1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. The University of Alabama Research brief & institution hub Copy linkPrint brief # The University of Alabama AL · Large public institution · Overall rank #233 nationally Data snapshot September 27, 2026 · Updated October 1, 2026 Overview[Cost & aid](/school/the-university-of-alabama/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/the-university-of-alabama/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/the-university-of-alabama/admissions/)[Majors](/school/the-university-of-alabama/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/the-university-of-alabama/similar/) ## Azimuth places The University of Alabama in the 84th percentile nationally. ### Who it’s a good fit for Mobility, the strongest pillar, is among the highest we track at The University of Alabama, a public university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, whose degree mix is led by Business, Engineering, and Social Sciences. Graduates earn above the median at comparable schools, yet against what the model expects they earn roughly what the model predicts. The model attributes the factors it measures to adding to expected earnings, while the remainder it cannot explain subtracts from them. Affordability is modestly below average, and net prices sit above the median for comparable schools. Aid lowers the bill most for the lowest-income families, while Pell students finish at a lower rate than the entering cohort as a whole. The admission rate is within a few points of the median for comparable schools, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study. The largest program, Marketing, reports earnings above the peer median, while the highest-earning program, Computer and Information Sciences, sits well above it. ## The University of Alabama at a glance ### Admissions and outcomes **Admission rate[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)** 76.6% **Six-year completion[\[2\]](#hub-data-note-completion)** 73.4% **Four-year earnings[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)** $70,439 ### Cost and family borrowing **Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)** $22,258 **Median student debt[\[4\]](#hub-data-note-student-debt)** $22,750 **Median Parent PLUS debt[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps)** $48,666 ## The University of Alabama rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[\[5\]](#hub-data-note-rankings) The University of Alabama is a public university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, enrolling 33,227 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the upper third of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (84th percentile). The university admits 76.6% of applicants, a rate close to the 78.1% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Among full-time first-year students, 89.5% return for a second year, compared with a median of 83.1% for similar schools. The [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) for the first-time, full-time cohort is 73.4%, against a median of 65.0% for comparable institutions. Because an estimated 13.7% of students enter as transfers or part-time students, the six-year graduation rate reflects only the first-time, full-time cohort. The four pillars sit far apart at The University of Alabama. Mobility is the strongest, while affordability is the weakest. Return and access fall between those extremes. Mobility is the clearest strength at The University of Alabama, while affordability is the part of the profile that calls for closer cost checking. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, mobility is in the 91st percentile, the school’s strongest pillar. Return is in the 78th percentile and access in the 70th percentile; affordability, the weakest pillar, is in the 31st percentile. Strong mobility and solid return sit beside a substantially weaker affordability showing. 18.4% of undergraduates at The University of Alabama receive Pell Grants. Azimuth ranks The University of Alabama #435 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pell recipients complete at 56.7%, 16.7 percentage points below the overall [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) (73.4%). Azimuth ranks the university #132 for mobility. Graduates earn about $131 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. [How value-added outcomes are assessed](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) · [How to interpret program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) The University of Alabama rankings in context | Geography | Rank | | --- | --- | | National | #233 | Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group. ### National pillar percentiles **Economic mobility** National percentile: 91 **Access & reach** National percentile: 70 **[Affordability](/school/the-university-of-alabama/cost/)** National percentile: 31 **[Return on investment](/school/the-university-of-alabama/outcomes/)** National percentile: 78 ### Top-ranked majors 1. Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General**#2** 2. Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies**#4** 3. Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General**#8** This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ. [Explore major rankings](/school/the-university-of-alabama/majors/#major-rankings) 01 / The University of Alabama briefing ## [The University of Alabama cost & financial aid](/school/the-university-of-alabama/cost/)[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps) The price picture at The University of Alabama is less favorable than at comparable institutions, even after aid. Its published cost of attendance is $33,382; published in-state tuition and fees are $12,180, and room and board are $15,016. Out-of-state tuition and fees are $34,172. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $22,420, with financial aid reducing the published cost by $10,962 on average. The peer median is $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size), leaving the university $6,786 above that median. Azimuth places affordability in the 31st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. A net price above peers and that affordability standing point in the same direction. The published cost of attendance at The University of Alabama is $33,382. Azimuth ranks the university #978 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $19,169, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $22,258, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $26,729. