Address: 1720 2nd Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States
Medicine, Health Professions, Nursing, Dentistry, Optometry, Public Health, Engineering, Business, Education, Arts and Sciences
The University of Alabama at Birmingham was established on 16 June 1969. Its predecessors were the Medical College of Alabama, which existed from 1859 to 1966, and the Birmingham Extension Center, set up in 1936. The extension center was located at 2131 6th Avenue North in Birmingham and enrolled 116 students. The campus now lies in the Southside neighbourhood of downtown Birmingham, Alabama, and covers about 636 acres.
In fall 2024 the university counted 20,905 students, of whom 11,959 were undergraduates and 8,946 postgraduates. They came from more than 110 countries, and the student to faculty ratio was 18 to 1. The faculty numbered 3,278 according to the infobox. The total staff is given as 24,024 in the infobox and as more than 27,302 faculty and staff in the text, so the sources do not agree.
The academic structure has one college, nine schools, an honors college and a graduate school, with 140 programs across 12 academic divisions. The degrees include 57 bachelor, 69 master, 3 specialist, 42 doctoral and 3 professional programs. The Carnegie classification gives it R1, very high research activity. It has been accredited by SACS since 1970.
The health system is the heart of the institution. UAB Hospital has 1,207 beds. It is the largest hospital in Alabama, the eighth largest in the United States and the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. It records nearly two million clinical visits a year. The O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only cancer center of its kind designated by the National Cancer Institute in Alabama and the surrounding four-state area. In January 2022 researchers tested a preclinical model for transplanting genetically modified pig kidneys into humans.
The finances show the weight of research. The endowment is about one billion dollars, the budget was 4.34 billion dollars in 2021, and research grants and extramural awards exceeded 715 million dollars in fiscal 2022. Research expenditures reached 780 million dollars in 2023. The athletic teams, the Blazers, play in the American Conference. Tuition differs for residents and non-residents. Check the current tariff.
Domains taught:
Bioinformatics, Data Analytics, Engineering, Finance, Life Sciences, Microbiology and Genetics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
UAB Hospital with 1,207 beds, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, Honors College, Graduate School.
Research:
Medicine, cancer research, health professions, engineering, transplantation research.
Famous Alumnis:
N/A
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
3278
Current students***:
20905
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Carnegie R1 research classification, UAB Hospital is the largest hospital in Alabama, the only NCI comprehensive cancer center in Alabama, over 715 million dollars in awards.
Cons
Urban campus in a medical district, large hospital system dominates the identity, summer heat.
Best For
Students pursuing medicine, health professions and biomedical research in the American South.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Indiana University Indianapolis shares the core fields of this institution, namely finance, bioinformatics and life sciences; it covers software engineering as well, and is slightly larger, at about 29,390 students against roughly 20,905 here.
University of Miami overlaps with this institution on finance, microbiology and genetics and life sciences, so the two are easy to compare, and it covers marine science and ecology and sustainability as well, and has almost the same size, at about 20,104 students.
A good alternative in the same country is Emory University, which likewise covers finance, bioinformatics and microbiology and genetics; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers chemistry and statistics as well.
Among national alternatives, University of Maryland, Baltimore stands out for its focus on bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and life sciences, and it is smaller, enrolling about 7,137 students against roughly 20,905 here, and is also a public institution.
Think of University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston when bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and life sciences is the priority: it also offers certificate programmes and covers statistics as well.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Anhui Medical University, in China, takes a similar route through bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and life sciences; it does not run the mba programmes found here, and has almost the same size, at about 18,700 students.
Looking internationally, Wenzhou Medical University in China is where microbiology and genetics and life sciences get a comparable treatment; it has almost the same size, at about 22,416 students, and is also a public institution.
Looking internationally, Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iran is where bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and life sciences get a comparable treatment; it is smaller, enrolling about 11,543 students against roughly 20,905 here, and is also a public institution.
Abroad, Karolinska Institute (Sweden) covers bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and life sciences in a comparable way, and it covers bioengineering and statistics as well, and is far smaller, with about 6,500 students against roughly 20,905 here.
On content, University of Newcastle Australia in Australia and this university are close, as both teach finance, life sciences and data analytics; it is larger, enrolling about 36,244 students against roughly 20,905 here, and is also a public institution.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is the University of Alabama at Birmingham?
In the Southside neighbourhood of downtown Birmingham, Alabama.
When was it established?
On 16 June 1969.
What were its predecessors?
The Medical College of Alabama and the Birmingham Extension Center.
How many students does it have?
20,905 in fall 2024.
How large is the campus?
About 636 acres.
How many beds does UAB Hospital have?
1,207.
What is special about the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center?
It is the only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in Alabama and the surrounding four-state area.
What is its research classification?
Carnegie R1, very high research activity.
How much did research expenditures reach in 2023?
780 million dollars.
What does it cost?
Tuition differs for residents and non-residents. Check the current tariff.
Biology, Biomedical Sensors, Innovation, Research and Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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