List of colleges and universities in Alabama

There are 60 colleges and universities in the U.S. state of Alabama. The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa is the largest university in the state with 38,100 enrolled for fall 2019.^[1] Jefferson State Community College in Birmingham, Alabama is the largest two-year college, with an enrollment of just over 8,000. The smallest institution is Heritage Christian University, a Churches of Christ-affiliated seminary, with an enrollment of 86 students. The oldest institution is Athens State University in Athens founded in 1822.^[2] There are also 8 four-year and 3 two-year historically black colleges and universities which is more than any other state.^[3]

Clockwise from left: Denny Chimes at the University of Alabama, Rogers Hall at the University of North Alabama, Samford Hall at Auburn University, Flowers Hall at Huntingdon College

The majority of Alabama's colleges and universities are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS),^[4] although several are accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE),^[5] the Council on Occupational Education (COE),^[6] or the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC).

The University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of South Alabama, the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, and the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine feature the only medical schools in the state.^[7] The University of Alabama School of Law, the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, and the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law at Faulkner University are American Bar Association-accredited law schools.^[8] The Birmingham School of Law and Miles Law School (unaffiliated with Miles College) are state accredited law programs.^[9]

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 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

Institution	Location(s)[10]	Control	Type[a]	Enrollment[10] (Fall 2022)	Founded	Accreditation[10]
Air University	Montgomery	Public (Air Force)	Master's university	[b]	1946	SACS
Alabama A&M University[c]	Normal[d]	Public	Research university	6,007	1875[12]	SACS
Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine	Dothan	Private	Medical school	761	2010	AOA's COCA
Alabama State University[c]	Montgomery	Public	Research University	3,828	1867[13]	SACS
Amridge University	Montgomery	Private (Churches of Christ)	Special-focus institution (Bible college)	647	1967[14]	SACS
Athens State University	Athens[e]	Public	Baccalaureate college	2,894	1822[16]	SACS
Auburn University	Auburn	Public	Research university	31,764	1856[17]	SACS
Auburn University at Montgomery	Montgomery	Public	Master's university	5,109	1967[18]	SACS
Bevill State Community College	Sumiton[f]	Public	Associate's college	3,703	1963[19]	SACS
Birmingham School of Law	Birmingham	Private	Law school	975	1915[20]	Alabama Bar Association
Bishop State Community College[c]	Mobile	Public	Associate's college	2,968	1927[21]	SACS
Calhoun Community College	Tanner[g]	Public	Associate's college	8,163	1965[22][h]	SACS
Central Alabama Community College	Alexander City[i]	Public	Associate's college	1,777	1989[23][j]	SACS
Chattahoochee Valley Community College	Phenix City[k]	Public	Associate's college	1,641	1974[25]	SACS
Coastal Alabama Community College	Bay Minette[l]	Public	Associate's college	6,800	1965[26]	SACS
Columbia Southern University	Orange Beach	Private (For-profit)	Master's university	15,948[m]	1993	DEAC
Community College of the Air Force	Montgomery	Public (Air Force)	Associate's college	[n]	1979[27][o]	SACS[p]
Enterprise State Community College	Enterprise[q]	Public	Associate's college	2,010	1965[29]	SACS
Faulkner University	Montgomery[r]	Private (Churches of Christ)	Baccalaureate college	2,817	1942[31]	SACS
Gadsden State Community College[c]	Gadsden[s]	Public	Associate's college	4,352	1985[32][t]	SACS
H. Councill Trenholm State Community College	Montgomery	Public	Associate's college	1,984	1966[33]	SACS
Heritage Christian University	Florence	Private (Churches of Christ)	Special-focus institution (Bible college)	143	1971[34]	ABHE
Highlands College	Birmingham	Private (Association of Related Churches)	Special-focus institution (Bible college)		2011[35]	ABHE (candidate)[36]
Huntingdon College	Montgomery	Private (United Methodist Church)	Baccalaureate college	817	1854[37]	SACS
Huntsville Bible College	Huntsville	Private (Interdenominational)	Special-focus institution (Bible college)	92	1986[38]	ABHE
J.F. Drake State Community and Technical College	Huntsville	Public	Associate's college	976	1961[39]	SACS
J. F. Ingram State Technical College	Deatsville	Public	Associate's college	768[u]	1965[40]	COE
Jacksonville State University	Jacksonville	Public	Master's university	9,632	1883[41]	SACS
Jefferson State Community College	Birmingham[v]	Public	Associate's college	8,431	1965[42]	SACS
Lawson State Community College	Birmingham[w]	Public	Associate's college	2,919	1950[43]	SACS
Lurleen B. Wallace Community College	Andalusia[x]	Public	Associate's college	1,929	1969[44]	SACS
Marion Military Institute	Marion	Public	Associate's college	320	1842[45]	SACS
Miles College[c]	Fairfield	Private (Christian Methodist Episcopal Church)	Baccalaureate college	1,258	1905[46]	SACS
Miles Law School	Fairfield	Private	Law school		1974	Alabama Bar Association
Northeast Alabama Community College	Rainsville	Public	Associate's college	2,590	1963[47]	SACS
Northwest–Shoals Community College	Muscle Shoals[y]	Public	Associate's college	4,032	1993[48][z]	SACS
Oakwood University[c]	Huntsville	Private (Seventh-day Adventist Church)	Baccalaureate college	1,470	1896[49]	SACS
Reid State Technical College	Evergreen	Public	Associate's college	434	1966[50]	COE
Samford University	Birmingham	Private (Christian)	Master's university	5,682	1841[51]	SACS
Selma University[c]	Selma	Private (National Missionary Baptist Convention of America)	Special-focus institution (Bible college)	50	1878[52]	ABHE
Shelton State Community College[c]	Tuscaloosa	Public	Associate's college	4,166	1979[53][aa]	SACS
Snead State Community College	Boaz[ab]	Public	Associate's college	2,507	1898[54]	SACS
Southern Union State Community College	Wadley[ac]	Public	Associate's college	4,386	1994[55][ad]	SACS
Spring Hill College	Mobile	Private (Roman Catholic Church)	Master's university	1,046	1830[56]	SACS
Stillman College[c]	Tuscaloosa	Private (Presbyterian Church of the USA)	Baccalaureate college	744	1876[57]	SACS
Talladega College[c]	Talladega	Private (United Church of Christ)	Baccalaureate college	903	1867[58]	SACS
Troy University	Troy[ae]	Public	Master's university	14,156	1887[60]	SACS
Tuskegee University[c]	Tuskegee	Private	Research University	2,570	1881[61]	SACS
United States Sports Academy	Daphne	Private	Special-focus institution	240	1972[62]	SACS
University of Alabama	Tuscaloosa	Public	Research university	38,644	1831[63]	SACS
University of Alabama at Birmingham	Birmingham	Public	Research university	21,639	1966[64]	SACS
University of Alabama in Huntsville	Huntsville	Public	Research university	9,237	1949[65]	SACS
University of Mobile	Prichard	Private (Southern Baptist Convention)	Master's university	1,804	1961[66]	SACS
University of Montevallo	Montevallo	Public	Master's university	2,586	1896[67]	SACS
University of North Alabama	Florence	Public	Master's university	9,830	1830[68]	SACS
University of South Alabama	Mobile[af]	Public	Research university	13,438	1963[70]	SACS
University of West Alabama	Livingston	Public	Master's university	5,860	1835[71]	SACS
Wallace Community College	Dothan[ag]	Public	Associate's college	3,832	1949[72]	SACS
Wallace Community College Selma	Selma	Public	Associate's college	1,860	1963[73]	SACS
Wallace State Community College	Hanceville[ah]	Public	Associate's college	5,965	1966[74]	SACS

