

Tuscaloosa, ALprivate nonprofitstillman.edu
Admit rate has ranged 33%–76% over the last 5 years — notably volatile. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
Stillman College, a small historically Black college in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, offers an intimate, community-focused education with a strong emphasis on student support. Known for its business and liberal arts programs, Stillman combines affordability with a 12:1 student-faculty ratio, though its graduation rates remain low. The college fosters school spirit through band, choir, and Greek life, creating a tight-knit campus culture.
Test-blind — scores not considered
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
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Outcomes & value
U.S. Dept. of Education Financial Responsibility Composite Score (FY2022-23). Scale −1.0 to 3.0; ≥1.5 meets the standard. Reported for private nonprofit & for-profit institutions only — public universities are state-backed and not scored, so this is a stability signal, not a ranking.
Campus & location
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.
Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.
Stillman College is less selective, with Acceptance rateThe share of applicants a college admits in a given year. A 10% acceptance rate means it admits about 1 in 10 applicants. ranging from 62.2% to 74.2% across sources. The college does not require SAT/ACT scores but accepts them for academic context. Applicants typically have an average high school GPA of 2.90, and the application fee is $20. Regular decision deadlines fall around December 1, though the college emphasizes Holistic admissionsA review that weighs the whole applicant — grades, essays, activities, and context — rather than relying on test scores and GPA alone. over standardized metrics.
Stillman’s academic offerings lean heavily toward business (27% of graduates), psychology (26%), and liberal arts (20%), with smaller programs in , , and . The Division of Arts and Sciences houses departments like English, Fine Arts, and Natural Sciences. Notably, the encourages broad critical thinking, while niche majors like and cater to specialized interests. The supports personalized attention.
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
Stillman’s small campus fosters camaraderie, with 50% of students living on-site. Extracurriculars revolve around Greek life, band and choir performances, and intramural sports. The college actively promotes a discrimination-free environment and gender-equity policies. Clubs focus on school spirit (e.g., homecoming events) and student leadership, while the Tuscaloosa location provides off-campus diversions. Reviews highlight the supportive community, though social life leans heavily on student-driven initiatives.
Graduation rates are a challenge: 13% graduate in 4 years, 25% in 6 years, per institutional targets. The median salary 6 years post-graduation is $29,790, reflecting the college’s regional and liberal arts focus. However, 67% of the Class of 2023 graduated with honors, suggesting academic rigor for those who persist. Stillman withdrew from U.S. News rankings in 2023, citing misalignment with its mission-driven metrics.
Stillman’s net price averages $12,479–$17,821 after aid, with grants covering significant costs. The average aid package is $11,220, including school grants of $3,874 and external awards. The financial aid office emphasizes need-based support, though loan limits cap at $31,000 for undergraduates. Calculators on the college’s website help estimate out-of-pocket costs for tuition, fees, and books.
Stillman’s HBCU heritage and hyper-local community set it apart. Unlike larger universities, it offers tight faculty mentorship (12:1 ratio) and a no-SAT-required policy that prioritizes potential over metrics. The band and Greek life dominate campus culture, creating a vibrant, if insular, social scene. While low graduation rates signal challenges, the college’s affordability and honors-program success (67% of 2023 grads) reveal pockets of excellence. Ideal for students seeking a small-college feel with HBCU traditions.