Alabama State University

Public · Moderately Selective · AL

Photo: Michael Barera (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationAL · South

SettingUrban

Undergrads3,477

Student:faculty15:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate14.7%

6-yr grad rate30.3%

Drop-out rate30.2%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$11k

Out-of-state tuition$20k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity98.2%

Gender diversity63.5%

International2.5%

IdentityHBCU

Overview

Alabama State University is a public historically Black university in Montgomery, founded in 1867 by freedpeople in the years following emancipation. Its history is deeply intertwined with the civil rights movement, as faculty and students were directly involved in organizing the Montgomery Bus Boycott, giving the university a civic and historical identity that shapes campus culture today.

Academics

Education, criminal justice, and health-profession programs are ASU's most established offerings, serving a student body drawn substantially from Alabama and the broader Black Belt South. Class sizes are modest, and the university's teacher-education lineage remains visible in its ongoing strength in that field.

Campus & student life

HBCU traditions run deep at ASU, most visibly through the Mighty Marching Hornets band, a major campus institution whose performances draw attention well beyond the football games they accompany. Greek life, homecoming, and other HBCU-specific traditions are central to student social life in a way that shapes the calendar year as much as academics does.

Getting in

ASU's review is access-oriented rather than highly selective, consistent with its historic mission of serving students, often first-generation, who might not have had the same opportunities at more selective institutions. Its civil rights history and HBCU identity are frequently cited by applicants as reasons for choosing it specifically.

After graduation

Education and criminal justice graduates place substantially within Alabama and the surrounding region, and the university's HBCU alumni network, reinforced by strong Greek-life and band alumni ties, remains active in supporting current students and recent graduates.

alasu.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate97.5%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 749–967 · ACT 15–20

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying