Building Community
UAB STUDENT IMPACTThe 2008-09 academic year enrollment at UAB was 16,874 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. These students have a significant impact on the state of Alabama and the region as a result of their off-campus spending for goods, services, and rental payments in the state of Alabama during FY 08-09. As the campus continues to expand its student population to 25,000 students in FY 19-20, the impact of students on the campus will grow as well.
Included in this impact is an impact from out-of-state students paying tuition and bringing fresh dollars into the Alabama economy. In FY 08-09, more than $29.1 million in fresh dollars entered the state of Alabama in the form of tuition from out-of-state students, but the impact of these students is much larger than tuition payments. It is estimated that in FY 08-09 out-of-state students have a total impact on the state of Alabama of $182.7 million. In FY 19-20 it is expected that this impact will increase to $367.6 million.
UAB COMMUNITY BENEFITS
UAB has for decades partnered with the city of Birmingham to improve education, health care and quality of life throughout the community and state. Every individual school within UAB is engaged in important service programs and service-learning is deeply engrained across UAB’s curricula. UAB also remains the economic engine of Birmingham and the state of Alabama.
In early 2009, UAB was named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a university can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. And in 2007, The Association of American Colleges and Universities ranked UAB among the nation’s 18 best at educating students for personal and social responsibility.
UAB’s total impact on the state of Alabama goes far beyond the annual economic impact presented earlier in this report. Tripp Umbach estimates that UAB faculty, physicians, students, and staff who received their education and training at UAB generate more than $208.8 million annually in charitable donations, volunteer services, and provision of free care. These benefits (in addition to the $4.6 billion annual impact) include:
- In 2009, UAB provided more than $116.9 million in care (at cost) to state of Alabama residents for which it did not receive full compensation (charity care or bad debt).
- In 2009, UAB faculty and staff donated $39.7 million in 2009 to local charitable organizations.
- UAB faculty and staff provide a generous amount of hours in volunteer services. The economic value of such services is estimated at more than $30.8 million.
- UAB students (undergraduate, graduate, and professional) provide benefits in the form of contributions to local charities. It is estimated that students donated nearly $2.6 million to the local charities and that their volunteer activities are valued at nearly $18.8 million; these dollars are also in addition to the economic impact outlined above.