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,560. Aid covers about 33% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, leaving an average net price of $22,420 across all bands. That figure is $6,786 above the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who finish carry a median of $22,750 in federal student loans, which is $2,674 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size), called the peer median. 91.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow through [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) hold a separate median of $48,666. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $259 a month. Your family income Choose a household income range to see estimated net price. $0–30K$30–48K$48–75K$75–110K$110K+ Reported average annual net price · $48–75K**$22,258** After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ. Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary. ### Borrowing and repayment at The University of Alabama Federal borrowing reaches 91.1% of federal aid recipients, and debt is above peers. Federal-loan borrowers who complete leave with median federal student loan debt of $22,750. Among comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median is $20,076, making The University of Alabama's figure $2,674 above it. For a separate parent-borrower population, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $48,666. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 42% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $39,767 in cumulative debt per borrower. That figure includes 39% of graduates with federal loans, averaging $20,579. It also includes 12% of graduates with private loans, averaging $70,025. Four years after completion, the median for federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled at The University of Alabama is $70,439. That figure sits in the 77th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $131 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. That result is at the 55th percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, span from $49,034 in a downside case to $92,815 in an upside case. The typical outcome is $70,439. The median federal student debt at completion is $22,750, $2,674 above the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $259 a month. For the separate population of parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $48,666. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $259 a month if repaid over ten years. [How Financial GPS measures payment burden](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/) · [The four risk-and-reward zones](/analysis/4-zones-of-college-risk-and-reward/) Financial GPS ### What does repayment look like? **Institution median student debt** $22,750 **Institution Parent PLUS debt** $48,666 Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included. **Estimated student payment · monthly** $259/mo **Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly** $618/mo Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s. Payment assumptions Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. [Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=the-university-of-alabama#student-tool) [Read the full cost & aid brief](/school/the-university-of-alabama/cost/) 02 / The University of Alabama briefing ## [The University of Alabama career outcomes & earnings](/school/the-university-of-alabama/outcomes/)[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)[\[8\]](#hub-data-note-scenarios)[\[9\]](#hub-data-note-value-added) At The University of Alabama, earnings sit above comparable peers, though the model places graduates effectively at its expected level. Azimuth puts the return pillar in the 78th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $70,439 four years after completion, in the 77th percentile. Graduates earn about $131 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. That earnings-beyond-expectations result is in the 55th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $12,603. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $12,472. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $65,610; the university stands $4,829 above it. For federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, The University of Alabama posts median earnings of $70,439 four years after completion. Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 77th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 6,139 completers. Graduates earn about $131 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. Earnings scenarios based on the program mix range from $49,034 in the downside scenario to $92,815 in the upside scenario, with $70,439 as the typical scenario. An estimated 27.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The typical earnings scenario and the near-expected earnings result point to a graduate pay picture centered close to the model’s expectation. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $70,439, at the 77th percentile. That is $4,829 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) The University of Alabama #330 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $131 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. The gap sits at the 55th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $12,603. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $12,472. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $956. The program mix tilts toward business and engineering, with a smaller STEM footprint overall. Earnings scenarios estimated from that mix range from a downside of $49,034 to an upside of $92,815. An estimated 27.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. Program choice shapes a wide modeled earnings range at the university. The downside earnings scenario is $49,034, whereas the upside scenario is $92,815; both are scenarios estimated from the program mix rather than observed groups. Costs require attention alongside the earnings picture at The University of Alabama. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $22,420. That average is above the $15,634 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size), by $6,786. Aid covers about 33% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, but this is an average rather than a personal quote. For borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $22,750, above the $20,076 peer median by $2,674. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $259 a month if repaid over ten years. Parent PLUS borrowers, a separate population, have median borrowing of $48,666. Graduates earn about $131 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. Higher net price and debt than peers temper an earnings picture that effectively meets the model’s expectation. What explains value-added earnings? **Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.