Every four-year school in this list is currently test-optional for admission, but Auburn University has officially announced a return to requiring the ACT or SAT starting with fall 2027 entry (the 2026-27 application cycle), reversing the test-optional policy it adopted after 2020. Published score ranges describe a cohort; they are not admission cutoffs.
The table covers 9 colleges Alabama families apply to most, from the most selective to the large public universities. Read each cohort note before comparing numbers. The bottom rows show the score-based money Alabama families can earn: University of Alabama out-of-state automatic merit grid and Auburn University non-resident automatic merit grid.
| School | SAT profile / cohort | ACT | Acceptance rate | Testing, fall 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Alabama | Not published | Not published | 71.2% · fall 2025 (44, 124 of 61, 994) | Test-optional (not required for admission) |
| Auburn University | 1260-1380 · enrolled, submitters, fall 2024 (16% submitted SAT) | 26-31 | 45.9% · fall 2024 (25, 284 of 55, 056) | Test-optional for fall 2026; required again starting fall 2027 |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham | 1250-1420 · enrolled, fall 2025 (CDS 2025-26) | 23-30 | Not reported | Test-optional; UAB states applicants with a 3.5+ high school GPA are not required to submit scores for admission or scholarships |
| University of South Alabama | Not published | Not published | Not reported | Test-optional with a GPA-based automatic-admit track (3.4+ unweighted automatically admitted; below 3.4 reviewed holistically) |
| Troy University | Not published | Not published | 95.2% (system-wide, all Troy locations combined, first-time freshmen) · fall 2025, Troy University system-wide (9, 335 of 9, 802 first-time freshman applicants) | Test-optional for current applicants; fully test-optional starting fall 2027 (unconditional admit needs a 3.0 HS GPA without scores; conditional admit needs 2.5). If submitting scores, unconditional admit requires ACT 20 / (R)SAT 1030 + 2.0 GPA |
| University of North Alabama | Not published | Not published | Not reported | Test-optional; standard admission requires a 2.5+ unweighted GPA (conditional track for 2.00-2.49), with scores encouraged for scholarships and course placement |
| Samford University | 1080-1240 · enrolled, fall 2024 (CDS 2024-25) | 22-28 | Not reported | See school |
| Tuskegee University | Not published | Not published | Not reported | See school |
| Alabama A&M University | Not published | Not published | Not reported | See school |
| University of Alabama out-of-state automatic merit grid | 1200 to 1600 (tiers: Crimson Legends 1200-1250, Capstone 1260-1290, Collegiate 1300-1320, Foundation in Excellence 1330-1350, UA Scholar 1360-1410, Presidential 1420-1600, Presidential Elite 1600) | See program rules | $24,000 to $112,000+ total over 4 years depending on tier (the Presidential Elite tier covers full tuition plus a housing allowance) over 4 years | $6,000 to $28,000 per year (Presidential Elite pays full tuition plus a one-time housing allowance and annual stipend); all tiers require a 3.50+ GPA (4.0+ for Presidential Elite) and use the single best test date, not a superscore |
| Auburn University non-resident automatic merit grid | No SAT-only tiers published for non-residents in the grid retrieved; set by ACT (equivalent SAT scores noted as available on a separate Auburn page): ACT 29-30 to 35-36 | See program rules | $28,000 to $68,000 total over 4 years depending on tier over 4 years | $7,000 to $17,000 per year across the Academic Charter, Academic Heritage and Academic Presidential tiers; all require a 3.5 GPA and renewal needs a 3.0 Auburn GPA and 24 credit hours per year |
Cohort notes: Alabama: UA publishes a score distribution, not a middle-50% composite. Auburn: Auburn's own admissions updates state that beginning fall 2027, all first-year applicants must submit ACT or SAT scores, reversing its test-optional policy. UAB: UAB's 2025-26 Common Data Set reports an SAT composite 25th-75th percentile of 1250-1420, but only 5% of enrolled first-time first-year students submitted an SAT score (47% submitted the ACT). Troy: Troy's own Fact Site states this figure covers all Troy University locations combined, not main-campus only, so it is not directly comparable to UA's or Auburn's main-campus-only CDS numbers. Samford: Samford's 2024-25 Common Data Set reports an SAT composite 25th-75th percentile of 1080-1240 for enrolled first-time first-year students. Tuskegee: Tuskegee's official Fall 2024 Quick Facts sheet confirms 787 first-time freshmen enrolled, an 81% retention rate and a 57% graduation rate, but no applicant/admit counts or SAT/ACT figures were found. Alabama A&M: AAMU's own page frames the waiver without a stated expiration; whether it still applies to fall 2027 (2026-27 cycle) applicants is unconfirmed. These are not interchangeable measures.
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Find my teen's target scoreAlabama does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. It admitted 71.2% of 61,994 applicants (fall 2025 (44, 124 of 61, 994)). Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional (not required for admission). UA publishes a score distribution, not a middle-50% composite.
Auburn reports a 1260 to 1380 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, submitters, fall 2024 (16% submitted SAT)). It admitted 45.9% of 55,056 applicants (fall 2024 (25, 284 of 55, 056)). The matching ACT range is 26-31. Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional for fall 2026; required again starting fall 2027. Auburn's own admissions updates state that beginning fall 2027, all first-year applicants must submit ACT or SAT scores, reversing its test-optional policy.
