Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Alabama 2023

Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Alabama 2023

By James Barham

Published: Apr 22, 2022
Updated: Mar 13, 2023

Liberal arts colleges are a great option for students seeking a well-rounded education in an intimate campus setting. The best liberal arts colleges in Alabama offer a diverse selection of degree programs with opportunities for a highly individualized educational experience.

10 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Alabama

Tuskegee University

47%

Alabama State University

35%

Troy University

35%

Spring Hill College

31%

Jacksonville State University

31%

Faulkner University

30%

29%

University of North Alabama

29%

Alabama A&M University

27%

Talladega College

27%

Alabama State University

98%

Auburn University at Montgomery

97%

Troy University

95%

University of North Alabama

90%

University of Montevallo

90%

Jacksonville State University

76%

Stillman College

76%

University of West Alabama

74%

Alabama A&M University

72%

Spring Hill College

72%

Talladega College

23 to 1

Jacksonville State University

21 to 1

Troy University

18 to 1

Alabama A&M University

18 to 1

Stillman College

18 to 1

Auburn University at Montgomery

16 to 1

University of North Alabama

15 to 1

15 to 1

Alabama State University

15 to 1

Athens State University

15 to 1

Huntingdon College

$27,900

University of Mobile

$24,855

Faulkner University

$23,490

Tuskegee University

$22,614

Spring Hill College

$21,100

Birmingham–Southern College

$20,100

Oakwood University

$19,990

Talladega College

$13,886

$12,714

University of Montevallo

$12,090

Huntingdon College

$22,500

Tuskegee University

$20,378

Talladega College

$16,000

Oakwood University

$13,680

University of Mobile

$11,260

Amridge University

$10,800

University of Montevallo

$10,512

Faulkner University

$10,374

Alabama A&M University

$10,128

Jacksonville State University

$9,600

Amridge University

17%

University of Mobile

19%

Athens State University

19%

University of West Alabama

20%

Stillman College

23%

University of Montevallo

24%

Oakwood University

25%

Birmingham–Southern College

25%

Auburn University at Montgomery

26%

Huntingdon College

26%

Tuskegee University

34%

University of Mobile

64%

Faulkner University

65%

Birmingham–Southern College

66%

Huntingdon College

69%

Oakwood University

72%

Spring Hill College

72%

Alabama A&M University

72%

University of West Alabama

74%

Stillman College

76%

Birmingham–Southern College

10 to 1

Oakwood University

10 to 1

Tuskegee University

11 to 1

University of Montevallo

12 to 1

Amridge University

13 to 1

Huntingdon College

13 to 1

Spring Hill College

13 to 1

Faulkner University

13 to 1

University of Mobile

14 to 1

University of West Alabama

14 to 1

Athens State University

$6,750

Auburn University at Montgomery

$7,992

Alabama State University

$8,328

Alabama A&M University

$8,610

Amridge University

$9,000

University of West Alabama

$9,100

Troy University

$9,312

University of North Alabama

$9,600

Jacksonville State University

$9,720

Stillman College

$11,392

University of North Alabama

$6,600

University of West Alabama

$6,678

Alabama State University

$7,416

Auburn University at Montgomery

$7,578

Spring Hill College

$7,704

Athens State University

$7,800

Troy University

$8,550

Jacksonville State University

$9,600

Alabama A&M University

$10,128

Faulkner University

$10,374

Colleges and Universities in Alabama

Online students and traditional students alike have a lot of options in the state of Alabama. The 54 colleges and universities in Alabama allow students to pursue associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in many fields all over the state, as well as through a variety of excellent online degree programs. Some of the most notable degree areas include law, nursing, biology, history, engineering, and religious studies.

Students in Alabama can study any of these subjects either online or through online courses. If you’re looking for educational flexible education, Alabama has over 20 colleges and universities offering online degree programs.

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Students hoping to obtain a four-year degree at a larger university can attend one of the two largest - as well as rivalry - schools, the University of Alabama and Auburn University. Both schools’ tuition is about $11,000, though the University of Alabama’s student population, at nearly 36,000 students, is larger than Auburn’s.

Students also have the option of attending one of Alabama’s 18 private higher education institutes, many of which have religious affiliations. Tuition costs vary widely, from $4,000 per year to $36,000 per year. Student populations also vary widely, from less than 100 students to as many as 15,000 students.

Additionally, students who need more flexibility can take advantage of the satellite campuses, like at the University of North Alabama. Alabama also has a larger number of online college offerings. With 70 online degree programs offered at the University of Alabama alone, in-state residents have a lot of degree options, both for a traditional and online education.

For die-hard football fans and lovers of sweet tea, obtaining a higher education degree in Alabama can seem like an obvious choice. The Yellowhammer State, however, is also home to a unique mixture of coastal, mountainous, and swamp environments, making it a great choice for students who love soaking up the outdoors.

