The Most Selective Colleges in Alabama
Every eligible Alabama four-year that reports an admission rate, ranked hardest to get into first and easiest last — not a prestige Top 25. Selectivity here is the published rate, not a magazine composite.
Ranked by acceptance rate · 22 of 31 Alabama institutions in this universe qualify for this ranking · Compiled 2026-10-24
- 1Tuskegee UniversityTuskegee, AL · Private31.4%Compare nearby
- 2Auburn UniversityAuburn, AL · Public50.5%Compare nearby
- 3Oakwood UniversityHuntsville, AL · Private50.5%Compare nearby
- 4University of MontevalloMontevallo, AL · Public53.9%Compare nearby
- 5Spring Hill CollegeMobile, AL · Private59.1%Compare nearby
- 6University of South AlabamaMobile, AL · Public65.5%Compare nearby
- 7Faulkner UniversityMontgomery, AL · Private66.1%Compare nearby
- 8Alabama A & M UniversityNormal, AL · Public66.2%Compare nearby
- 9Huntingdon CollegeMontgomery, AL · Private70.8%Compare nearby
- 10University of MobileMobile, AL · Private72.5%Compare nearby
- 11Stillman CollegeTuscaloosa, AL · Private74.2%Compare nearby
- 12University of Alabama in HuntsvilleHuntsville, AL · Public74.3%Compare nearby
- 13The University of AlabamaTuscaloosa, AL · Public75.8%Compare nearby
- 14Jacksonville State UniversityJacksonville, AL · Public76.2%Compare nearby
- 15Samford UniversityBirmingham, AL · Private82.2%Compare nearby
- 16University of West AlabamaLivingston, AL · Public87.1%Compare nearby
- 17University of Alabama at BirminghamBirmingham, AL · Public88.4%Compare nearby
- 18Troy UniversityTroy, AL · Public92.6%Compare nearby
- 19Auburn University at MontgomeryMontgomery, AL · Public92.6%Compare nearby
- 20Alabama State UniversityMontgomery, AL · Public95.6%Compare nearby
- 21University of North AlabamaFlorence, AL · Public96.5%Compare nearby
- 22Talladega CollegeTalladega, AL · Private99.3%Compare nearby
How this list was built
- Measure
- Acceptance rate — sorted lowest to highest
- Source variable
ADM_RATE- Dataset
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most-Recent-Cohorts-Institution (05-19-2025 release)
- Alabama institutions in this universe (31 schools).
- Alabama four-year main campuses only. Rank order is published admission rate; on an exact tie, higher SAT average ranks above, and missing SAT does not drop a school. SAT is not shown because it is not the ranked measure. Schools without a published ADM_RATE are omitted rather than estimated.
- Institutions enrolling fewer than 500 undergraduates are excluded — the same size floor as the national selectivity list — even when they report an admission rate. That cut is not a median-stability adjustment.
- 22 of 31 Alabama institutions in this universe qualify for this ranking (report the measure and pass any enrollment floor); the rest are omitted rather than estimated.
A single measure is a narrow way to judge a college. Read this alongside the others, and see the methodology for what these figures do and do not capture.
Keep exploring
- Re-rank with your weightsRe-score with your weights, pre-filtered to AL
- Showdown: Tuskegee University vs Auburn UniversityHigher-or-lower on Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Live leaderboardReshuffle Top 10–50 on one Scorecard measure
- Explore games & mapsShowdown, Name That College, sports, and more lists
- Sports at Tuskegee UniversityEADA programs for the #1 school on this list
Keep going
The Most Selective Colleges in America
Lowest share of applicants admitted. Selectivity measures demand and class size, not teaching quality.
Colleges with the Highest SAT Averages
Average SAT score of enrolled students. Reported by fewer than half of institutions as test-optional admissions has spread.
Colleges That Admit Nearly Everyone
Open and near-open admission four-year institutions, ranked by the share of applicants accepted.