UAB is a 50-year-old comprehensive university and medical center that spans more than 100 city blocks and has over 22,000 students. It is home to a large graduate school, a world renowned health care complex, and more than 70 research centers, focusing on issues ranging from AIDS vaccines and aging to the environment, urban affairs, and telecommunications.

Rankings and Recognition

• UAB named No. 1 young U.S. university by Times Higher Education for the second consecutive year.
• UAB is ranked under "Best Med" of U.S. medical schools by The Princeton Review.
• UAB Hospital is the only ACS verified Level I trauma center in Alabama and has consistently been ranked as one of the "Best Hospitals" by U.S. News & World Report.
• UAB Hospital continues to rank No. 1 in both Alabama and the Birmingham metro area. It has 6 specialties that rank among the nation’s top 50 programs, 2 of those being in the top 20, and 5 listed in the "high performing category" according to the U.S. News & World Report.
  • Cardiology & Heart Surgery – No. 32
  • Ear, Nose & Throat – No. 26
  • Gynecology – No. 47
  • Nephrology – No. 18
  • Pulmonology & Lung Surgery – No. 40
  • Rheumatology – No. 10
• Hundreds of UAB physicians named to Best Doctors in America® list. The 2017-2018 Best Doctors in America list recognized UAB doctors from 39 specialties and 179 subspecialties, with the total number of national physicians included reflecting only 4 percent of doctors in America.
• UAB took top honors in three Parents' Choice Award Categories and received runner-up accolades in four categories (Best Fertility Specialist, Best Birthing Suites, Best Women's Health Hospital, and Best Hospital Which to Give Birth) for a total of seven wins.
• UAB Hospital was recognized as a “center for excellence in nursing” in 2002. It is the first and only hospital in Alabama to earn Magnet recognition. Recertification was awarded in 2006, 2011, and 2015. UAB Hospital is only the 12th hospital worldwide to receive fourth consecutive Magnet designation for nursing.
• The UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, is one of the nation's leading cancer research and treatment centers and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center located in a five-state area that includes Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and South Carolina. UAB's cancer services are routinely recognized as being among the nation's best.