About UAB

For over five decades, UAB has evolved from an academic extension center into an autonomous, comprehensive urban university and academic health center within the University of Alabama System. UAB has established wide-ranging programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Collat School of Business, the Heersink School of Medicine, and the schools of Dentistry, Education and Human Sciences, Engineering, Health Professions, Nursing, Optometry, and Public Health, with graduate programs serving all major units. Six UAB graduate and specialty programs have earned the distinction of ranking in the top 10, according to the 2025 U.S. News Best Graduate Schools rankings.

Fall 2025 enrollment was 20,868 students, with a record-setting freshman class of 2,526 students. The 678 freshmen joining the UAB Honors College had an average ACT score of 29.7 and an average high school GPA of 4.22. 

UAB is situated near downtown Birmingham and the historic Five Points South district. The campus stretches across 105 city blocks and occupies more than 100 primary buildings. UAB is Alabama’s largest employer, with more than 35,000 employees, and an annual economic impact on the state exceeding $12.1 billion. In 2021, UAB was named America’s No. 1 Best Large Employer by Forbes, topping a list of more than 500 public and private corporations, hospitals, universities, Fortune 500 companies, and more. The four pillars of UAB’s mission are education; research, innovation and economic development; community engagement; and patient care.