** +$12,603 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** \-$12,472 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** +$131 These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. [Read the full outcomes brief](/school/the-university-of-alabama/outcomes/) 03 / The University of Alabama briefing ## [The University of Alabama acceptance rate & admissions](/school/the-university-of-alabama/admissions/)[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)[\[10\]](#hub-data-note-sat)[\[11\]](#hub-data-note-retention) In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, The University of Alabama reported 61,994 first-year applicants and 44,124 admitted applicants, giving a count-based view of a recent admissions cycle. The federal admission rate is 76.6%, below the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). SAT: reported composite scores **Admission rate** 76.6% **25th percentile** 1100 **Median** 1210 **75th percentile** 1360 CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff. [Read the full admissions brief](/school/the-university-of-alabama/admissions/) 04 / The University of Alabama briefing ## [What are the largest majors at The University of Alabama?](/school/the-university-of-alabama/majors/)[\[12\]](#hub-data-note-programs) Program choice at The University of Alabama spans higher-earning technical fields and more moderate-earning interdisciplinary and human-sciences fields four years after completion. Management Information Systems and Services pairs median earnings of $105,393 with 104 degrees awarded; [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #12 nationally within its field. Chemical Engineering reports $100,857 in median earnings across 159 degrees awarded and holds an Azimuth national field rank of #37. On the more moderate-earning side, Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies shows $56,945 and 89 degrees awarded, with Azimuth placing it #8 nationally within its field. Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences records $57,205 in median earnings from 120 degrees awarded and ranks #2 nationally in its field by Azimuth. The figures show that a strong field rank and four-year earnings do not always move in lockstep. Business accounts for 28.6% of bachelor’s degrees awarded, and The University of Alabama has 41 ranked programs. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences #2 nationally in its field among nonprofit four-year institutions; it awarded 120 degrees and had median earnings of $57,205 four years after completion. Azimuth ranks Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies #4 nationally in its field among nonprofit four-year institutions. The rankings span different fields, and the earnings figures vary across them. The University of Alabama awards bachelor's degrees across 41 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 46 with published four-year earnings data. The program mix is anchored by Business, which accounts for 28.6% of degrees awarded, followed by Engineering at 11.4% and Social Sciences at 9.6%. The largest single programs are Marketing at 581 degrees awarded, Finance at 540, and Nursing at 420. The highest-ranked program is Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, which awards 120 degrees a year and graduates earn a median of $57,205 four years after completion. Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies carries a benchmark ratio of 1.23x against the national median for its field, and [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #1 in Alabama within its field. It awards 40 degrees a year and graduates earn a median of $65,674. The highest-earning program overall is Computer and Information Sciences, where graduates earn $115,980 from 95 degrees awarded a year. Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies is another highly ranked program, at #8 nationally and #1 in Alabama, with 89 degrees awarded and median earnings of $56,945. Several of the cited programs hold the #1 rank in Alabama within their fields, including Marketing, Finance, and Nursing. The highest earnings come from a smaller technical program, Computer and Information Sciences, rather than from the largest majors. Across all fields, 15.8% of degrees awarded are in STEM. Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields **Marketing 581 degrees awarded** $77,451 **Finance and Financial Management Services 540 degrees awarded** $85,020 **Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 420 degrees awarded** $85,532 **Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication 321 degrees awarded** $68,227 **Mechanical Engineering 300 degrees awarded** $95,079 **Psychology, General 292 degrees awarded** $49,900 Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings. [Read the full majors brief](/school/the-university-of-alabama/majors/) 05 / The University of Alabama briefing ## How does The University of Alabama serve students from different backgrounds? Mobility is the university's strongest measured pillar, with a [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) of 73.4% for the first-time full-time cohort. Pell recipients complete within six years at 56.7%, below the overall rate by 16.7 percentage points. Azimuth puts mobility in the 91st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $131 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level, placing [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) in the 55th percentile. The strong mobility indicators sit alongside earnings effectively at the expected level. Access is broad at The University of Alabama, which admits 76.6% of applicants. Undergraduate enrollment totals 33,227; Pell Grant recipients account for 18.4%, and an estimated 13.7% arrive as transfers or part-time students. Azimuth places its access pillar in the 70th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Those access measures point in the same overall direction. 