Florida State vs The University of Alabama (UA)

Florida State University and The University of Alabama, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. FSU, located in the vibrant city of Tallahassee, boasts a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs, with popular majors including Business, Psychology, and Criminology. UA, situated in the heart of Tuscaloosa, is renowned for its strong athletics programs, particularly football, and offers popular majors such as Business, Engineering, and Education. While FSU has a slightly higher acceptance rate, UA offers a lower average cost of attendance. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more key differences, including graduation rates, student demographics, and available majors, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Florida State University	The University of Alabama
Overview
Location	Tallahassee, Florida	Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	94.0%	89.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	37.1%	78.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1180 - 1340	1070 - 1370
ACT range	26 - 30	21 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	65.0%	17.0%
Students submitting ACT score	36.0%	63.0%
Total number of applicants	65,235	42,421
Total number of admissions given out	24,183	33,472
Admitted students who chose to enroll	7,619	7,593
Yield rate	31.5%	22.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $23,476 Out of state: $36,606	In state: $31,024 Out of state: $50,494
Average net price	$12,684	$21,263
Tuition	In state: $4,022 Out of state: $16,540	In state: $10,780 Out of state: $30,250
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,020 Meal plan: $4,856	Room/dormitory: $5,900 Meal plan: $4,234
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	94.0% Average amount $10,620	76.0% Average amount $16,363
Students receiving federal student loan	19.0% Average amount $4,996	37.0% Average amount $5,221
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $13,430	9.0% Average amount $23,617

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	33,593 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%	31,685 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%
Graduate students	11,537 Men 38.4% Women 61.6%	6,631 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	15.7%	62.2%
International students	4.2%	3.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	6,709	9,385
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Florida Georgia New Jersey New York Illinois	Alabama Georgia Illinois Texas Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Visual & Performing Arts Legal Profession	Health Professions Business Engineering Family and Consumer Sciences Education
Students to faculty ratio	22:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	83.2%	72.2%
Dropout rate	10.9%	7.7%
Transferred out	5.3%	18.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $86,926 Year 2: $92,632 Year 3: $102,429 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,442 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $89,448 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,610 Year 2: $68,305 Year 3: $78,263 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,971 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $78,057 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,179 Year 2: $83,177 Year 3: $77,718 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $78,794 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $77,527 Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,567 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $75,845 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,881 Year 2: $68,918 Year 3: $74,476 Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $74,364 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,216 Year 2: $60,325 Year 3: $72,686	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $104,741 Year 2: $119,061 Year 3: $121,674 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,175 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $101,082 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,913 Year 2: $80,004 Year 3: $96,574 Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,715 Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: $89,742 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,858 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $83,044 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,725 Year 2: $75,832 Year 3: $82,831 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $75,975 Year 2: $75,921 Year 3: $82,382 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,535 Year 2: $90,412 Year 3: $81,427 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,760 Year 2: $65,281 Year 3: $76,647 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $62,913 Year 2: $60,771 Year 3: $76,479

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