# 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. 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. There are also 8 four-year and 3 two-year historically black colleges and universities 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 (SACS), although several are accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), the Council on Occupational Education (COE), 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. 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. The Birmingham School of Law and Miles Law School (unaffiliated with Miles College) 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 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) | Control | Type | Enrollment (Fall 2022) | Founded | Accreditation |
| Air University | Montgomery | Public (Air Force) | Master's university | | 1946 | SACS |
| Alabama A&M University | Normal | Public | Master's university | 6,007 | 1875 | SACS |
| Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine | Dothan | Private | Medical school | 761 | 2010 | AOA's COCA |
| Alabama State University | Montgomery | Public | Master's university | 3,828 | 1867 | SACS |
| Amridge University | Montgomery | Private (Churches of Christ) | Special-focus institution (Bible college) | 647 | 1967 | SACS |
| Athens State University | Athens | Public | Baccalaureate college | 2,894 | 1822 | SACS |
| Auburn University | Auburn | Public | Research university | 31,764 | 1856 | SACS |
| Auburn University at Montgomery | Montgomery | Public | Master's university | 5,109 | 1967 | SACS |
| Bevill State Community College | Sumiton | Public | Associate's college | 3,703 | 1963 | SACS |
| Birmingham School of Law | Birmingham | Private | Law school | 975 | 1915 | Alabama Bar Association |
| Bishop State Community College | Mobile | Public | Associate's college | 2,968 | 1927 | SACS |
| Calhoun Community College | Tanner | Public | Associate's college | 8,163 | 1965 | SACS |
| Central Alabama Community College | Alexander City | Public | Associate's college | 1,777 | 1989 | SACS |
| Chattahoochee Valley Community College | Phenix City | Public | Associate's college | 1,641 | 1974 | SACS |
| Coastal Alabama Community College | Bay Minette | Public | Associate's college | 6,800 | 1965 | SACS |
| Columbia Southern University | Orange Beach | Private (For-profit) | Master's university | 15,948 | 1993 | DEAC |
| Community College of the Air Force | Montgomery | Public (Air Force) | Associate's college | | 1979 | SACS |
| Enterprise State Community College | Enterprise | Public | Associate's college | 2,010 | 1965 | SACS |
| Faulkner University | Montgomery | Private (Churches of Christ) | Baccalaureate college | 2,817 | 1942 | SACS |
| Gadsden State Community College | Gadsden | Public | Associate's college | 4,352 | 1985 | SACS |
| H. Councill Trenholm State Community College | Montgomery | Public | Associate's college | 1,984 | 1966 | SACS |
| Heritage Christian University | Florence | Private (Churches of Christ) | Special-focus institution (Bible college) | 143 | 1971 | ABHE |
| Highlands College | Birmingham | Private (Association of Related Churches) | Special-focus institution (Bible college) | | 2011 | ABHE (candidate) |
| Huntingdon College | Montgomery | Private (United Methodist Church) | Baccalaureate college | 817 | 1854 | SACS |
| Huntsville Bible College | Huntsville | Private (Interdenominational) | Special-focus institution (Bible college) | 92 | 1986 | ABHE |
| J.F. Drake State Community and Technical College | Huntsville | Public | Associate's college | 976 | 1961 | SACS |
| J. F. Ingram State Technical College | Deatsville | Public | Associate's college | 768 | 1965 | COE |
| Jacksonville State University | Jacksonville | Public | Master's university | 9,632 | 1883 | SACS |
| Jefferson State Community College | Birmingham | Public | Associate's college | 8,431 | 1965 | SACS |
| Lawson State Community College | Birmingham | Public | Associate's college | 2,919 | 1950 | SACS |
| Lurleen B. Wallace Community College | Andalusia | Public | Associate's college | 1,929 | 1969 | SACS |
| Marion Military Institute | Marion | Public | Associate's college | 320 | 1842 | SACS |
| Miles College | Fairfield | Private (Christian Methodist Episcopal Church) | Baccalaureate college | 1,258 | 1905 | SACS |
| Miles Law School | Fairfield | Private | Law school | | 1974 | Alabama Bar Association |
