Cheapest Colleges in Alabama
Sticker prices at the 24 four-year colleges we rank in Alabama run from $6,760 to $40,150 a year in tuition and fees, a gap of $33,390 between the cheapest school and the most expensive one.
The 13 public colleges here charge a median of $11,248 a year, $1,308 (13%) above the national public median of $9,940. The 10 private nonprofit colleges on the list charge a median of $23,987, under the $39,582 national private median. Sticker price alone rarely settles the cheapest private option, so check the net price column.
Columbia Southern University ranks first at $6,760, ahead of University of Alabama at Birmingham ($9,098) and Auburn University at Montgomery ($9,700).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- 4-year colleges whose main award is the bachelor's degree (public, private nonprofit and for-profit)
- Ranked by in-state tuition & fees, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in Alabama
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- A reported in-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
- Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Alabama has 24
- Data period
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 24 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Columbia Southern University Orange Beach, AL For-profit · 4-year | $6,760 | — | $14,580 | 35% | 12,176 |
| 2 | University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL Public · 4-year | $9,098 | $22,562 | $18,749 | 63% | 11,635 |
| 3 | Auburn University at Montgomery Montgomery, AL Public · 4-year | $9,700 | $20,668 | $13,224 | 34% | 2,542 |
| 4 | Alabama A & M University Normal, AL Public · 4-year | $10,024 | $18,634 | $17,621 | 26% | 6,124 |
| 5 | University of South Alabama Mobile, AL Public · 4-year | $10,116 | $19,092 | $17,648 | 53% | 8,879 |
| 6 | Troy University Troy, AL Public · 4-year | $10,176 | $20,352 | $16,527 | 48% | 9,805 |
| 7 | University of West Alabama Livingston, AL Public · 4-year | $10,990 | $20,090 | $12,684 | 36% | 2,974 |
| 8 | Alabama State University Montgomery, AL Public · 4-year | $11,248 | $19,576 | $20,435 | 30% | 3,477 |
| 9 | University of North Alabama Florence, AL Public · 4-year | $12,120 | $22,320 | $12,170 | 54% | 5,811 |
| 10 | Stillman College Tuscaloosa, AL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $12,126 | — | $15,258 | 32% | 706 |
| 11 | University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville, AL Public · 4-year | $12,132 | $26,408 | $18,796 | 63% | 6,591 |
| 12 | The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL Public · 4-year | $12,180 | $34,172 | $22,420 | 74% | 33,227 |
| 13 | Auburn University Auburn, AL Public · 4-year | $12,890 | $34,922 | $24,323 | 81% | 26,816 |
| 14 | Jacksonville State University Jacksonville, AL Public · 4-year | $12,894 | $23,334 | $14,279 | 53% | 7,036 |
| 15 | Miles College Fairfield, AL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $13,314 | — | $14,271 | 20% | 1,155 |
| 16 | University of Montevallo Montevallo, AL Public · 4-year | $13,948 | $26,968 | $17,683 | 52% | 2,151 |
| 17 | Talladega College Talladega, AL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $15,650 | — | $15,560 | 43% | 701 |
| 18 | Oakwood University Huntsville, AL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $22,512 | — | $25,669 | 47% | 1,153 |
| 19 | Faulkner University Montgomery, AL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $23,920 | — | $22,085 | 38% | 1,549 |
| 20 | Spring Hill College Mobile, AL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $24,054 | — | $20,449 | 54% | 782 |
| 21 | Tuskegee University Tuskegee, AL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $25,386 | — | $35,013 | 56% | 2,630 |
| 22 | University of Mobile Mobile, AL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $26,910 | — | $22,382 | 56% | 1,307 |
| 23 | Huntingdon College Montgomery, AL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $29,070 | — | $22,566 | 47% | 879 |
| 24 | Samford University Birmingham, AL Private nonprofit · 4-year | $40,150 | — | $32,622 | 78% | 4,206 |
How to compare these colleges
Start with the net price column rather than the sticker price. Net price is the average a student who receives aid pays after grants and scholarships, so a school that ranks lower here can still be the cheaper choice for your family. The out-of-state column applies only if you are not a legal resident of Alabama, and only public colleges charge a separate rate.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Alabama
Cheap colleges in Alabama for out-of-state students
18 schools
Best value colleges in Alabama
15 schools
Highest graduate earnings in Alabama
22 schools
Same list in nearby states
Cheapest colleges in Georgia
43 schools
Cheapest colleges in Florida
42 schools
Cheapest colleges in Tennessee
36 schools
All 34 colleges in Alabama See the national version of this ranking