Admissions & selectivity
University of South Alabama Acceptance Rate & Admissions
What is the acceptance rate at University of South Alabama?
University of South Alabama’s reported acceptance rate is 71.0%.
- Acceptance rate · Fall 2024
- 71.0%
Source: College Scorecard · Fall 2024 admissions. Acceptance rates can change from year to year; this figure does not predict the current or next admission cycle.
How to interpret the acceptance rate
The University of South Alabama admits 71.0% of applicants, a rate that sits below the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size).
What SAT and ACT scores do enrolled University of South Alabama students report?
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported a 3.75 average high-school GPA among enrolled first-year students, based on the 99.8% who reported a GPA. This is an average, not a cutoff.
For enrolled first-year students who submitted ACT scores, the middle half scored from 20 to 26; 83% submitted ACT scores. For SAT submitters, the middle half scored from 1010 to 1200, though only 6% submitted SAT scores.
Applicants can use the university's own ACT range of 20 to 26 as context for recent score submitters, rather than as a minimum.
The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at University of South Alabama. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle.
6% of entering students submitted SAT scores
- 25th percentile
- 1010
- Median
- 1090
- 75th percentile
- 1200
CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
83% of entering students submitted ACT scores
- 25th percentile
- 20
- Median
- 23
- 75th percentile
- 26
CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
Source: University of South Alabama Common Data Set 2025-26, C9 · Enrolled first-time, first-year score submitters.
Who enrolls at University of South Alabama?
- Pell Grant recipients
- 38.0%
- Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group
- 31.0%
- First-year retention
- 75.7%
Retention source: College Scorecard; full-time first-year retention.
About these student measures
The entering-student group includes part-time entrants as well as other attendance patterns.
University of South Alabama enrolls 8,879 undergraduates, with 38.0% receiving Pell Grants. An estimated 31.0% enter as transfers or part-time students, meaning a large portion of the student body started their degree elsewhere.
Pell-eligible students can use the cost calculator to see their estimated net price, and transfer applicants should review the transfer credit policies for their intended program.
Of full-time bachelor's-seeking entrants, 75.7% return for a second year, above the peer median of 73.7% for comparable institutions (same type and size). The six-year graduation rate is 52.7%, also above the peer median of 49.1%.
Pell recipients in the same cohort complete at 43.8%, 8.9 percentage points below the overall rate. The gap is a fact about the entering cohort's outcomes, not an explanation of why it exists.
Enrolled students can expect retention and completion that run ahead of the peer medians, though Pell recipients finish at a lower rate. The figures describe the first-time full-time cohort; transfer outcomes are not captured here.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Admission rates describe past applicants, not an individual’s chance of admission; confirm requirements and deadlines with the institution.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.