| Northeast Alabama Community College | Rainsville | Public | Associate's college | 2,590 | 1963 | SACS |
| Northwest–Shoals Community College | Muscle Shoals | Public | Associate's college | 4,032 | 1993 | SACS |
| Oakwood University | Huntsville | Private (Seventh-day Adventist Church) | Baccalaureate college | 1,470 | 1896 | SACS |
| Reid State Technical College | Evergreen | Public | Associate's college | 434 | 1966 | COE |
| Samford University | Birmingham | Private (Christian) | Master's university | 5,682 | 1841 | SACS |
| Selma University | Selma | Private (National Missionary Baptist Convention of America) | Special-focus institution (Bible college) | 50 | 1878 | ABHE |
| Shelton State Community College | Tuscaloosa | Public | Associate's college | 4,166 | 1979 | SACS |
| Snead State Community College | Boaz | Public | Associate's college | 2,507 | 1898 | SACS |
| Southern Union State Community College | Wadley | Public | Associate's college | 4,386 | 1994 | SACS |
| Spring Hill College | Mobile | Private (Roman Catholic Church) | Master's university | 1,046 | 1830 | SACS |
| Stillman College | Tuscaloosa | Private (Presbyterian Church of the USA) | Baccalaureate college | 744 | 1876 | SACS |
| Talladega College | Talladega | Private (United Church of Christ) | Baccalaureate college | 903 | 1867 | SACS |
| Troy University | Troy | Public | Master's university | 14,156 | 1887 | SACS |
| Tuskegee University | Tuskegee | Private | Baccalaureate college | 2,570 | 1881 | SACS |
| United States Sports Academy | Daphne | Private | Special-focus institution | 240 | 1972 | SACS |
| University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa | Public | Research university | 38,644 | 1831 | SACS |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham | Public | Research university | 21,639 | 1966 | SACS |
| University of Alabama in Huntsville | Huntsville | Public | Research university | 9,237 | 1949 | SACS |
| University of Mobile | Prichard | Private (Southern Baptist Convention) | Master's university | 1,804 | 1961 | SACS |
| University of Montevallo | Montevallo | Public | Master's university | 2,586 | 1896 | SACS |
| University of North Alabama | Florence | Public | Master's university | 9,830 | 1830 | SACS |
| University of South Alabama | Mobile | Public | Research university | 13,438 | 1963 | SACS |
| University of West Alabama | Livingston | Public | Master's university | 5,860 | 1835 | SACS |
| Wallace Community College | Dothan | Public | Associate's college | 3,832 | 1949 | SACS |
| Wallace Community College Selma | Selma | Public | Associate's college | 1,860 | 1963 | SACS |
| Wallace State Community College | Hanceville | Public | Associate's college | 5,965 | 1966 | SACS |

## Out-of-state institutions

| Institution | Location(s) | Control | Accreditation | Notes |
| Columbia College Missouri | Redstone Arsenal | Private | HLC | |
| Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine | Auburn | Private | AOA's COCA | VCOM-Auburn is located on the Auburn University campus. |
| Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University | Huntsville, Fort Novosel, Mobile | Private | SACS | ERAU has four instructional sites in Alabama: one in Huntsville, one at Fort Novosel, and two in Mobile. |
| Florida Institute of Technology | Huntsville | 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. Additionally, SEU has instructional sites at four churches in Birmingham, Cullman, Florence, and Huntsville. |
| United States Army Command and General Staff College | Redstone Arsenal | 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 |
| Alabama Presbyterian College | Anniston | Private | Baccalaureate college | 1906 | 1918 |
| Concordia College Alabama | Selma | Private (Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod) | Baccalaureate college | 1922 | 2018 |
| Daniel Payne College | Birmingham | Private (AME) | Baccalaureate college | 1889 | 1979 |
| Judson College | Marion | Private (Southern Baptist Convention) | Baccalaureate college | 1838 | 2021 |
| Southeastern Bible College | Birmingham | Private (Interdenominational) | Special-focus institution (Bible college) | 1934 | 2017 |
| Southern Benedictine College | Cullman | Private (Catholic) | Baccalaureate college | 1929 | 1979 |
| Virginia College | Birmingham | Private (for-profit) | Baccalaureate/Associate's college | 1983 | 2018 |
| Birmingham–Southern College | Birmingham | Private (United Methodist Church) | Baccalaureate college | 1856 | 2024 |