---
title: The University of Alabama — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Tuscaloosa, AL
control: Public
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# The University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, AL · Public · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $59,221 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $39,848 – $87,405 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $17,986 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $10,250 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 73% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $33,382 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 77% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.30× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $31,221 | derived |

**73% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $17,986 (≈ 30% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $17,611 to $104,741 across 65 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Doctoral Degree | $104,741 | $35,680 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Master's Degree | $93,535 | $29,740 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods. | Master's Degree | $84,175 | not reported |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies. | Master's Degree | $80,715 | $45,195 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Master's Degree | $78,913 | $33,500 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. | Doctoral Degree | $75,975 | $73,102 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $70,103 | $21,992 |
| Management Information Systems and Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $66,858 | $21,375 |
| Mechanical Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $65,760 | $24,015 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $65,725 | $23,787 |
| Chemical Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $65,209 | $22,625 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $65,199 | $26,787 |
| Law. | First Professional Degree | $62,913 | $61,500 |
| Civil Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $61,525 | $25,000 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $58,043 | $20,000 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Master's Degree | $57,197 | not reported |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. | Master's Degree | $53,763 | $20,500 |
| Marketing. | Master's Degree | $53,740 | $20,500 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services. | Master's Degree | $52,981 | $41,000 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $52,711 | $23,250 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $52,220 | $22,190 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $48,795 | $23,250 |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other. | Master's Degree | $48,221 | $30,750 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Master's Degree | $47,480 | $30,750 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General. | Master's Degree | $47,338 | $29,627 |
| Mathematics. | Bachelor's Degree | $46,634 | $20,000 |
| Marketing. | Bachelor's Degree | $45,924 | $21,500 |
| Special Education and Teaching. | Master's Degree | $45,038 | not reported |
| Business/Managerial Economics. | Bachelor's Degree | $44,909 | $21,500 |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services. | Master's Degree | $43,209 | not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $42,470 | $23,250 |
| Library Science and Administration. | Master's Degree | $41,118 | $28,937 |
| Design and Applied Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $40,655 | $26,000 |
| Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $39,629 | $22,477 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,904 | $24,889 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Master's Degree | $38,362 | not reported |
| Social Work. | Master's Degree | $38,260 | $30,750 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,936 | $26,125 |
| Special Education and Teaching. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,693 | $25,473 |
| Apparel and Textiles. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,189 | $25,000 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,129 | $24,459 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,886 | $22,662 |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,300 | $23,250 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,626 | $23,250 |
| Public Health. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,103 | $25,000 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,951 | $22,497 |
| Journalism. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,764 | $23,375 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,690 | $23,875 |
| Social Work. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,850 | $24,072 |
| History. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,190 | $20,568 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,061 | $23,750 |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,712 | $26,735 |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,610 | $23,719 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,565 | $24,125 |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,212 | $21,500 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,766 | $23,250 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,760 | $23,250 |
| Music. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,724 | $23,519 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,760 | $20,807 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,391 | $22,250 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,063 | $23,905 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $21,805 | $21,500 |
| Anthropology. | Bachelor's Degree | $19,624 | not reported |
| Dance. | Bachelor's Degree | $19,399 | not reported |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. | Bachelor's Degree | $17,611 | $26,750 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore The University of Alabama by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?100751

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/the-university-of-alabama-al.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`