University of Alabama

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I am quite confident the experience of the 1100 plusnational merit semifinalists in the honor college is quite different than for the rest of the student body. There are also kids there just to party, no one is disputing that.

You can be confident that top employers will also consider where your degree was obtained.

So you wouldn’t send your kid to JMU because it isn’t in the top 100? Just want to see where we are drawing lines here.

Bumping because I am still waiting for an answer to this?

JMU:
Overall ranking - 124
US News score - 61
Outcomes rank - 51

Seems like it's in a different league compared to Alabama!

Not to me, ranked between 100 and 200. The us news score also similar.

Wut? Alabama's numbers:

170 - About 50 ranks lower
55 - About 6 points higher
245 - About 200 ranks lower!

US News outcomes is rankings are complete bs, and also 10 years out of date so I don’t think they are worth considering.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:In strictly academic terms, it's just a terrible school.

Where is your evidence?

I'm a professor at a R1 university. But go ahead and choose any field at random and see where UofA is ranked in that field. This isn't hard.

Example?

DP. Here you go (from US News). Depending on your perspective, these can be good or bad. Now pls. shut up so the discussion can turn constructive.. A lot of parents (including me) want to hear honest feedback on the school. Their overall ranking is 170, but the rank that really matters (outcomes rank) is 245. Wish they had a ranking for post-grad income to complete the picture, but that's likely asking for too much.. If you don't trust US News, you are welcome to google other rankings yourself.

The University of Alabama Rankings

#170 in National Universities (tie)
#91 in Top Public Schools (tie)
#153 in Best Value Schools
#90 in Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs (tie)
At schools whose highest degree is a doctorate
#47 in Business Programs (tie)
#28 in Accounting (tie)
#40 in Marketing (tie)
#82 in Computer Science (tie)
#31 in Nursing (tie)
#118 in Psychology Programs (tie)
#99 in Economics (tie)
#118 in Best Colleges for Veterans (tie)
#410 in Top Performers on Social Mobility (tie)

U.S. News Overall Score - Score (out of 100) 55
Outcomes (52%)
Outcomes rank 245
Average 6-year graduation rate (16%) 72%

Average first-year student retention rate (5%) 88%
Social Mobility Rank 410
6-year graduation rate of students who received a Pell Grant (3%) 59%
6-year graduation rate of students who did not receive a Pell Grant (3%) 76%
6-year graduation rate of first generation students (2.5%) 56%
6-year graduation rate of non-first generation students (2.5%) 69%
Predicted graduation rate (10%) 77%
Overperformance(+)/Underperformance(-) -4
Median federal loan debt for borrowers (5%) $22,750
College grads earning more than a HS grad (5%) 82%

Out of over 2,500 four year colleges in the US. Nice try.

DP: This post provided real data and context. A 55 overall score for a state flagship is meaningful information to consider. Otherwise you might just assume state flagship=must be fine. There are only about 75 or so state universities considered the "flagship" and Alabama is falling far out of the rankings for those. You can look at the data and interpret it differently, but to have the sardonic "nice try" when someone lays it out is obnoxious.

What’s wrong with being in the top 10% of all universities?

You do realize that those 2500+ include many regional private art institutes, lots of religious colleges that have <200 students and have been closing their doors, very small 4 year colleges that offer degrees like cosmetology and the like that are scattered around many towns. More relevant to consider where it stands relative to other national universities and colleges if you're considering attending out of state with qualifications like NMSF. And it's well in the lower half of those. It's not an awful school, but it doesn't have the academic quality of most other state flagships. People should just make their decision with their eyes open--the USNWR data has some positives and some negatives--but it points to the fact that Alabama has a lower academic caliber than most of the other OOS public flagships DCUM families typically are applying to.

US News national university category doesn’t include regional art schools. Even if it did, UA is still top 10%. Attending any flagship is a major accomplishment when compared to other struggling colleges as you pointed out.

Isn't Auburn the flagship anyway?

No

It's public and ranked 93 though.[/quote

So?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In strictly academic terms, it's just a terrible school.

Where is your evidence?

I'm a professor at a R1 university. But go ahead and choose any field at random and see where UofA is ranked in that field. This isn't hard.

Example?