UAB reports a 1250 to 1420 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, fall 2025 (CDS 2025-26)). The matching ACT range is 23-30. Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional; UAB states applicants with a 3.5+ high school GPA are not required to submit scores for admission or scholarships. UAB's 2025-26 Common Data Set reports an SAT composite 25th-75th percentile of 1250-1420, but only 5% of enrolled first-time first-year students submitted an SAT score (47% submitted the ACT).
South Alabama does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional with a GPA-based automatic-admit track (3.4+ unweighted automatically admitted; below 3.4 reviewed holistically).
Troy does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. It admitted 95.2% (system-wide, all Troy locations combined, first-time freshmen) of 9,802 (system-wide first-time freshmen) applicants (fall 2025, Troy University system-wide (9, 335 of 9, 802 first-time freshman applicants)). Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional for current applicants; fully test-optional starting fall 2027 (unconditional admit needs a 3.0 HS GPA without scores; conditional admit needs 2.5). If submitting scores, unconditional admit requires ACT 20 / (R)SAT 1030 + 2.0 GPA. Troy's own Fact Site states this figure covers all Troy University locations combined, not main-campus only, so it is not directly comparable to UA's or Auburn's main-campus-only CDS numbers.
North Alabama does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional; standard admission requires a 2.5+ unweighted GPA (conditional track for 2.00-2.49), with scores encouraged for scholarships and course placement.
Samford reports a 1080 to 1240 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, fall 2024 (CDS 2024-25)). The matching ACT range is 22-28. Samford's 2024-25 Common Data Set reports an SAT composite 25th-75th percentile of 1080-1240 for enrolled first-time first-year students.
Tuskegee does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. Tuskegee's official Fall 2024 Quick Facts sheet confirms 787 first-time freshmen enrolled, an 81% retention rate and a 57% graduation rate, but no applicant/admit counts or SAT/ACT figures were found.
Alabama A&M does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. AAMU's own page frames the waiver without a stated expiration; whether it still applies to fall 2027 (2026-27 cycle) applicants is unconfirmed.
Alabama has no single statewide SAT-cutoff scholarship like Florida's Bright Futures. Need-based state aid (the Alabama Student Assistance Program and Alabama Student Grant Program) is not score-tied. The state's best-known score-tied money is the automatic merit scholarship grids published directly by its two largest public universities, the University of Alabama and Auburn, which pay a fixed dollar amount per year based on a student's ACT/SAT score and GPA, with no separate application.
University of Alabama out-of-state automatic merit grid: 1200 to 1600 (tiers: Crimson Legends 1200-1250, Capstone 1260-1290, Collegiate 1300-1320, Foundation in Excellence 1330-1350, UA Scholar 1360-1410, Presidential 1420-1600, Presidential Elite 1600). $6,000 to $28,000 per year (Presidential Elite pays full tuition plus a one-time housing allowance and annual stipend); all tiers require a 3.50+ GPA (4.0+ for Presidential Elite) and use the single best test date, not a superscore.
Auburn University non-resident automatic merit grid: No SAT-only tiers published for non-residents in the grid retrieved; set by ACT (equivalent SAT scores noted as available on a separate Auburn page): ACT 29-30 to 35-36. $7,000 to $17,000 per year across the Academic Charter, Academic Heritage and Academic Presidential tiers; all require a 3.5 GPA and renewal needs a 3.0 Auburn GPA and 24 credit hours per year.
Both grids use a single test date's composite (Auburn does not superscore ACT/SAT; UA uses the best single test date, not a superscore). GPA is unweighted high school GPA at both schools. Awards require admission application completion by set deadlines (Auburn: December 1) and are not need-based.
Alabama, UAB, South Alabama and Troy are test optional for fall 2027, so many families assume the score is irrelevant. The ranges above come from the students who chose to send one, and they sit well above the overall class. Auburn still require a score. A strong score is one more reason for a school to say yes, and a weak one can simply stay home.
No. Alabama's state-funded aid programs are need-based, not score-tied. The closest things to score-tied money are the automatic merit scholarship grids published directly by the University of Alabama and Auburn University, which pay a fixed dollar amount based on your ACT or SAT score and GPA.
For out-of-state students, UA's automatic grid starts at an SAT of 1200-1250 (with a 3.50+ GPA) for $6,000 a year, and tops out at 1600 for the Presidential Elite award, which covers full tuition plus a housing allowance. In-state students have a separate, lower-dollar grid.
Not yet, but it will soon. Auburn is test-optional through fall 2026 (with only a small exception group), but has officially announced that beginning fall 2027, every first-year applicant must submit an ACT or SAT score.
UA's own 2025-26 Common Data Set reports scores in bands rather than a clean range: about 21% of enrollees scored 1400-1600 on the SAT and 36% scored 1200-1399. UA admitted 71.2% of its 61,994 applicants for fall 2025.
No. A middle 50% describes the central half of the reported group, not an admission cutoff. Some rows describe enrolled students or score submitters only, as labeled. A position within a range does not guarantee admission or merit aid.
University and state sources: Alabama, Auburn, UAB, South Alabama, Troy, North Alabama, Samford, Tuskegee, Alabama A&M, University of Alabama out-of-state automatic merit grid, Auburn University non-resident automatic merit grid. Reviewed October 9, 2026. Cohorts and entry terms differ; confirm current requirements with each admissions office.
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