is located.
Further south is the coastal plain, part of the US Atlantic Lowland. The coastal plain occupies almost two-thirds of the territory of Alabama, in the southeast of the state it is characterized by steppe landscapes, in the southwest – marshy lowlands.
Many rivers flow through the state, Alabama is the second among the US states in terms of the length of inland waterways. The largest river in the state is the Alabama River, which flows from the northeast to the southwest of the state and flows into the Gulf of Mexico near the city of Mobile.
It is interesting that in the upper reaches this river is called Kusa, after the confluence with the Tallapoussa River, it receives the name Alabama, and in the lower reaches, after the confluence of the Tombigbee tributary, the river is called Mobile. The length of the Alabama River (from the source of Kusa to Mobile Bay) is over a thousand kilometers.
The Tennessee River, the largest tributary of the Ohio River, flows through northern Alabama.
The Chattahoochee River forms the border between the states of Alabama and Georgia.