How to Get Into the University of Alabama – Acceptance Rate & Strategies
August 10, 2022
The United States is filled with excellent schools that are extremely hard to get into. There are also a solid number of excellent schools that accept the vast majority of applicants. The University of Alabama acceptance rate is 79% which qualifies it as a shining example of the latter category. Students flock to Tuscaloosa for a thriving Greek Life, outrageously good football team, and strong academic offerings including engineering, nursing, business, and computer science.
In order to help you prepare for the pathway toward becoming a member of the Crimson Tide, this article will cover the following topics:
- University of Alabama acceptance rate
- SAT, ACT, GPA, and class rank of accepted University of Alabama applicants
- Admissions trends
- Where is the University of Alabama?
- Alabama’s system for rating applicants
- A look at the demographics of current University of Alabama undergraduates
- The percent of accepted students that attend University of Alabama (yield rate)
- Tips for applying
- How to assess whether applying to the University of Alabama is even worth the $65 application fee (for you)
Many students applying to Alabama may also find the following blogs to be of interest:
How to Get Into:
Let’s begin with an examination of the most recent admissions data.
University of Alabama Acceptance Rate
The University of Alabama acceptance rate was 78% for the Class of 2025. This is a comparable figure to the 80% clip the previous year. Class of 2026 figures have yet to be officially released.
University of Alabama Admissions – SAT, ACT, GPA, and Class Rank
For Class of 2025 members, the mid-50% SAT was 1080-1370. The mean SAT is 1217. The ACT range was 21-31. The mean ACT is 26. It is important to point out that University of Alabama is test-optional through at least 2023. Further, the average GPA was 3.76 and 55% of entering 2021-22 freshmen earned above a 3.75. Forty-one percent of this cohort placed in the top decile of their high school class and 59% finished at least in the top quartile. Lastly, 82% were in the top half.
Admissions Trends & Notes
- Firstly, University of Alabama will continue to be test-optional in 2022-23.
- The Class of 2025 included 281 National Merit Scholars. There are now 940 National Merit Scholars enrolled at the university.
- UA enrolled the largest freshman class in history in 2021-22.
- The number of freshmen from Alabama increased by 8% last year.
- Minority enrollment increased by 37% from 2020 to 2022.
Where is the University of Alabama?
The University of Alabama’s main campus is located in Tuscaloosa. This city is situated in West-Central Alabama on the banks of the Black Warrior River.
How University of Alabama Rates Applicants
University of Alabama views three factors as “very important” to the admissions process: rigor of high school course load, GPA, and standardized test scores (despite being test-optional currently). Additionally, items that are “important” as part of the admissions process are class rank, extracurricular activities, and volunteer work. Further, there are eight considered factors including essay and recommendations.
For a slightly different look at the school’s institutional priorities, we go right to their own admissions office:
- “Holistic admissions at UA includes both academic and non-academic criteria.”
- “Non-academic items include leadership experience, volunteer experience, extracurricular activities, employment and non-academic honors.”
For more, check out our blog entitled: How Many Extracurricular Activities Do I Need for College?
University of Alabama Demographics
Next, let’s look at the demographics of the University of Alabama undergraduate student body.
The regional representation among the undergraduate student body is as follows:
- Alabama: 42%
- Out-of-State/International: 58%
Current students come from 92 foreign countries. The greatest percentage of international students come from the following countries:
- Kuwait
- China
- Saudi Arabia
- India
- Canada
In terms of ethnic identity, the breakdown of the undergraduate student body is as follows:
- White: 77%
- Asian: 1%
- Hispanic: 5%
- African American: 10%
- International: 2%
A look at the gender split reveals that university enrolls an even number of men and women.
- Men: 44%
- Women: 56%
University of Alabama “Yield Rate”
University of Alabama’s yield rate is 23%. For comparison, other top state schools have the following yields: University of Washington (28%), UCLA (44%), and Binghamton University (18%).
Tips for Applying
If you plan on joining the 42,000+ Crimson Tide hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:
- Firstly, we encourage you to check out the step-by-step application directions offered by the university.
- Make sure that you have completed the Minimum Unit Requirements.
- This school does not use interviews as part of their evaluation process.
- University of Alabama does not judge you on your level of demonstrated interest.
- Lastly, make sure to dedicate sufficient time and effort to the 2022-23 Common App essay prompts required by Alabama.
Should I Apply to Alabama?
Two-fifths of teens enrolled in the University of Alabama finished in the top quartile of their high school class and 69% possessed at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA. If you check those boxes then you will be a competitive applicant and, if the school is a good fit for you, submitting an application will certainly be worth your time and $65. However, all students need to also have a proper mix or “target” and “safety” schools on their college list. More on creating a balanced college list can be found here.
