Best colleges in Birmingham

Sweet Home Birmingham

Diversity is key in this southern city built from steel

The SEC rivalry is alive and well in Birmingham. So is the educational system. Birmingham is Alabama’s largest city with 10 universities and colleges to choose from. These schools offer degrees ranging from medicine to engineering and law. Government, trade & transportation, education, and healthcare are the largest industries in the city, employing 49% of the Birmingham workforce.* That’s a lot of people when you realize the Birmingham area has a population that accounts for 1/4th of the entire state of Alabama.* And with an average weekly wage of $946 and an unemployment rate of 6.6%, right on par with the national average, you could have some promising career prospects after graduation.*

When you get a chance to wander off campus, Birmingham has plenty to offer in terms of the outdoors, cultural arts, and quality of life. Thanks to its competitive salaries and low living expenses, Birmingham is one of the best cities for college and post-collegiate life. With the world’s best motorcycle collection, the Barber Motorsports Museum, and Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Birmingham has grown into one of the cultural hubs of the Southeastern United States. In addition, the city has plans to add more green space per capita than any other US city, so the outdoor lovers will be in Heaven. And with an average temperature of 63◦ and only 2 inches of snowfall a year, the climate couldn’t get any better for walking to class or cheering on your school’s football team.* So change things up, and bloom in Birmingham.

Click Here to See the Best Colleges in the US*Bureau of Labor Statistics *Wikipedia, “Birmingham” *www.usclimatedata.com *www.birminghamal.org

Best Four Year Universities in Birmingham

Samford University
Birmingham, AL

Samford University offers 153 degree programs. It's a medium sized, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large suburb. In 2022, 1,635 students graduated with students earning 835 Bachelor's degrees, 427 Doctoral degrees, 342 Master's degrees, and 31 Certificates.

Birmingham-Southern College offers 31 degree programs. It's a very small, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a midsize city. In 2022, 263 students graduated with students earning 263 Bachelor's degrees.

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University of Alabama at Birmingham offers 212 degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a midsize city. In 2022, 6,226 students graduated with students earning 2,751 Bachelor's degrees, 2,495 Master's degrees, 670 Doctoral degrees, and 310 Certificates.

University of Montevallo
Montevallo, AL

University of Montevallo offers 40 degree programs. It's a small, public, four-year university in a large suburb. In 2022, 554 students graduated with students earning 414 Bachelor's degrees, 126 Master's degrees, and 14 Certificates.

Miles College
Fairfield, AL

Miles College offers 25 degree programs. It's a small, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large suburb. In 2022, 185 students graduated with students earning 185 Bachelor's degrees.

Herzing University-Birmingham offers 75 degree programs. It's a very small, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large suburb. In 2022, 215 students graduated with students earning 107 Certificates, 90 Associate's degrees, 16 Bachelor's degrees, and 2 Master's degrees.

Strayer University-Alabama offers 68 degree programs. It's a small, private for-profit, four-year university in a midsize city. In 2022, 219 students graduated with students earning 103 Bachelor's degrees, 68 Master's degrees, 43 Associate's degrees, and 5 Certificates.

Best Community Colleges in Birmingham

Bevill State Community College offers 55 degree programs. It's a small, public, two-year college in a faraway town. In 2022, 628 students graduated with students earning 434 Associate's degrees, and 194 Certificates.

Lawson State Community College offers 65 degree programs. It's a small, public, two-year college in a midsize city. In 2022, 443 students graduated with students earning 303 Associate's degrees, and 140 Certificates.

Fortis Institute-Birmingham offers 8 degree programs. It's a very small, private for-profit, two-year college in a midsize city. In 2022, 224 students graduated with students earning 197 Certificates, and 27 Associate's degrees.

Jefferson State Community College offers 48 degree programs. It's a medium sized, public, two-year college in a midsize city. In 2022, 1,403 students graduated with students earning 1,216 Associate's degrees, and 187 Certificates.

List of all colleges in Birmingham

School Average Tuition Student Teacher Ratio Enrolled Students
Samford University Logo Samford University Birmingham, AL
5/5
16 : 1 5,682
Birmingham-Southern College Logo Birmingham-Southern College Birmingham, AL
4/5
9 : 1 975
University of Alabama at Birmingham Logo University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL
3/5
23 : 1 21,639
University of Montevallo Logo University of Montevallo Montevallo, AL
3/5
19 : 1 2,586
Miles College Logo Miles College Fairfield, AL
3/5
19 : 1 1,258