University of South Alabama Rankings & Recognition

University of South Alabama appears in 13 of CollegesRef's value rankings by major. Its best placement is #170 of 181 for civil engineering, and #4 of 5 ranked colleges in Alabama.

University of South Alabama rankings by major

Source: CollegesRef value rankings from U.S. College Scorecard data, 2025

Each ranking compares bachelor's programs in one field. A college's value score is the weighted average of four percentiles among the ranked colleges: graduate earnings, average net price, debt compared with earnings, and graduation rate. Percentiles here are 100 for the best figure in the field. How the rankings work

Civil engineering

Ranked #170 of 181 for value

Civil Engineering · 50 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $78,187; Ranked-college median: $85,627
Median debt: $23,125; Ranked-college median: $20,500

Value score 23 of 100 · #4 of 5 in Alabama

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 9th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 52th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 21th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 14th percentile

Average net price $16,801 (median $17,058) · graduation rate 54.6% · debt is 30% of earnings

Ranked just above: University of Maine (#169)
Ranked just below: Valparaiso University (#171)

Best colleges for civil engineering

Mechanical engineering

Ranked #233 of 276 for value

Mechanical Engineering · 53 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $89,052; Ranked-college median: $91,366
Median debt: $26,000; Ranked-college median: $20,713

Value score 31.7 of 100 · #6 of 7 in Alabama

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 31th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 55th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 14th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 19th percentile

Average net price $16,801 (median $17,379) · graduation rate 54.6% · debt is 29% of earnings

Ranked just above: York College of Pennsylvania (#232)
Ranked just below: Florida Institute of Technology (#234)

Best colleges for mechanical engineering

Engineering

Ranked #269 of 327 for value

Mechanical Engineering · 53 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $89,052; Ranked-college median: $91,742
Median debt: $26,000; Ranked-college median: $21,000

Value score 33 of 100 · #6 of 7 in Alabama

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 33th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 55th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 14th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 21th percentile

Average net price $16,801 (median $17,499) · graduation rate 54.6% · debt is 29% of earnings

Ranked just above: Prairie View A & M University (#268)
Ranked just below: University of Wisconsin-Stout (#270)

Best colleges for engineering

Criminal justice

Ranked #288 of 379 for value

Criminal Justice and Corrections · 29 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $50,822; Ranked-college median: $55,481
Median debt: $21,500; Ranked-college median: $21,500

Value score 36.7 of 100 · #4 of 9 in Alabama

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 24th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 46th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 34th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 60th percentile

Average net price $16,801 (median $16,222) · graduation rate 54.6% · debt is 42% of earnings

Ranked just above: Rochester Institute of Technology (#287)
Ranked just below: Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (#289)

Best colleges for criminal justice

Education

Ranked #289 of 521 for value

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods · 85 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $48,956; Ranked-college median: $48,822
Median debt: $24,535; Ranked-college median: $21,500

Value score 46.9 of 100 · #7 of 13 in Alabama

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 52th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 53th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 31th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 45th percentile

Average net price $16,801 (median $17,201) · graduation rate 54.6% · debt is 50% of earnings

Ranked just above: Western Illinois University (#288)
Ranked just below: Albany State University (#290)

Best colleges for education

Finance

Ranked #324 of 330 for value

Finance and Financial Management Services · 41 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $62,084; Ranked-college median: $77,916
Median debt: $27,000; Ranked-college median: $19,500

Value score 20.6 of 100 · #8 of 8 in Alabama

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 5th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 56th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 0th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 32th percentile

Average net price $16,801 (median $17,502) · graduation rate 54.6% · debt is 44% of earnings

Ranked just above: Lindenwood University (#323)
Ranked just below: Columbia College-Missouri (#325)

Best colleges for finance

Marketing

Ranked #341 of 354 for value

Marketing · 29 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $50,483; Ranked-college median: $67,486
Median debt: $26,000; Ranked-college median: $19,523

Value score 20.9 of 100 · #8 of 9 in Alabama

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 4th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 57th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 1th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 33th percentile

Average net price $16,801 (median $17,699) · graduation rate 54.6% · debt is 52% of earnings

Ranked just above: Park University (#340)
Ranked just below: University of North Alabama (#342)

Best colleges for marketing

Accounting

Ranked #355 of 408 for value

Accounting and Related Services · 38 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $64,410; Ranked-college median: $76,108
Median debt: $20,750; Ranked-college median: $20,500

Value score 29.5 of 100 · #8 of 10 in Alabama

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 16th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 54th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 21th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 36th percentile

Average net price $16,801 (median $17,285) · graduation rate 54.6% · debt is 32% of earnings

Ranked just above: Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania (#354)
Ranked just below: Coastal Carolina University (#356)

Best colleges for accounting

Computer science

Ranked #409 of 466 for value

Computer Science · 39 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $80,317; Ranked-college median: $97,375
Median debt: $23,000; Ranked-college median: $19,500

Value score 27.3 of 100 · #7 of 9 in Alabama

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 19th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 50th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 12th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 33th percentile

Average net price $16,801 (median $16,804) · graduation rate 54.6% · debt is 29% of earnings

Ranked just above: Allegheny College (#408)
Ranked just below: California State University-Dominguez Hills (#410)

Best colleges for computer science

Biology

Ranked #489 of 680 for value

Biology, General · 174 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $54,090; Ranked-college median: $58,001
Median debt: $22,266; Ranked-college median: $20,717

Value score 38.6 of 100 · #4 of 12 in Alabama

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 33th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 57th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 28th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 36th percentile

Average net price $16,801 (median $18,049) · graduation rate 54.6% · debt is 41% of earnings

Ranked just above: Purdue University Northwest (#488)
Ranked just below: University of Colorado Colorado Springs (#490)

Best colleges for biology

Nursing

Ranked #490 of 686 for value

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · 354 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $78,024; Ranked-college median: $85,171
Median debt: $18,998; Ranked-college median: $20,938

Value score 39.4 of 100 · #5 of 12 in Alabama

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 18th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 57th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 52th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 49th percentile

Average net price $16,801 (median $18,014) · graduation rate 54.6% · debt is 24% of earnings

Ranked just above: Lincoln Memorial University (#489)
Ranked just below: University of Iowa (#491)

Best colleges for nursing

Psychology

Ranked #683 of 814 for value

Psychology, General · 92 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $43,384; Ranked-college median: $51,007
Median debt: $21,268; Ranked-college median: $21,000

Value score 31.6 of 100 · #4 of 14 in Alabama

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 14th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 60th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 25th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 41th percentile

Average net price $16,801 (median $18,874) · graduation rate 54.6% · debt is 49% of earnings

Ranked just above: Prairie View A & M University (#682)
Ranked just below: Drake University (#684)

Best colleges for psychology

Business

Ranked #890 of 986 for value

Business Administration, Management and Operations · 51 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $48,021; Ranked-college median: $64,860
Median debt: $21,000; Ranked-college median: $21,375

Value score 26.3 of 100 · #14 of 19 in Alabama

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 4th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 61th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 11th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 50th percentile

Average net price $16,801 (median $19,132) · graduation rate 54.6% · debt is 44% of earnings