06 / The University of Alabama briefing ## [What colleges are similar to The University of Alabama?](/school/the-university-of-alabama/similar/)[\[15\]](#hub-data-note-peers) Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. [How matching works](/school/the-university-of-alabama/similar/#peer-matching). ### A shortlist for different decisions Choose a row to compare the figures with The University of Alabama. Admissions peerMississippi State University77.6% admitted+ Comparison with The University of Alabama | Measure | The University of Alabama | Mississippi State University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $70,439 | $59,311\-$11,128 vs The University of Alabama | | Average annual net price | $22,420 | $17,595\-$4,825 vs The University of Alabama · lower cost | | Admission rate | 76.6% | 77.6% | [Explore Mississippi State University →](/school/mississippi-state-university/) Higher-admission alternativeUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham88.2% admitted+ Comparison with The University of Alabama | Measure | The University of Alabama | University of Alabama at Birmingham | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $70,439 | $64,969\-$5,470 vs The University of Alabama | | Average annual net price | $22,420 | $18,749\-$3,671 vs The University of Alabama · lower cost | | Admission rate | 76.6% | 88.2% | [Explore University of Alabama at Birmingham →](/school/university-of-alabama-at-birmingham/) Nearby alternativeMississippi State UniversityNearby option · MS+ Comparison with The University of Alabama | Measure | The University of Alabama | Mississippi State University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $70,439 | $59,311\-$11,128 vs The University of Alabama | | Average annual net price | $22,420 | $17,595\-$4,825 vs The University of Alabama · lower cost | | Admission rate | 76.6% | 77.6% | [Explore Mississippi State University →](/school/mississippi-state-university/) Higher-earnings alternativeCapitol Technology University$104,028 earnings+ Comparison with The University of Alabama | Measure | The University of Alabama | Capitol Technology University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $70,439 | $104,028+$33,589 vs The University of Alabama | | Average annual net price | $22,420 | $22,102\-$318 vs The University of Alabama · lower cost | | Admission rate | 76.6% | 74.4% | [Explore Capitol Technology University →](/school/capitol-technology-university/) Lower-cost alternativeMississippi University for Women$12,411 average net price+ Comparison with The University of Alabama | Measure | The University of Alabama | Mississippi University for Women | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $70,439 | $62,987\-$7,452 vs The University of Alabama | | Average annual net price | $22,420 | $12,411\-$10,009 vs The University of Alabama · lower cost | | Admission rate | 76.6% | 90.3% | Similar profileUniversity of South Carolina-ColumbiaMatched across several measures+ Comparison with The University of Alabama | Measure | The University of Alabama | University of South Carolina-Columbia | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $70,439 | $67,741\-$2,698 vs The University of Alabama | | Average annual net price | $22,420 | $22,811+$391 vs The University of Alabama · higher cost | | Admission rate | 76.6% | 60.2% | [Explore University of South Carolina-Columbia →](/school/university-of-south-carolina-columbia/) Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable. [Read the full similar schools brief](/school/the-university-of-alabama/similar/) ## Data scope & methodology Structured payloads generated September 27, 2026 · Governed hub narrative September 27, 2026 · Governed spoke corpus September 27, 2026 Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection. Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them. Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects. Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release. Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source. Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth. [Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations](/methodology/) · [About College Azimuth](/about/) Read the analysis behind [value-added earnings](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) and the [change to four-year graduate earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/). These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com. ## Data notes & source fields Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the [U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/files/InstitutionDataDocumentation.pdf); notes with a different source link it below. 1. **Admission rate.** Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability. Source fields: `ADM_RATE` 2. **Six-year completion.** First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree. Source fields: `C150_4` 3. **Four-year institutional earnings.** Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion. Source fields: `MD_EARN_WNE_4YR` 4. **Median federal student debt.** Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students. Source fields: `GRAD_DEBT_MDN` 5. **National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks.** Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ. Source fields: `Azimuth rankings` [College Azimuth · Ranking methodology](/methodology/) 6. **Annual net price by family income.** Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers. Source fields: `NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV` 7. **Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration.** Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations. Source fields: `PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations` [College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/) 8. **Downside and upside earnings; yellow band.** The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median. Source fields: `Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios` [College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) 9. **Value added and its components.** Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. Source fields: `Azimuth statistical model` [College Azimuth · Value-added methodology](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) 10. **SAT score range and reported midpoint.** Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range. Source fields: `SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG` 11. **First-year retention.** Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions. Source fields: `RET_FT4` 12. **Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots.** Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity. Source fields: `EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE` [College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/assets/FieldOfStudyDataDocumentation.pdf) 13. **Pell recipients.** Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year. Source fields: `PCTPELL` 14. **Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group.** This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns. Source fields: `1 − PFTFTUG1_EF` 15. **Peer earnings and signed differences.** Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure. Source fields: `Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR` [College Azimuth · Comparison methodology](/methodology/) [How to interpret program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)