Samford University
Birmingham, Alabama · Website
$58,469
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$58,469
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Samford University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Birmingham, Alabama with 4,206 undergraduates and 1,887 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $32,622 a year (tuition and fees $40,150). It admits 82% of applicants and 77% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $58,469 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $19,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$32,622
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$40,150
US median $11,837
Admission rate
82%
US median 78%
Completion rate
77%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$19,500
About $207 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$58,469
Rank 877 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $32,622
- Tuition and fees
- $40,150
- Cost of attendance
- $57,456
- Students with a need-based grant
- 11%
- Students with federal loans
- 27%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $22,716
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $24,812
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $31,527
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $34,206
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $36,235
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $28,370 in 2015-16 to $40,150 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 82%
- Average SAT
- 1,201
- SAT reading, middle
- 615
- SAT math, middle
- 580
- ACT, middle
- 26
- Undergraduates
- 4,206
- Graduate students
- 1,887
- Part-time students
- 1.4%
- Women
- 65%
- Students per teacher
- 14
- Completion rate
- 77%
- Retention rate
- 93%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 113
- Endowment
- $470.0M
- Other
- Religious affiliation
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 877 of 5,094 US colleges and 7 of 69 in Alabama (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | AL median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $32,622 | $15,258 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $40,150 | $9,862 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 82% | 77% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 77% | 42% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 93% | 67% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $19,500 | $21,000 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $49,466 | $32,851 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $58,469 | $39,842 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 78% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 79% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
113 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LawProfessional | Professional | 138 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and AdministrationProfessional | Professional | 117 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 105 | $25,000 | $64,226 | $72,517 | $88,910 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingProfessional | Professional | 103 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and AdministrationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 66 | $11,000 | Withheld | $119,888 | $116,539 |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 65 | $18,000 | $47,565 | $70,839 | $69,303 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 63 | Withheld | $61,019 | $119,341 | $103,485 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 53 | $19,000 | $53,059 | $93,444 | $83,343 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingMaster's | Master's | 47 | $110,952 | $156,772 | $127,084 | $120,193 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 41 | $20,500 | $44,644 | $52,171 | $47,382 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 41 | $23,937 | Withheld | Withheld | $61,296 |
| Health/Medical Preparatory ProgramsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 39 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $61,911 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsProfessional | Professional | 37 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Theological and Ministerial StudiesMaster's | Master's | 36 | $49,054 | $37,532 | $50,016 | $61,300 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 35 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $127,347 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 34 | $22,800 | Withheld | $76,584 | $68,257 |
| JournalismBachelor's | Bachelor's | 33 | $18,120 | $30,311 | $50,652 | $56,278 |
| Design and Applied ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 33 | $23,250 | $41,323 | Withheld | $51,490 |
| Public HealthOnlineMaster's | Master's | 30 | Withheld | $57,501 | $92,506 | $82,751 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 30 | Withheld | Withheld | $90,572 | $76,194 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 29 | Withheld | Withheld | $50,809 | $48,568 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 25 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,706 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesMaster's | Master's | 24 | Withheld | $63,075 | $92,202 | $95,833 |
| Social WorkMaster's | Master's | 23 | $46,834 | $44,603 | $55,271 | $65,123 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftBachelor's | Bachelor's | 22 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $39,775 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: Alabama on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Alabama
- Homes: Homes for sale in Alabama
Questions and answers
How much does Samford University cost?
$32,622 a year is the average net price at Samford University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $40,150, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $57,456. Families earning under $30,000 pay $22,716 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Samford University?
82% of applicants are admitted to Samford University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,201 and the middle ACT score is 26. The median admission rate of colleges in Alabama is 77%.
How much do Samford University graduates earn?
$58,469 a year is the median pay of former Samford University students who work, 10 years after they started ($49,466 after 6 years). That ranks 877 of 5,094 US colleges and 7 of 69 in Alabama. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's) at $156,772.
How much student debt do Samford University graduates have?
$19,500 is the median federal student loan debt of Samford University graduates, about $207 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 27% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Samford University?
77% of first-time, full-time students at Samford University finish within 6 years. 93% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Samford University?
Law (138 professional graduates), Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (117 professional graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (105 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 113 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.