Quad

Head-to-head

U. Alabama
U. Rhode Island

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. Alabama has 2.5× as many undergrads as U. Rhode Island

    Undergrads
  2. 2

    U. Rhode Island grads earn $10.5K more ten years out than U. Alabama's ($69,743 vs. $59,221)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  3. 3

    U. Alabama's grants cover 30% of its full price on average, vs. 26% at U. Rhode Island

    Aid generosity
  4. 4

    U. Rhode Island has 4 pts more first-gen students than U. Alabama (26% vs. 23%)

    First-generation students
  5. 5

    U. Rhode Island has 3 pts more Pell recipients than U. Alabama (22% vs. 18%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  6. 6

    U. Alabama's SAT midpoint is 32 points higher than U. Rhode Island's

    SAT midpoint

The shape of each school

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

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

U. Alabama admits 71%, U. Rhode Island 75%; U. Alabama's yield is higher, at 18%.

Acceptance rate
U. Alabama71%
U. Rhode Island75%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. AlabamaSelective
  • U. Rhode IslandSelective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1000–1600
U. Alabama
1100–1360
U. Rhode Island
1090–1310
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. AlabamaGPA, school record, and prep program required59%
  • U. Rhode IslandRigor and GPA very important43%

Who's on each campus

U. Alabama has 2.5× as many undergrads as U. Rhode Island; U. Rhode Island has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. Alabama33.2K
U. Rhode Island13.4K
Pell Grant share
U. Alabama18%
U. Rhode Island22%

Majors and faculty

Finance leads at U. Alabama, and Psychology at U. Rhode Island; U. Rhode Island has 17 students per faculty member to U. Alabama's 19.

Students per faculty member
U. Alabama19 to 1
U. Rhode Island17 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. AlabamaFinance, General8%
  • U. Rhode IslandPsychology, General8%

What each costs

U. Alabama costs about $2.2K less a year than U. Rhode Island on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
U. Alabama$32.4K
U. Rhode Island$34.5K
Aid generosity
U. Alabama30%
U. Rhode Island26%

What each pays off

U. Rhode Island's former students earn more, a median $69.7K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 70% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. Alabama$59.2K
U. Rhode Island$69.7K
Graduation rate
U. Alabama71%
U. Rhode Island72%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; U. Rhode Island got more selective while U. Alabama got less.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. AlabamaGrowing+68%
  • U. Rhode IslandGrowing+29%
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:The University of Alabama (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;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 2018;University of Rhode Island (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;University of Rhode Island Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;University of Rhode Island Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2019About 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