There are 60 colleges and universities in the U.S. state of

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

. The

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publ ...

in Tuscaloosa is the largest university in the state with 38,100 enrolled for fall 2019. Jefferson State Community College in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% f ...

is the largest two-year college, with an enrollment of just over 8,000. The smallest institution is

Heritage Christian University Heritage Christian University is a private bible college in Florence, Alabama. It is affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university is governed by a Board of Directors, all of whom must be active members of the Churches of Christ. Acad ...

, a

Churches of Christ The Churches of Christ is a loose association of autonomous Christian congregations based on the '' sola scriptura'' doctrine. Their practices are based on Bible texts and draw on the early Christian church as described in the New Testament. ...

-affiliated

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

, with an enrollment of 86 students. The oldest institution is

Athens State University Athens State University is a public upper-division university in Athens, Alabama. Its academics are housed in three colleges: Education, Arts and Sciences, and Business. History Athens State University is Alabama's oldest educational institutio ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

founded in 1822. There are also 8 four-year and 3 two-year

historically black colleges and universities Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. ...

which is more than any other state. The majority of Alabama's colleges and universities are accredited by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

(SACS), although several are accredited by the

Association for Biblical Higher Education The Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), formerly The Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges (AABC) is an evangelical Christian organization of bible colleges in the United States and Canada. It is a member of the International Co ...

(ABHE), the

Council on Occupational Education The Council on Occupational Education (COE) is a national accrediting agency of higher education institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. COE was created in 1971 as part of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The C ...

(COE), or the

Distance Education Accrediting Commission The Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), formerly the National Home Study Council and then as the Distance Education and Training Council, is a non-profit national educational accreditation agency in the United States specializing in t ...

(DEAC). The

University of Alabama at Birmingham The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a public research university in Birmingham, Alabama. Developed from an academic extension center established in 1936, the institution became a four-year campus in 1966 and a fully autonomous univ ...

, the

University of South Alabama The University of South Alabama (USA) is a public research university in Mobile, Alabama. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in May, 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. The first ...

, the

Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine The Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM) is a private, non-profit medical school located in the city of Dothan in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is the first osteopathic medical school in the state and is believed to be the first osteopa ...

, and the

Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) is a private medical school on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia (VCOM-Virginia), with branch campuses in Spartanburg, South Carolina (VCOM-Carolinas), Auburn, Alabama (VCOM ...

feature the only medical schools in the state. The

University of Alabama School of Law The University of Alabama School of Law, (formerly known as the Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. School of Law at The University of Alabama) located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama is a nationally ranked top-tier law school and the only public law school in the st ...

, the

Cumberland School of Law Cumberland School of Law is an American Bar Association, ABA accredited law school at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. It was founded in 1847 at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee and is the 11th oldest law schoo ...

Samford University Samford University is a private Christian university in Homewood, Alabama. In 1841, the university was founded as Howard College by Baptists. Samford University describes itself as the 87th oldest institution of higher learning in the United St ...

, and the

Thomas Goode Jones School of Law The Thomas Goode Jones School of Law (FaulknerLaw, Jones Law, JLS, or JSL) is the law school of Faulkner University, located in Montgomery, Alabama. History Jones School of Law was founded in 1928 by Montgomery County Circuit Judge Walter B. ...

Faulkner University Faulkner University is a private Christian university in Montgomery, Alabama. It is affiliated with the Churches of Christ. History The university was founded in 1942 by Dr. Rex Turner, Dr. Leonard Johnson and Joe Greer as Montgomery Bible S ...

are

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of aca ...

-accredited law schools. The

Birmingham School of Law The Birmingham School of Law is a state-accredited law school located in Birmingham, Alabama. Founded in 1915 by Judge Hugh A. Locke, a judge of the Chancery Court and president of the Birmingham Bar Association, the Birmingham School of Law off ...

and

Miles Law School Miles Law School is a law school located in Birmingham, Alabama. It is independent of Miles College. Miles Law School was founded on August 26, 1974. Among the founders were Bishop C. A. Kirkendoll of the C.M.E. Church, Dr. W. Clyde Williams, f ...

(unaffiliated with

Miles College Miles College is a private historically black college in Fairfield, Alabama. Founded in 1898, it is associated with the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CME Church) and a member of the United Negro College Fund. History Miles College bega ...

) are state accredited law programs. There are four institutions of higher learning in Alabama that are listed among Tier 1 national universities by U.S. News & World Report - The University of Alabama (UA), Auburn University (AU), the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). These four universities are also

classified Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper * The Classified, a 1980s American ro ...

among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity: "The University of Alabama, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, and Auburn University as of February 2022.

Institutions

Out-of-state institutions

Additionally, several for-profit colleges and universities based in other states have campuses in Alabama: *

Fortis Institute Fortis College (also Fortis Institute and Fortis College of Nursing in some locations) is a Private for-profit college with multiple campuses throughout the United States. It was established in 2008 and is operated by Education Affiliates and own ...

has campuses in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

, Dothan, Foley, Mobile, and Montgomery * Herzing University has a campus in Birmingham * Remington College has a campus in Mobile *

South University South University is a private university with its main campus and online operations in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1899, South University consists of its School of Pharmacy, College of Nursing and Public Health, College of Healt ...

has a campus in Montgomery *

Strayer University Strayer University is a private for-profit university with its headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1892 as Strayer's Business College and later became Strayer College, before being granted university status in 1998. Strayer Unive ...

has campuses in Birmingham, Decatur, Huntsville, and Montgomery

Defunct institutions

Notes

References

External links

Department of Education listing of accredited institutions in Alabama
{{featured list

Colleges and universities This is a list of lists of universities and colleges. Subject of study * Aerospace engineering * Agriculture * Art schools * Business * Chiropractic * Engineering * Forestry * Law * Maritime studies * Medicine * Music * Nanotechnology * Oste ...

Institutions

Out-of-state institutions

Defunct institutions

See also

Notes

References

External links