by our College Data Analytics TeamMost students will never be charged the full sticker price of a school. Rather, they are offered a financial aid plan that includes a mix of loans, grants, scholarships, and possibly work-study opportunities. The price tag of going to The University of Alabama can appear tremendous, but do not forget that almost all students obtain some kind of financial help.
What financial aid options can UA offer you, and what will you qualify for? Keep reading for more information. Keep scrolling to find out just how much financial aid will be open to you.
Eligibility for aid and scholarships is driven mostly by your household’s income and need. Continue reading to find information to help you understand just how much assistance you can expect to receive from The University of Alabama.
Aid such as grants, loans, work-study, and scholarships helps colleges decrease the real cost of attendance for most students. Bear in mind that not all aid is equal, and the amount any one student receives can vary widely.
For freshmen starting at The University of Alabama, 88% of entering full-time freshmen got some type of financial assistance roughly 7252 freshmen).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 80% | $17,503 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 76% | $16,835 |
| Federal Pell grants | 20% | $5,795 |
| State/local grants | 3% | $855 |
| Federal student loans | 35% | $5,285 |
Unlike loans, grants and scholarships are gift aid that does not need to be paid back, making them the most desirable form of assistance. At UA, about 69% of undergrads got grants or scholarships worth on average $15,925 (across approximately 22976 students).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 69% | $15,925 |
| Federal Pell grants | 18% | $5,642 |
| Federal student loans | 32% | $6,297 |
Among title-IV aid recipients living on campus, grant and scholarship aid averaged $10,962.
Since aid is largely need-based, the real cost of attendance falls steeply for lower-income families.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $19,053 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $21,406 |
| Over $75,000 | $25,653 |
The numbers above are post-aid net prices, so they already account for grants and scholarships.
The net price represents the average annual cost a title-IV-receiving student pays after grant aid is subtracted from the full cost of attendance.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $22,420 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $22,150 |
For a personalized estimate based on your family’s financial situation, use UA’s online cost calculator: ua.aidcalc.cloud/netprice.htm.
The middle student in the debt distribution at UA owes $17,986 of federal borrowing.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $17,986 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $22,750 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $241.19/mo |
That monthly figure reflects the median graduate debt repaid on a standard 10-year federal schedule.
The median alone does not show how widely outcomes vary across the student body. The four reference points below map the debt distribution at UA.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,500 |
| 25th percentile | $7,439 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,000 |
How much a student borrows depends heavily on family income, first-gen status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $17,750 |
| Middle income | $18,500 |
| High income | $17,750 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Median Debt
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $17,967 |
Dependent vs Independent Students
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,283 |
| Independent students | $16,444 |
The Department of Education computes summary indicators that describe debt outcomes at a glance. UA.
Stafford loans are the federal government’s primary direct undergraduate lending program. The totals below capture Stafford lending at UA:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 80071 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $1,886,021,419 |
GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the two federal aid programs targeted at military-affiliated students.
Post-9/11 GI Bill activity
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 905 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $10,222,648 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $11,296 |
DoD program volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 106 |
| Total DoD amount | $295,353 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $2,786 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.