Out-of-state institutions

Institution	Location(s)[10]	Control	Accreditation[10]	Notes
Columbia College Missouri	Redstone Arsenal[75]	Private	HLC
Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine	Auburn	Private	AOA's COCA	VCOM-Auburn is located on the Auburn University campus.[76]
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University	Huntsville, Fort Novosel, Mobile	Private	SACS	ERAU has four instructional sites in Alabama: one in Huntsville,[77] one at Fort Novosel,[78] and two in Mobile.[79][80]
Florida Institute of Technology	Huntsville[81]	Private	SACS
Southeastern University	Birmingham, Cullman, Florence, Huntsville	Private (Assemblies of God)	SACS	Students are able to pursue a degree from Southeastern University while dually-enrolled at Highlands College in Birmingham.[82] Additionally, SEU has instructional sites at four churches in Birmingham, Cullman, Florence, and Huntsville.[83]
United States Army Command and General Staff College	Redstone Arsenal[84]	Public (Army)	HLC

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

• Fortis Institute has campuses in Birmingham, Dothan, Foley, Mobile, and Montgomery
• Herzing University has a campus in Birmingham
• Remington College has a campus in Mobile
• South University has a campus in Montgomery
• Strayer University has campuses in Birmingham, Decatur, Huntsville, and Montgomery

