A Deeper Dive into In-State Colleges

Photo courtesy of Gulf Shores News

As our school year draws to a close, many of us are set to enjoy our summers, but others will be preparing to move out and head off to college. That being said, “college” can refer to any number of universities, and I, for one, was curious to know where our seniors would go. The following are some of Vestavia’s top choices for higher education. 

A lot of seniors this year were really satisfied with where they were heading! Firstly, as we all know, a large portion of our graduating class will head to Auburn. In fact, so many Vestavia students continue their education at Auburn that we often call it our “second high school!” For those interested, Auburn has an average accepted GPA of 3.85 (4.07 weighted) and 1300 on the SAT or 27 on the ACT for a strong application. Known for being a strong school in engineering, business, and veterinary medicine, among many other fields, Auburn boasts a clean and lively campus with amazing student life all around. It has around a 50% acceptance rate. It’s highly acclaimed for having one of the highest percentages of happy students, so Auburn is a great choice for many of our graduates!

Plenty of other Vestavia graduates will study at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. With UA’s 75% acceptance rate, you may find it a little easier to get into. If you’re looking to get in, try to maintain around a 3.87 GPA, 1225 SAT, and 26 ACT! In terms of academics, Alabama is certainly also a good school, having a wonderful engineering, nursing, and law program, among others. As the largest university in our state, UA’s ability to offer generous scholarships for high-achieving students makes it a great choice for any Vestavia graduate.

Last but not least, UAB is Alabama’s third-largest university, and given its proximity to Vestavia Hills, it’s well-known and well-loved by us all. While some students find UAB’s location undesirable, it’s one of the best medical schools in the US. UAB consistently ranks highly in clinical medicine, immunology, and microbiology, and it even placed in the top 6% of universities nationwide, as well as being a top 200 college worldwide! With an 86.5% acceptance rate, UAB is generally less selective than other schools but still tends to expect a 3.78 GPA, 1300 SAT, and 27 ACT. Also, many of you may have heard of UAB’s EMSAP (Early Medical School Acceptance Program), which only accepts ten students per year and guarantees admission into a top medical school. Regardless of what you go to UAB for, however, you are set for success!

Ultimately, Alabama contains a multitude of in-state colleges offering a wide range of opportunities. The universities listed here are the biggest, but our state has many more, each of which provides unique advantages! Whether you go in-state or out-of-state, we wish the seniors the very best on their journey! To everyone else, keep up the good work—your efforts will be rewarded come senior year!