DP. Here you go (from US News). Depending on your perspective, these can be good or bad. Now pls. shut up so the discussion can turn constructive.. A lot of parents (including me) want to hear honest feedback on the school. Their overall ranking is 170, but the rank that really matters (outcomes rank) is 245. Wish they had a ranking for post-grad income to complete the picture, but that's likely asking for too much.. If you don't trust US News, you are welcome to google other rankings yourself.

The University of Alabama Rankings

#170 in National Universities (tie)
#91 in Top Public Schools (tie)
#153 in Best Value Schools
#90 in Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs (tie)
At schools whose highest degree is a doctorate
#47 in Business Programs (tie)
#28 in Accounting (tie)
#40 in Marketing (tie)
#82 in Computer Science (tie)
#31 in Nursing (tie)
#118 in Psychology Programs (tie)
#99 in Economics (tie)
#118 in Best Colleges for Veterans (tie)
#410 in Top Performers on Social Mobility (tie)

U.S. News Overall Score - Score (out of 100) 55
Outcomes (52%)
Outcomes rank 245
Average 6-year graduation rate (16%) 72%

Average first-year student retention rate (5%) 88%
Social Mobility Rank 410
6-year graduation rate of students who received a Pell Grant (3%) 59%
6-year graduation rate of students who did not receive a Pell Grant (3%) 76%
6-year graduation rate of first generation students (2.5%) 56%
6-year graduation rate of non-first generation students (2.5%) 69%
Predicted graduation rate (10%) 77%
Overperformance(+)/Underperformance(-) -4
Median federal loan debt for borrowers (5%) $22,750
College grads earning more than a HS grad (5%) 82%

Out of over 2,500 four year colleges in the US. Nice try.

DP: This post provided real data and context. A 55 overall score for a state flagship is meaningful information to consider. Otherwise you might just assume state flagship=must be fine. There are only about 75 or so state universities considered the "flagship" and Alabama is falling far out of the rankings for those. You can look at the data and interpret it differently, but to have the sardonic "nice try" when someone lays it out is obnoxious.

What’s wrong with being in the top 10% of all universities?

You do realize that those 2500+ include many regional private art institutes, lots of religious colleges that have <200 students and have been closing their doors, very small 4 year colleges that offer degrees like cosmetology and the like that are scattered around many towns. More relevant to consider where it stands relative to other national universities and colleges if you're considering attending out of state with qualifications like NMSF. And it's well in the lower half of those. It's not an awful school, but it doesn't have the academic quality of most other state flagships. People should just make their decision with their eyes open--the USNWR data has some positives and some negatives--but it points to the fact that Alabama has a lower academic caliber than most of the other OOS public flagships DCUM families typically are applying to.

US News national university category doesn’t include regional art schools. Even if it did, UA is still top 10%. Attending any flagship is a major accomplishment when compared to other struggling colleges as you pointed out.

Isn't Auburn the flagship anyway?

It's the highest-ranked school in AL - it's not even close...

93 Auburn
142 UAB
170 Alabama

[Anonymous]

I can’t believe that UAB is ranked higher than Tuscaloosa

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe that UAB is ranked higher than Tuscaloosa

Honestly, that is weird and says to me that the rankings that people put so much stock into are suspect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In strictly academic terms, it's just a terrible school.

Where is your evidence?

I'm a professor at a R1 university. But go ahead and choose any field at random and see where UofA is ranked in that field. This isn't hard.

Example?

DP. Here you go (from US News). Depending on your perspective, these can be good or bad. Now pls. shut up so the discussion can turn constructive.. A lot of parents (including me) want to hear honest feedback on the school. Their overall ranking is 170, but the rank that really matters (outcomes rank) is 245. Wish they had a ranking for post-grad income to complete the picture, but that's likely asking for too much.. If you don't trust US News, you are welcome to google other rankings yourself.