Defunct institutions

Institution	Location(s)	Control	Type	Founded	Closed	Ref
Alabama Presbyterian College	Anniston	Private	Baccalaureate college	1906	1918	[85]
Concordia College Alabama[c]	Selma	Private (Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod)	Baccalaureate college	1922	2018	[86]
Daniel Payne College	Birmingham	Private (AME)	Baccalaureate college	1889	1979	[87]
Judson College	Marion	Private (Southern Baptist Convention)	Baccalaureate college	1838[88]	2021	[89]
Southeastern Bible College	Birmingham	Private (Interdenominational)	Special-focus institution (Bible college)	1934[90]	2017	[91]
Southern Benedictine College	Cullman	Private (Catholic)	Baccalaureate college	1929	1979	[92]
Virginia College	Birmingham[ai]	Private (for-profit)	Baccalaureate/Associate's college	1983	2018	[94]
Birmingham–Southern College	Birmingham	Private (United Methodist Church)	Baccalaureate college	1856[95]	2024	[96]

See also

• United States portal

• List of college athletic programs in Alabama
• Higher education in the United States
• List of American institutions of higher education
• List of recognized higher education accreditation organizations

Notes

1. School types are based on the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
2. Air University is a professional military education institution of the United States Air Force. It is unclear how many Air University students are based in Alabama.
3. Historically black college or university^[3]
4. In addition to its main campus, Alabama A&M has an instructional site on the campus of Lawson State Community College in Birmingham.^[11]
5. In addition to the main campus, Athens State offers programs, along with Calhoun Community College, at the Alabama Center for the Arts in Decatur^[15]
6. Bevill State has campus locations in Sumiton, Fayette, Hamilton, and Jasper, and has an instructional center in Carrollton.^[10]
7. In addition to the main campus in Tanner, Calhoun Community College has locations in Huntsville and at the Limestone Correctional Facility.^[10] It also offers programs, along with Athens State University, at the Alabama Center for the Arts in Decatur^[15]
8. Created in 1965 as a merger of two institutions founded in 1947 and 1963^[22]
9. Central Alabama has locations in Alexander City, Childersburg, Prattville, and Talladega.^[10]
10. Created in 1989 as a merger of two institutions, both founded in 1963^[23]
11. In addition to its main campus, Chattahoochee Valley Community College has an instructional site at Fort Moore, Georgia.^[24]
12. Coastal Alabama has locations in Bay Minette, Fairhope, Gulf Shores, Atmore, Brewton, Gilbertown, Jackson, Monroeville, and Thomasville.^[10]
13. Columbia Southern University is an online-only institution. It is unclear how many students are based in Alabama.
14. The Community College of the Air Force enrolls over 370,000 students at sites in 36 states, the District of Columbia, and six foreign locations. It is unclear how many are located in Alabama.^[27]
15. Founded in 1972 in Texas, moved to Alabama in 1979^[27]
16. The Community College of the Air Force is accredited by SACS through its parent organization, Air University.^[28]
17. In addition to the main campus in Enterprise, Enterprise State has two Alabama Aviation College locations in Andalusia and Ozark
18. In addition to the main campus in Montgomery, Faulkner University has instructional sites in Hoover, Huntsville, and Mobile.^[30]
19. Gadsden State has campus locations in Gadsden and Anniston, and also has an instructional site in Centre.^[10]
20. Created in 1985 as a merger of three institutions founded in 1925, 1960, and 1965^[32]
21. All students at J.F. Ingram State Technical College are incarcerated adults
22. Jefferson State has locations in Birmingham, Hoover, Clanton, and Pell City.^[10]
23. Lawson State has locations in Birmingham and Bessemer
24. Lurleen B. Wallace has campus locations in Andalusia, Greenville, and Opp, and has an instructional site in Luverne.^[10]
25. Northwest–Shoals has a location in Phil Campbell.^[10]
26. Created in 1993 as a merger of two institutions founded in 1963 and 1966^[48]
27. Created in 1979 as a merger of two institutions founded in 1952 and 1972^[53]
28. In addition to its main campus, Snead State has instructional sites in Arab and Albertville.
29. Southern Union has locations in Wadley, Opelika, and Valley.^[10]
30. Created in 1994 as a merger of two institutions founded in 1922 and 1963^[55]
31. Troy has locations in Troy, Dothan, Montgomery, and Phenix City, in addition to locations in 15 other states and 6 countries.^[59]
32. In addition to the main campus in Mobile, the University of South Alabama has a satellite campus in Fairhope.^[69]
33. Wallace has locations in Dothan and Eufaula^[10]
34. In addition to the Hanceville campus, Wallace State has an instructional site in Oneonta
35. Virginia College has locations in Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile, and Montgomery, in addition to 21 locations in other states.^[93]