U.S. News & World Report has named the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the 2026 Best Colleges rankings, strengthening its position as one of the leading universities in the state. UAB climbed four spots to No. 132 out of 434 institutions in the Best National Universities category — placing it, once again, in the top third of ranked schools across the country.

"Our continued ascent in these rankings—improving ten spots over the past two years—is another indication of the positive momentum we have in this new academic year," said UAB President Ray Watts. "I want to thank all of our talented faculty, staff, and students for continuing to make our innovative academic programs and research opportunities among the best in the nation."

UAB continues its upward trajectory in faculty research performance, climbing to No. 24 in the national Bibliometric ranking for 2026 — up from No. 28 last year and marking a 12-spot rise over the past two years.

“These rankings are a testament to the outstanding work that our deans, faculty and staff are doing to continuously strengthen our academic programs and, in turn, support the success of our students,” said Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Janet Woodruff-Borden, Ph.D. “We believe in a high-impact education that honors the commitment students and families make when they invest in UAB. We aim to create a learning environment where students of all backgrounds can thrive and achieve their full potential.”

Additional highlights from the 2026 standings include:

• UAB is ranked as the second-highest Top Public School in Alabama at No. 68. This marks an improvement of eight spots from the 2024 rankings.
• The university saw its largest rank increase in the category of Best Value Schools, jumping nine spots to land at No. 171.
• The UAB School of Nursing’s Undergraduate Nursing program has maintained its impressive No. 13 national ranking. It continues to lead as the highest-ranked nursing program in Alabama and the top public nursing school in the East South-Central region and remains in the top 2 percent of nursing programs nationwide.
• The School of Engineering’s Undergraduate Engineering programs held its ranking at No. 125.
• The Collat School of Business’ overall Undergraduate Business programssaw growth and moved up five spots.
• UAB continued to gain rankings in the Best Colleges for Veterans category, moving up two spots from 2025.
• UAB gained seven spots in the Top Performers on Social Mobility category, continuing the streak as the highest-ranked institution in Alabama for this category.
• The College of Arts and Sciences’ Undergraduate Computer Science programs again ranked in the top 30 percent.

This is the 41st year that U.S. News & World Report has compiled its Best Colleges rankings. A complete list of U.S. News rankings can be found online.

Record-breaking fall enrollment

This fall, UAB welcomed its largest freshman class in history with just over 2,500 new Blazers coming to campus. This is an increase of a little over 500 students and marks a 25 percent increase in freshman enrollment for fall 2025 compared to the previous year. 

This surge reflects growing interest in UAB’s expanding academic offerings, innovative learning spaces and vibrant campus life — all part of the university’s SUCCESS Initiative.

According to preliminary data, UAB saw an increase in students who present as first-generation students, which makes up 37 percent of the 2025 freshman class compared to 34.4 percent in 2024.

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