College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

The The University of Alabama Student to Faculty Ratio & Faculty Composition

Does The University of Alabama have a good student to faculty ratio?

Use the student to faculty ratio, as well as the faculty composition to get an idea of how much attention you'll receive as an individual student at The University of Alabama .

Student to Faculty Ratio is Well Below Average

The University of Alabama , with 22 students for every instructional faculty member, ranks among the lowest in comparison to the national average of 15 :1. This ratio indicates that the number of students split between the same faculty is much higher than normal, and could mean students will experience larger class sizes and fewer opportunities to connect with professors, especially in introductory courses.

Instructional Staff at the College

The following table shows all the employees the school considers instructional, and therefore, part of the above student-to-faculty ratio. These include both those employees designated as either "primarily instructional" or as "instructional combined with research/public service". It does not include employees that have been identified by The University of Alabama as primarily performing research or public service.

TotalFull TimePart TimePercent Full Time
Total of Instructional Employees1,9861,51746976.4%
Total of Those With Faculty Status1,9861,51746976.4%
Tenured Faculty617614399.5%
On Tenure Track384384-100.0%
Not on Tenure Track98551946652.7%
Without Faculty Status----
Graduate Assistants1,070-1,070-

This School is Seriously Committed to Hiring Full-Time Teachers

The University of Alabama's utilization of full-time teaching staff ranks among the highest in the nation, with 76.0% of instructors employed full time.

Low Percentage of Part-Time Teachers (Adjuncts)

At The University of Alabama , only 23.0% of the teaching staff are part-time non-faculty or non-tenure track faculty. This use of adjuncts is far below the national average of 51.4%, which could be indicative of The University of Alabama's commitment to building a strong, long-term instructional team.

Colleges often use part-time professors and adjuncts to teach courses, rather than full-time faculty. This hiring practice is primarily a way to save money amid increasingly tight budgets. However, it is a controversial practice with strong views on either side. We encourage you to understand this topic more deeply, and how the colleges you are interested in approach faculty hiring. It's your education and your money on the line. Make sure you know what you are getting for it.

Additional Information

Keep an Eye Out for Grad Assistants Teaching Classes

The University of Alabama has 1,070 instructional graduate assistants that teach or provide teaching-related duties. These responsibilities could range from entirely teaching lower-level courses themselves, to assisting professors by developing teaching materials, preparing or giving exams and grading student work. We suggest you ask the college to what extent graduate assistants are relied on for instruction, so you know what you are paying for.

Additionally, the school has 626 non-instructional graduate assistants.

Continue Your Research on UA

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options