The University of Alabama

 

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The University of Alabama


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School Location

  
The University of Alabama
739 University Blvd
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0166		 General information
 (205) 348-6010

Type of institution: Public, 4-year or above
Federal Aid: Institution has a Program Participation Agreement with the US Department of Education for eligible students to receive Pell Grants and other federal aid.
Degrees offered: Bachelor degrees, Masters degrees, Certificates/Post-Master's Certificates, Doctor's degrees, First-Professional degrees
Carnegie classification: Research Universities (high research activity)
Number of students: 25,544 (2007)
2009-2008 Undergraduate application fee:$ 35

About this School
The University of Alabama (also known as Alabama, UA, or colloquially as 'Bama) is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Founded in 1831, UA is the flagship campus of the University of Alabama System. Within Alabama, it is often called the Capstone. UA is the senior doctoral university in the state. Today, it is one of the state's three major research universities, along with academic and athletic rival Auburn University and the much younger University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Alabama offers programs of study in 12 academic divisions leading to bachelor's, master's, Education Specialist, and doctoral degrees. The only publicly-supported law school in Alabama is at UA. (The Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham is the state's only other ABA-accredited law school.) Other academic programs unavailable elsewhere in Alabama include doctoral programs in anthropology, library and information studies, music, Romance languages, and social work. As of fall 2005, Alabama has an enrollment of more than 21,750 students and its president is Dr. Robert Witt.
 
History
In 1818, Congress authorized the newly-created Alabama Territory to set aside a township for the establishment of a "seminary of learning." When Alabama was admitted to the Union on March 2, 1819, a second township was added to the land grant, bringing it to a total of 46,000 acres (186 km²). The General Assembly of Alabama established the seminary on December 18, 1820, named it "The University of the State of Alabama," and created a Board of Trustees to manage the construction and operation of the university. The board chose Tuscaloosa, then-capital of Alabama, as the site of the campus in 1827 and opened its doors to students on April 18, 1831, with the Reverend Alva Woods as President. An academy-style institution during the Antebellum period, the university emphasized the classics and the social and natural sciences. However, Alabama, a frontier state a sizeable amount of whose territory was still in the hand of various Native American tribes until the 1840s, scarcely had the infrastructure to adequately prepare students for the rigors of university education. Consequently, only a fraction of students who enrolled were adequately prepared for a university-education. Few students graduated, especially in the early years. Discipline and student behavior was a major issue at the university from almost the day it opened. Early presidents enforced strict rules regarding conduct. Students, for example, were prohibited from drinking, swearing, making unauthorized visits off-campus, or even playing musical instruments outside of a one-hour timeframe. Riots and gunfights were not an uncommon occurrence. To combat the severe discipline problem, president Landon Garland lobbied and received approval from the legislature in 1860 to transform the university into a military school. As such, many of the cadets who graduated from the school went on to serve as officers in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. As a consequence of that role, Union troops burned down the campus in April 1865 (though this was unrelated to Sherman's March to the Sea). Only four buildings survived the burning, including the President's Mansion built in 1841 and the Gorgas House built in 1829 (the oldest building on campus). The university reopened in 1871 and in 1880, Congress granted the university 40,000 acres (162 km²) of coal land in partial compensation for $250,000 in war damages. The military structure was dropped approximately a decade after the school was officially opened to women in 1892 after much lobbying by Julia Tutwiler to the Board of Trustees. On June 11, 1963, Governor George Wallace made his infamous "stand in the schoolhouse door". He stood in the front entrance of Foster Auditorium in an attempt to stop the enrollment of two African Americans: Vivian Malone and James Hood. When confronted by federal marshals sent in by Attorney-General Robert F. Kennedy, Wallace stepped aside. Although Hood dropped out of school after two months, he subsequently returned and, in 1997, received his Ph.D. in philosophy. Malone persisted in her studies and became the first African American to graduate from the University. In 2000, the University rewarded her bravery with a doctorate of humane letters. And, later in Wallace's life, he apologized for his opposition at that time to racial integration. In June 2003, the university marked the fortieth anniversary of the "schoolhouse door" incident by hosting "Opening Doors," a three-day event to salute the sacrifice and commitment of the courageous individuals who took a stand for racial change at a crucial time in its history.
 
Academic year prices for full-time, first-time undergraduate students
Tuition and Fees2009-20082008-20072007-2006
In-State$ 6,400$ 5,700$ 5,278
Out of State$ 18,000$ 16,518$ 15,294
Books and Supplies$ 1,000$ 950$ 950
On-Campus
Room and board$ 9,842$ 8,950$ 8,550
Other Expenses$ 3,154$ 3,002$ 3,093
Off Campus
Room and board------------
Other Expenses------------
Off Campus w/ family
Other Expenses------------

Financial aid 2006-2007

Financial aid to full-time, first-time undergraduate students

Type of AidPercentage of students receiving aidAverage amount of aid they received
Federal Grants (scholarship/fellowship) 14% $ 3,144
State/Local grants (scholarship/fellowship) 1% $ 700
Institutional grants (scholarship/fellowship) 41% $ 6,774
Loans to students 38% $ 5,216
 
End of file for The University of Alabama.