by our College Data Analytics TeamGet the facts about Samford University Graduate School. Learn how it ranks, what graduate degree programs it offers, how diverse it is, and much more. You can jump to any section of this page using the following list.
College Factual began publishing its yearly rankings to help students identify graduate schools that put a high emphasis on educational quality as well as helping students succeed.Factors that go into these rankings include how much money students make after graduation, the number of FTE students per instructor, and how much debt students take on to attend the school.
Out of a field of 4,630 colleges and universities considered in the 2026 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the U.S. ranking, Samford University landed the #396 spot.Samford also ranked #5 for Best Master’s Degree Schools in Alabama.
Samford was ranked #396 in the 2026 Best Doctorate Schools in the United States ranking out of the 4,630 schools that were included in the ranking.This places the school in the Top 15% of the country for overall quality.Samford was awarded this year’s Best Doctorate Schools badge for this accomplishment.In addition, Samford took the #5 spot for Best Doctorate Degree Schools in Alabama.
### Best Graduate Certificate Schools RankingSamford ranked #396 in College Factual’s 2026 Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the United States ranking, out of 4,630 schools. Samford also ranked #5 for Best Graduate Certificate Schools in Alabama.
Out of 4,630 schools analyzed in the 2026 Best Graduate Schools in the United States ranking, Samford came in at #396. In addition, Samford took the #5 spot for Best Graduate Schools in Alabama.
Around 1,887 graduate students chose to attend Samford University during the most recent year for which we have data.Since diversity is such an important part of the grad school experience, College Factual looked deeper at the demographics of these students.Our findings are below.
The total graduate student population at Samford is made up of 68.6% women and 31.4% men. Note that these percentages may differ for certain degree programs.
Of all the graduate students at Samford, around 24.0% belong to a racial-ethnic minority group.Americans aren’t the only ones who appreciate the graduate programs at Samford. Around 1.4% of graduate students are international.For more details on graduate school diversity at the school, check out the chart below. If you click on it, you’ll be taken to a page with more details.
The average tuition and fees for graduate students is shown below.
| In-State | Out-of-State | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $45,426 | $45,426 |
| Fees | $900 | $900 |
The typical graduate student at Samford who borrowed carries a median debt of $21,039.
The average early-career salary for master’s degree recipients from Samford is $90,346.
Graduate students who earn their doctoral degree at Samford enter the workforce with an average early-career salary of $110,617.
The graduate programs at Samford lead to a range of early-career salaries. The table below lists the graduate fields of study at the school whose recent graduates report the highest early-career earnings.
| Graduate Field of Study | Avg Early-Career Salary |
|---|---|
| Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences | $140,893 |
| Nursing | $115,851 |
| Accounting | $84,371 |
| Business Administration & Management | $82,851 |
| Law | $82,757 |
| Rehabilitation Professions | $74,311 |
| Educational Administration | $73,092 |
| Theological & Ministerial Studies | $59,090 |
| Public Health | $57,501 |
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | $54,800 |
Samford University is a private not-for-profit institution situated in Birmingham, Alabama.Birmingham is considered a suburb and offers tranquility and safety near the excitement of a city center. Get more details about the location of Samford University.
Contact details for Samford are given below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 800 Lakeshore Drive, Birmingham, AL 35229-2240 |
| Phone: | 205-726-2011 |
| Website: | www.samford.edu |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/SamfordU |
34.4% of the graduate students at Samford took at least one online course.Approximately 19.4% of grad students took all their classes online during that same time period.
Listed here are the degree programs in which the school awarded master’s degrees.
| Masters Degree Program | Annual Graduates | Avg Early-Career Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting | 18 | $84,371 |
| Allied Health Professions | 35 | — |
| Business Administration & Management | 48 | $82,851 |
| Communication Sciences | 29 | — |
| Educational Administration | 15 | $67,148 |
| Food, Nutrition & Related Services | 12 | — |
| Health/Medical Admin Services | 3 | — |
| Legal Research | 12 | — |
| Medical Illustration & Informatics | 1 | — |
| Music | 8 | — |
| Natural Resources Conservation | 2 | — |
| Nursing | 38 | $116,262 |
| Public Health | 21 | — |
| Social Work | 24 | — |
| Special Education | 1 | — |
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 10 | $54,800 |
| Theological & Ministerial Studies | 39 | $59,090 |
As with the master’s degree programs, only the programs that awarded doctorate degrees are shown here.
| Doctorate Degree Program | Annual Graduates | Avg Early-Career Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Administration | 35 | $88,734 |
Only the programs in which a graduate certificate was awarded are shown here.
| Graduate Certificate Program | Annual Graduates | Avg Early-Career Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Dietetics & Nutrition Services | 11 | — |
| Legal Research | 1 | — |
| Missionary Studies | 3 | — |
| Nursing | 8 | — |
| Theological & Ministerial Studies | 8 | — |
Listed here are the programs in which Samford University awarded a professional degree.
| Professional Degree Program | Annual Graduates | Avg Early-Career Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Law | 153 | — |
| Nursing | 78 | — |
| Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences | 102 | — |
| Public Health | 11 | — |
| Rehabilitation Professions | 36 | — |
| Theological & Ministerial Studies | 1 | — |
Listed here are the programs in which Samford University awarded a post-masters certificate.
| Post-Masters Certificate Program | Annual Graduates | Avg Early-Career Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Administration | 4 | — |
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
References