And if you’re looking for a mix of the campus experience and online education, many schools in Alabama have hybrid programs. With a hybrid program, you can take both online courses and classes on campus.

What are Alabama’s Colleges & Universities?

Alabama’s Best Overall

Related: Differences between research universities and teaching colleges

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How do we determine Alabama's best colleges and universities?

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

A liberal arts college is a school that puts a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree. We’ve identified 20 liberal arts colleges in Alabama. To be ranked among the 30 best liberal arts colleges in Alabama, schools must fully accredited institutions.

Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Alabama 2022

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Alabama’s Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Your Area of Interest

Frequently Asked Questions About Research Universities, Liberal Arts Colleges, Online Colleges

In pursuing a bachelor’s degree, you will need to choose between three kinds of schools: research universities, liberal arts colleges, and online colleges.

Research universities are colleges and universities whose faculty are active in research and publishing. Research universities offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, with tens of thousands of students.

Do you prefer a larger university setting, such as largest public university in your state? Research universities are typically big, offering degrees in many different disciplines. Is a big high-powered research environment the thing for you. If not, you should think about a liberal arts college. In deciding on an undergraduate institution, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel.

Consider whether you are self motivated enough to be a face in the crowd for some classes and largely unknown on campus at a large university. Of course you can find clubs and friends at a large university, but often liberal arts colleges have a more personal quality to them. If you want the community feel, a research university may not fit you well.
Are you interested in STEM fields? Research universities have that name for a reason – real research is happening there. This can create an exciting atmosphere for students interested in STEM. Attending a research university can give you a better chance of getting into better programs for graduate degrees, although a lot of that depends on your performance.

Learn more about research universities by reading about the best research universities in the US.

Often referred to as “teaching colleges” liberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree.

Do you want your professors to know you? Liberal arts colleges strive to cultivate campus cultures that encourage tight bonds between professors and students. Professors at these schools will typically conduct original research. Yet the best of these schools offer their faculty reduced teaching loads so that they can both be productive researchers and still have plenty of time for students (both in and outside the classroom).
Do you want to feel like you know everybody? One of the most enticing features of a liberal arts college is that in very little time, you can feel like you know who’s who, which can create strong friendships, but also more pleasurable walks across campus. While your sports teams may never be on ESPN, it’s more likely that you’ll know the athletes as your peers. Beyond student and faculty relationships, it’s not unusual for the school president and other administrators to learn who you are. When faced with problems with your student account or the need to switch classes, this can be comforting during a stressful moment.

Learn more about liberal arts colleges by reading about the best liberal arts colleges in the US.

Online colleges are typically the same colleges and universities you could attend in-person, but for certain degree programs the college or unviersity has made the degree programs available to be completed online. For over 5 million students, online degree programs allow students to earn their degrees in the most flexible format available. Online degrees are as respected as the on-campus degress you could earn from the same schools. There’s usually no disctinction between the two degrees, and your degree and transcript will not say that the degree was earned online. Online degree programs are offered by a vast majority of colleges and universities, and the number of offering continues to grow. Whehter you are searching for an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, there’s a good chance you can earn your degree online from a respectable online college.

Are you a self-driven student? Perhaps the hardest aspect of obtaining an online degree is whether you will be disciplined enough to manage your time and course demands. Many online students report that online college made them more disciplined in all areas of their lives, but the flexible, self-paced learning that makes online colleges attractive can often be the same qualities that make it difficult. If you tend to be a procrastinator, you need to be honest with yourself. You can change your habits and propensities, or you can throw money down the drain.
Do you need the flexibility of an online degree program? Most online students study online because of time demands balancing work and life, or becuase the online colleges afford them the chance to attend a better school without moving. If you are serious about earning your degree for career advancement, online colleges make it possible. The most flexible options among online degrees are those that are aynchronous, meaning you don’t have scheduled times to meet with your class online. However, many students seek synchronous online degree programs so that they have some structure – set meeting times, scheduled exams, etc.
The good news is that attending an online college doesn’t mean you will miss out on getting to know your professors and classmates. In fact, many online students who have experienced both online and on-campus courses report having easier access to their professors. Since most communication with your professor is expected to be in text – via email or your class learning management system – it makes asking your questions easier. The same students also report that they got to better know the thoughts of their classmates. While in-person course conversations can be dominated by a few extroverts, online courses that require online discussions make it so that you see all of your classmates’ thoughts and questions.

If you’re interested in an online bachelor’s degree, check out what the best online colleges offer, or search our online degrees for the exact program that interests you. In either case, you will find well respected colleges and universities that offer online degrees.

2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.

Check out our directory of liberal arts colleges throughout the U.S. for a look at the top liberal arts schools in every state.