The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a world-renowned institution offering more than 120 areas of study across 12 undergraduate and graduate schools/colleges:

• College of Arts and Sciences

• Collat School of Business

• Honors College

• School of Dentistry

• School of Education and Human Sciences

• School of Engineering

• School of Health Professions

• Heersink School of Medicine

• School of Nursing

• School of Optometry

• School of Public Health

• The Graduate School

With nearly 22,000 enrolled students and more than 149,000 alumni living throughout the United States and world, the reach of UAB students and graduates and their outstanding educational experience is expansive.

Every day, the UAB Academic Enterprise programs generate impacts to the Birmingham region and the state by educating students and attracting future scholars. The impacts of the UAB Academic Enterprise activities are outlined below.
 

Generating Economic Impact for the State 

The UAB Academic Enterprise is a powerhouse for economic activity. The UAB Academic Enterprise spends in a variety of ways and across multiple economic sectors throughout Alabama. The presence of the UAB Academic Enterprise helps to create a diverse and stable economy locally as well as statewide. 

The UAB Academic Enterprise direct spending to vendors and employees helps to generate additional spending in the area and throughout the state. The UAB Academic Enterprise operations directly or indirectly impact residents throughout Alabama every day. In FY22, the direct spending of the UAB Academic Enterprise, in combination with the indirect and induced impacts of dollars’ being re-spent throughout the state economy, generated more than $5.5 billion in overall economic impact. 

As a result of expenditures on goods and services by the UAB Academic Enterprise, its faculty, staff, students, and visitors, the overall economic impact of the UAB Academic Enterprise operations on Alabama in FY22 totaled $5.5 billion ($1.4 billion in direct impact and $4.1 billion in indirect and induced impact). 

Generating Impact in the Region 

Direct spending by UAB Academic also generates significant economic activity throughout the Birmingham region. In FY16,

The UAB Academic Enterprise direct spending also generates significant economic activity throughout the Birmingham region. In FY22, the UAB Academic Enterprise direct spending in combination with the indirect and induced impacts of dollars being re-spent throughout the regional economy generated $3.5 billion in overall economic impact to the Birmingham region ($1.1 billion direct impact and $2.4 billion indirect and induced). 

Creating and Sustaining Jobs Throughout the State 

In FY22, the UAB Academic Enterprise supported 49,045 jobs in Alabama. These jobs (both full-time and part-time) include not only direct employment by the UAB Academic Enterprise (15,758 jobs) but also indirect and induced jobs (33,287) that are supported as a result of the UAB Academic Enterprise, employee, student, and visitor spending. 

The UAB Academic Enterprise directly supported 15,758 jobs (full-time, part-time, and independent contractors) during FY22. The UAB Academic Enterprise supports thousands of jobs statewide in virtually every sector of the Alabama economy, such as construction, business and professional services, restaurants and hotels, information technology, security, and temporary employment companies. These indirect and induced jobs (33,287 jobs) support the more than 15,758 jobs held by Alabama residents directly employed by the UAB Academic Enterprise. 

Supporting Jobs in the Region 

In FY22, the UAB Academic Enterprise directly employed 14,584 individuals (full-time, part-time, and independent contractors) living, and therefore spending dollars, in the Birmingham region. This direct employment generates additional spending throughout the region that in turn supports additional indirect and induced jobs created when the UAB Academic Enterprise, its employees, students, and visitors spend in the region. In total, the UAB Academic Enterprise supports 34,435 jobs throughout the Birmingham region. 

State Tax Impact 

It is a common misperception that public universities do not generate tax revenue. State and local tax revenues attributable to the presence of the UAB Academic Enterprise totaled $158.8 million in FY22. Through its local spending and direct and indirect support of jobs, the presence of the UAB Academic Enterprise stabilizes and strengthens the local and statewide tax base. The UAB Academic Enterprise is an integral part of the state’s economy, generating revenue, jobs, and spending. 

Local Tax Impact 

The local tax impact attributable to the presence of the UAB Academic Enterprise totaled $112.6 million in FY22 for the Birmingham region.