The University of Alabama Rankings

#170 in National Universities (tie)
#91 in Top Public Schools (tie)
#153 in Best Value Schools
#90 in Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs (tie)
At schools whose highest degree is a doctorate
#47 in Business Programs (tie)
#28 in Accounting (tie)
#40 in Marketing (tie)
#82 in Computer Science (tie)
#31 in Nursing (tie)
#118 in Psychology Programs (tie)
#99 in Economics (tie)
#118 in Best Colleges for Veterans (tie)
#410 in Top Performers on Social Mobility (tie)

U.S. News Overall Score - Score (out of 100) 55
Outcomes (52%)
Outcomes rank 245
Average 6-year graduation rate (16%) 72%

Average first-year student retention rate (5%) 88%
Social Mobility Rank 410
6-year graduation rate of students who received a Pell Grant (3%) 59%
6-year graduation rate of students who did not receive a Pell Grant (3%) 76%
6-year graduation rate of first generation students (2.5%) 56%
6-year graduation rate of non-first generation students (2.5%) 69%
Predicted graduation rate (10%) 77%
Overperformance(+)/Underperformance(-) -4
Median federal loan debt for borrowers (5%) $22,750
College grads earning more than a HS grad (5%) 82%

Out of over 2,500 four year colleges in the US. Nice try.

DP: This post provided real data and context. A 55 overall score for a state flagship is meaningful information to consider. Otherwise you might just assume state flagship=must be fine. There are only about 75 or so state universities considered the "flagship" and Alabama is falling far out of the rankings for those. You can look at the data and interpret it differently, but to have the sardonic "nice try" when someone lays it out is obnoxious.

What’s wrong with being in the top 10% of all universities?

You do realize that those 2500+ include many regional private art institutes, lots of religious colleges that have <200 students and have been closing their doors, very small 4 year colleges that offer degrees like cosmetology and the like that are scattered around many towns. More relevant to consider where it stands relative to other national universities and colleges if you're considering attending out of state with qualifications like NMSF. And it's well in the lower half of those. It's not an awful school, but it doesn't have the academic quality of most other state flagships. People should just make their decision with their eyes open--the USNWR data has some positives and some negatives--but it points to the fact that Alabama has a lower academic caliber than most of the other OOS public flagships DCUM families typically are applying to.

US News national university category doesn’t include regional art schools. Even if it did, UA is still top 10%. Attending any flagship is a major accomplishment when compared to other struggling colleges as you pointed out.

Isn't Auburn the flagship anyway?

It's the highest-ranked school in AL - it's not even close...

93 Auburn
142 UAB
170 Alabama

UA is still the flagship.

[Anonymous]

Outside of the top schools the rankings are useless. There’s no advantage to paying full tuition somewhere like JMU over a full ride at Alabama because of rankings. That’s beyond silly. If fit or being close to family or some other meaningful factor is super important to you, sure, but rankings alone are inconsequential.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Outside of the top schools the rankings are useless. There’s no advantage to paying full tuition somewhere like JMU over a full ride at Alabama because of rankings. That’s beyond silly. If fit or being close to family or some other meaningful factor is super important to you, sure, but rankings alone are inconsequential.

Very correct! Well said!

[Anonymous]

Friend’s daughter is in med school after
going to Alabama with zero student loans. I am not going to hate on that school. She also had fun and seems ready for the world. DC area parents should rethink their snobniness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Friend’s daughter is in med school after
going to Alabama with zero student loans. I am not going to hate on that school. She also had fun and seems ready for the world. DC area parents should rethink their snobniness.

+100

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe that UAB is ranked higher than Tuscaloosa

Honestly, that is weird and says to me that the rankings that people put so much stock into are suspect.

University of Arizona is the state flagship it’s ranked #115

Arizona State is #105

Flagships are not always higher ranked.

[Anonymous]

Op, there is a thread on College Confidential entitled “Big Merit NMF/NMSF schools” that you might find interesting. Several posters report on their student’s experience at Alabama (among other schools) and the reports are very good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Friend’s daughter is in med school after
going to Alabama with zero student loans. I am not going to hate on that school. She also had fun and seems ready for the world. DC area parents should rethink their snobniness.

You should rethink your privilege.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Friend’s daughter is in med school after
going to Alabama with zero student loans. I am not going to hate on that school. She also had fun and seems ready for the world. DC area parents should rethink their snobniness.

You should rethink your privilege.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe that UAB is ranked higher than Tuscaloosa

UAB has a med school that is highly respected and Birmingham just prob has a lot more donors 🤣