Quad

Head-to-head

U. Alabama at Birmingham
San Jose State

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    San Jose State grads earn $24.5K more ten years out than U. Alabama at Birmingham's ($78,988 vs. $54,501)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    San Jose State graduates 20 pts more of its students than U. Alabama at Birmingham (78% vs. 58%)

    Graduation rate
  3. 3

    San Jose State has 15 pts more first-gen students than U. Alabama at Birmingham (49% vs. 34%)

    First-generation students
  4. 4

    San Jose State has 2.4× as many undergrads as U. Alabama at Birmingham

    Undergrads
  5. 5

    U. Alabama at Birmingham's grants cover 32% of its full price on average, vs. 24% at San Jose State

    Aid generosity
  6. 6

    U. Alabama at Birmingham's yield is 5 pts higher than San Jose State's

    Yield rate

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

San Jose State admits 85%, U. Alabama at Birmingham 88%; U. Alabama at Birmingham's yield is higher, at 20%.

Acceptance rate
U. Alabama at Birmingham88%
San Jose State85%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. Alabama at BirminghamAccessible
  • San Jose StateAccessible
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
U. Alabama at Birmingham
1210–1450
San Jose StateTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. Alabama at BirminghamGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • San Jose StateGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

San Jose State has 2.4× as many undergrads as U. Alabama at Birmingham and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. Alabama at Birmingham11.6K
San Jose State27.6K
Pell Grant share
U. Alabama at Birmingham34%
San Jose State35%

Majors and faculty

Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse leads at U. Alabama at Birmingham, and Business Administration and Management at San Jose State.

Students per faculty member
U. Alabama at Birmingham18 to 1
San Jose State25 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. Alabama at BirminghamRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse13%
  • San Jose StateBusiness Administration and Management, General25%

What each costs

U. Alabama at Birmingham costs about $3.8K less a year than San Jose State on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
U. Alabama at Birmingham$21.2K
San Jose State$25K
Aid generosity
U. Alabama at Birmingham32%
San Jose State24%

What each pays off

San Jose State's former students earn more, a median $79K ten years after enrolling.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. Alabama at Birmingham$54.5K
San Jose State$79K
Graduation rate
U. Alabama at Birmingham58%
San Jose State78%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; San Jose State got less selective while U. Alabama at Birmingham held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. Alabama at BirminghamGrowing+99%
  • San Jose StateGrowing+25%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why