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Alabama enrollment hits 42,360 students
Posted on 9/16/25 at 11:22 am
Posted on 9/16/25 at 11:22 am
When I was a student, we had 20,000 students. Enrollment has boomed.
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Posted on 9/16/25 at 11:40 am to Granola
Schools like this will be outdated within a generation from a.i. alone.
Posted on 9/16/25 at 11:44 am to Granola
quote:
When I was a student, we had 20,000 students. Enrollment has boomed.
Back when student loans weren't guaranteed by the federal government, meaning no automatic money for the school.
It was under 20k when I was in school as well, 15k undergrad. Kind of miss it being smaller, things seem more quant. My senior year enrollment was only 18,400. Honestly, I don't know if I would have gone there if it was 42k at the time. That almost seems too big, especially for the footprint of the school.
This post was edited on 9/16/25 at 11:47 am
Posted on 9/16/25 at 11:49 am to Granola
We hit 30k when I was student there and it was a huge milestone 
Posted on 9/16/25 at 12:06 pm to Granola
I'd be curious what percentage are out of state kids. I know several years ago it was some absurd number like 66 per cent.
Posted on 9/16/25 at 12:07 pm to RolltidePA
Totally agree. 20,000 was the perfect size when I was there. Campus was quaint. Now it's enormous and over run by kids from the Northeast, Chicago and California. Almost too big
Posted on 9/16/25 at 12:09 pm to Amarillo Tide
quote:
I know several years ago it was some absurd number like 66 per cent.
Probably still the same. Alabama caters to the OOS students for the out of state tuition $$.
Posted on 9/16/25 at 12:27 pm to Granola
Problem with having a lot of out of state friends was being shocked that they didn’t want to stay at the games and enjoy the beatdowns. Pissed us off sitting there with the 3 guys left who gave a shite while our section emptied out because they didn’t enjoy watching Prime Saban kick an SEC team’s arse.
Posted on 9/16/25 at 1:42 pm to Granola
quote:
Totally agree. 20,000 was the perfect size when I was there. Campus was quaint. Now it's enormous and over run by kids from the Northeast, Chicago and California. Almost too big
One of the things that I really liked about my college experience is that coming from Pennsylvania, I was one of the few people that was at the school from a state that far away. It was truly getting a different experience from where I grew up.
When I would run into someone else from PA, it was an interesting surprise. There was one girl that I would run into that was from Pittsburgh as well and we'd chat about home or the Steelers. Other than that, I made new connections, which I mostly still have today. End of the day, if I wanted to be around people from PA or the north, I would have gone to Penn State.
Posted on 9/16/25 at 2:32 pm to Granola
I wonder if there is some long term “master plan” related to enlarging enrollment? Is there some ideal number the BOT would like the enrollment to eventually get to? 50,000? 75,000?
I know having dorm space enters into it but they could put up new dorms.
On the other hand, nationwide, college enrollments are down and people are not having children like they were 15-20 years ago. I have to wonder if eventually these factors will hit UA.
I know having dorm space enters into it but they could put up new dorms.
On the other hand, nationwide, college enrollments are down and people are not having children like they were 15-20 years ago. I have to wonder if eventually these factors will hit UA.
Posted on 9/16/25 at 3:28 pm to Amarillo Tide
The Southern flagship schools are booming. Think Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU, Tennessee. Northern students are going to these 4 schools in record numbers as it is cheaper than closer options. Big sports are helping as well.
Posted on 9/16/25 at 3:34 pm to RolltidePA
it as around 17.5K in 1988
Posted on 9/16/25 at 4:15 pm to Legba007
I was a student from 87-91. It was around 20,000 give or take
Posted on 9/16/25 at 4:29 pm to RolltidePA
I knew a guy from PA when I was a grad student at Bama in the mid 1980s. He told me it was actually cheaper for him to pay out of state tuition to UA than in state tuition at Penn State (?!?!). Crazy.
Posted on 9/16/25 at 5:53 pm to Amarillo Tide
quote:
I knew a guy from PA when I was a grad student at Bama in the mid 1980s. He told me it was actually cheaper for him to pay out of state tuition to UA than in state tuition at Penn State (?!?!). Crazy.
100% accurate. I started at Bama in the mid 90’s it was about $11k per year all in. Penn State was $18k and Pitt was $21k per year in state.
Posted on 9/16/25 at 8:03 pm to PuertoRicanBlaze
I was in the graduating class that surpassed 100,000.
Posted on 9/16/25 at 8:20 pm to Granola
quote:
Totally agree. 20,000 was the perfect size when I was there. Campus was quaint. Now it's enormous and over run by kids from the Northeast, Chicago and California. Almost too big
I saw the beginnings of this but still got enjoy a campus that had a decent strip scene and cheap houses for hosting parties right around campus. I can just tell without even going down Reed St that it is all luxury apartments now. My now wife had this efficiency apartment ran by Delview that was such a shitty place that we just used it for a weekend crash pad. Literally cheap enough that she just kept on paying for it while living with me.
Posted on 9/16/25 at 8:28 pm to Diego Ricardo
Said this in another thread a few weeks back around rush time…school is succeeding if it wants to become the ASU of the southeast.
Posted on 9/16/25 at 8:51 pm to bamaphan13
ASU is a fun place by all accounts but perhaps it is my age showing that I miss that it won't be the same for my kids. There is something to be said for a double occupancy room in a coed dorm. Rat trap apartments right next to the old tooth before it became walls of televisions and cheap pitchers of long islands at Cheap Shots.
The luxury college living feels too much like resort and spa. College should be long nights in a quiet floor in a Gorgas cubby desk that bleed over into breakfast at City Cafe. A cheap apartment where you can just walk to anywhere you'd ever need to be.
I dunno. I'm just getting old and remembering the good old days I guess.
The luxury college living feels too much like resort and spa. College should be long nights in a quiet floor in a Gorgas cubby desk that bleed over into breakfast at City Cafe. A cheap apartment where you can just walk to anywhere you'd ever need to be.
I dunno. I'm just getting old and remembering the good old days I guess.
Posted on 9/16/25 at 9:29 pm to Granola
Alabama’s OOS is indeed greater than its in state tuition and the disparity is becoming wider. For some reason, Alabama has a lot of sway in the west coast, which is where a good portion of these out of state students are coming from. I’d estimate in about 10-15 years you’ll start seeing these huge hedge fund CEOs and bankers randomly pop up and their Alma mater won’t be some dumb shite like Michigan or NYU or UMass.
Even though you can say it’s all thanks to Saban, I’d say the real flowers should go to Kiffin and Lupoi. They stole all the dawgs from the west coast and brought them to Tuscaloosa. Kids that are playing now probably grew up watching their college highlights from after seeing their pro games and found interest in Alabama and the loop just kept on going.
Tua going to Alabama did absolute wonders for this university.
Even though you can say it’s all thanks to Saban, I’d say the real flowers should go to Kiffin and Lupoi. They stole all the dawgs from the west coast and brought them to Tuscaloosa. Kids that are playing now probably grew up watching their college highlights from after seeing their pro games and found interest in Alabama and the loop just kept on going.
Tua going to Alabama did absolute wonders for this university.
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