“Roll, tide, roll” still says a lot-but not everything-about Alabama, which is one of the fastest-growing public flagships in the country. Passion for the Crimson Tide is as strong as ever, but also look for strong honors programs, emphasis on undergraduate research, and pockets of professional excellence. Though its football team is among the nation’s elite, ’Bama still lacks the academic luster of rivals University of Georgia and University of Florida.

Although the University of Alabama first earned its national reputation on the gridiron, the state’s first university (with roots all the way back to 1820) is committed to making an academic name for itself as well. In an effort to attract the South’s best and brightest, UA has increased its emphasis on global perspectives, computer-based technologies, freshman learning communities, and undergraduate research and adopted a generous policy of merit scholarships, including for out-of-state students.

’Bama’s thousand-acre campus combines pristine brick, classical, revival-style buildings (a few of which survived the Civil War) with modern structures. One of the most stunning in the South, the campus boasts an expansive lawn and majestic trees and wraps around a shaded quadrangle, the home of the main library and “Denny Chimes,” a campanile carillon that rings the Westminster Chimes on the quarter hour. Hewson Hall, a $60 million building housing business programs, is slated for completion in 2021.

The only course Alabama requires students to take during their first year on campus is a two-term English composition sequence. Before graduation, students must also complete courses in natural sciences, math, humanities, and social sciences, and either two semesters of a foreign language or one of computer science. Optional Freshman Learning Communities allow students to take two or three academic courses together, and a one-credit seminar taught by a full professor that ties the other courses together. All students may also enroll in the two-credit Academic Potential Seminar, which covers skills like personal responsibility, time management, and test preparation. Incoming freshmen who are at the low end of UA’s admissions requirements may participate in the Crimson Edge Program, which requires an academic support class and includes specialized academic advising.

The university is organized into eight undergraduate colleges and schools, which together offer more than 80 undergraduate degree programs. The Culverhouse College of Business offers strong programs in marketing and management information systems. The College of Communication and Information Sciences is one of the country’s top communication schools, while respected programs in the College of Human Environmental Sciences include food and nutrition and athletic training. Among STEM fields, metallurgical and materials engineering is noteworthy. The School of Music is a regional standout, attracting guest artists such as Itzhak Perlman and Wynton Marsalis, and the studio art and art history programs are well regarded. New College allows students to work with faculty to design their own interdisciplinary major. The most popular majors include business, engineering, communication studies, journalism, and health-related programs. B.S. degrees in cybersecurity and addiction and recovery are now options. Full professors occasionally teach freshman courses, and one student describes them as “thorough and diligent with their classes and lectures.”

The Honors College serves 8,300 students and houses UA’s three university-wide honors programs: computer-based honors, international honors, and university honors. “Honors classes can include a Habitat for Humanity course, Theory and Practice of Mentoring, or the one that takes the cake: the chocolate-tasting class,” says one participant. Honors students also get early registration privileges and the opportunity to write a senior thesis. The University Scholars Program provides gifted undergraduates whose objectives include master’s or doctoral degrees an opportunity to begin graduate work during their senior year and become eligible for graduate fellowships and scholarships. More than 2,000 undergraduates conduct research each year, and other offerings include the May interim term, when students spend three weeks focusing on one course in depth. Nine percent of students study abroad through more than 50 faculty-led programs, as well as reciprocal exchanges and third-party affiliate options around the world.

Just 41 percent of ’Bama’s undergraduates are Alabama residents, and 2 percent are international students representing nearly 60 countries. UA students are “warm and welcoming,” says a marketing major. Ten percent of UA students are African American, 1 percent are Asian American, 5 percent are Hispanic, and 4 percent are multiracial. The biggest social and political issues on campus include free speech and race relations, and although UA traditionally leans right, a senior points out that “the influx of out-of-state students has brought a lot more political attention and representation to our school.” ’Bama awards more than 250 athletic scholarships in 21 sports and has expanded the number of merit scholarships, which now average $16,800. Consistent with its efforts to lure strong students from outside of Alabama, the school spends more than $155 million on merit aid-nearly double what it allocates to need-based scholarships and grants.

Although UA requires freshmen to reside on campus, most Alabama students live in off-campus apartments in the Tuscaloosa area; only 25 percent remain in campus residence halls. “UA has the best dorms around!” cheers a public relations major. “Seventy-five percent of the dorms are suite-style, which means students get their own bedroom.” A freshman gives high marks to the living/learning communities for their tight-knit atmosphere. Students report that some campus dining halls are better than others, and one recommends the made-to-order fare at Bryant Dining, adding, “I would gladly eat at Bryant for the rest of my life.” A senior notes that sexual assault awareness is “not something that’s swept under the rug.”

Much of ’Bama’s social life revolves around the Greek system and athletic events. Twenty-eight percent of men pledge fraternities and 42 percent of women join sororities, and a sophomore says, “Something is always going on in the mansions we call Greek houses.” Partying has remained a staple of the social scene in recent years, despite administrators’ efforts to weaken it by prohibiting fraternities and sororities from having parties on campus, but students say alcohol policies are well enforced. Those looking for alternatives will find everything from dance crews to Bible study groups among the school’s 600-plus student clubs. A modern trolley service connects the ’Bama campus to the city’s thriving downtown. Tuscaloosa is described as “an awesome college town,” that is “mostly centered around the university.” Road trips to New Orleans (for Mardi Gras and Greek weekend formals), Atlanta, Nashville, and the Gulf Coast and Florida beaches are popular, but “many people never leave UA!” says a sophomore.

’Bama football remains the cornerstone of the university’s competitive Division I athletic programs and is a perennial powerhouse, having won six national championship titles since 2009. The annual Auburn–Alabama game-the Iron Bowl, one of the most intense rivalries in the nation-is the highlight of the school year. “Any Alabama football game is a festival,” a sophomore says. Men’s track and field and men’s and women’s golf are competitive in the Southeastern Conference. ’Bama sports a number of solid nonathletic teams as well, including the Alabama Forensic Council, which consistently places in the top 10 in national competition. Intramurals draw about a quarter of the students.

Although sports are still an integral part of the UA experience, the university’s declared emphasis is now on technology, merit scholarships, global perspectives, and undergraduate research. It’s an approach that’s bringing in more serious, cosmopolitan students. Best of all, says one finance and marketing major, “The students are so friendly, if you pass someone on the quad and say ‘Roll Tide,’ you’ve pretty much made a friend for life.”

-Fiske Guide