The University of Alabama vs. University of Georgia

UGA is the tougher admit by a wide margin. It takes about 34.3% of applicants against roughly 71% at Alabama, so Alabama lets in more than twice the share. The profiles track that gap: UGA's enrolled first-years average a high school GPA near 4.17 with a middle-50% SAT of 1250–1420, while Alabama's average GPA sits near 3.85 with a middle-50% SAT of 1100–1360. Keep in mind UGA draws only about 20% of its class from out of state, so non-resident odds run tighter than that headline 34.3%.

Despite the lower sticker, UGA isn't automatically the cheaper bet out of state. Alabama charges about $35,342 in out-of-state tuition and fees versus $32,336 at UGA, but it spreads need-based aid wider, reaching roughly 43% of first-years to UGA's 28%. UGA covers more of demonstrated need on average, about 78% to Alabama's 63%, with an average need-based package near $17,230 against Alabama's $19,857. In-state runs close either way (around $12,484 at Alabama, $11,492 at UGA), and Alabama leans hard on automatic merit scholarships that can knock down its higher published price.

Both schools treat business as their flagship field, and each grants about 30% of its bachelor's degrees in it, so you won't be a niche student at either. What separates them is the pool around you: UGA's business cohort competes inside a more selective, largely in-state class, while Alabama's belongs to a bigger, more national, out-of-state-heavy student body. After business, UGA's degrees cluster next in the sciences and social sciences; Alabama's spread toward the social sciences and communication.

They handle testing differently. UGA requires the SAT or ACT for first-year admission, full stop, and its enrolled students post a middle-50% range of 1250–1420 on the SAT and 27–33 on the ACT. Alabama goes test-optional, so scores help but won't sink you if you skip them; among Alabama submitters the middle 50% land at 1100–1360 on the SAT and 22–31 on the ACT. Strong scores still pull weight at Alabama because they unlock its automatic merit-scholarship tiers.

Alabama edges out UGA on size, enrolling about 35,621 undergraduates to UGA's 32,824, though who fills those seats matters more than the headcount. Roughly 57% of Alabama students arrive from out of state, while UGA pulls about 80% from within Georgia. Both run as residential flagships, with about 95% of Alabama first-years and 98% of UGA's living on campus and sizable Greek systems at each. Alabama sits in Tuscaloosa with a football-and-fraternity, nationally drawing culture, and UGA sits in Athens, a denser in-state college town.