College Viability Inspection Report

Alabama State University

Alabama · Public

Alabama State University is a public institution in Alabama, enrolling 3,404 students as of 2024. It graduates 14% of students in four years, returns 70% of freshmen for a second year, and costs an average of $13,138 a year after grants and scholarships. Of the 9 inspection checks that could be evaluated, 3 are flagged: Retention, Graduation, and Tuition Allocation. This report benchmarks Alabama State University's most recent reported year (2024) against 2,000+ U.S. colleges across three dimensions: student outcomes, financial health, and value for money. All figures are drawn from federal IPEDS filings and are reported without editorial judgment.

Alabama State University Inspection Flags

Student Outcomes
Financial Health
Value for Your Money

Inspection flags are nine independent checks across student outcomes, financial health, and cost-to-value that surface areas of a college's reported numbers worth a closer look. A triggered flag means the college's data met a specific threshold that students and families may want to ask about — for example, graduation rates slipping below a level, or tuition rising while outcomes decline. A clear flag means the threshold was not met. Flags are signals for further conversation, not verdicts.

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College Viability
Data Summary

Alabama State University — All Reported Indicators

Plain-text reference table of every metric and inspection flag for Alabama State University. Values reflect IPEDS-reported figures; percent changes reflect endpoint-to-endpoint 2020 → 2024 comparison; percentiles reflect 2024 national rank against four-year public and private nonprofit institutions. Cells marked "not reported" indicate the indicator was not present in IPEDS for this institution.

Student Outcomes

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Four-Year Graduation Rate14.0%+40.0%14th
Six-Year Graduation Rate28.0%-6.7%12th
Full-Time Retention Rate70.0%+12.9%30th
Pell Grant Six-Year Graduation Rate28.3%-1.0%16th
Pell-to-Non-Pell Graduation Gap8.8pp-41.8%49th
Pell Share of Cohort76.9%-2.7%92nd

Financial Health

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Revenue-to-Expense Ratio1.06×-3.4%45th
Total FTE Enrollment3,404-2.2%71st
Endowment Value$135.2M+21.5%71st
Net Assets (End of Year)$202.6M+600.6%68th

Value for Money

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Instructional Spending %23.2%-13.0%16th
Student Support Spending %14.8%+34.6%59th
Administrative Spending %24.2%-13.4%72nd
Instruction+Support to Admin Ratio1.57×+16.5%19th
Average Net Price$13,138-1.1%24th
Net Price: $0-30K Income$19,711+0.7%75th
Net Price: $30K-48K Income$21,682+11.8%81st
Net Price: $48-75K Income$21,508+8.3%74th
Net Price: $75K-110K Income$21,608+10.1%57th
Net Price: $110K+ Income$19,031+8.4%23rd

Inspection Flags

FlagSectionStatus
Retention Below 80%
Alabama State University's retention rate fell below 80% in 5 of 5 reported years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Four-Year Graduation Rate Below 50%
Alabama State University's 4-year graduation rate fell below 50% in 5 of 5 reported years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Pell Gap Exceeds 10 Points
Alabama State University's Pell graduation gap exceeded 10pp in 1 of 5 eligible years — below the 3-of-5 trigger threshold.
Student OutcomesCleared
Revenue-to-Expense Below 1.0
Alabama State University's ratio stayed at or above 1.0 in all 5 reported years — ending at 1.06× in 2024.
Financial HealthCleared
Enrollment Declined 5% or More
Alabama State University's total enrollment fell from 3,482 to 3,404 students between 2020 and 2024 (-2.2%) — less than the 5% decline that triggers this flag.
Financial HealthCleared
Endowment Under $50M or Growth Under 15%
Alabama State University's endowment is $135.2M and grew +21.5% between 2020 and 2024 — clearing both the $50 million size threshold and the 15% growth threshold.
Financial HealthCleared
High Cost, Low Completion
Alabama State University costs less than the national median AND graduates students at below-median rates — only one of two conditions is met.
Value for MoneyCleared
Spending on Students Below the National Median
Alabama State University spends $1.57 on instruction and student support per $1 of admin (2024) — below the national median of $2.75 in 5 of 5 reported years.
Value for MoneyTriggered
Rising Price, Falling Outcomes
Either net price did not rise or the graduation rate did not decline between 2020 and 2024 — flag not triggered.
Value for MoneyCleared