UAB is one of America's premier research universities ranking among the top 15 percent of U.S. colleges and universities by The Princeton Review and designated as an institution of "very high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation. It is comprised of professional schools in the health sciences and academic areas, including but not limited to the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Optometry, Public Health, and Health Professions. The UAB Office of Postdoctoral Education was established in 1999 and was one of the first Postdoctoral offices in the country. It facilitates career development opportunities, maintains benefits, and promotes training programs for all Postdoctoral fellows. Since 2010, The Scientist has ranked UAB among the top 10 US academic institutions in their 'Best Places to Work as a Postdoc' annual survey; in 2013, the final year of the survey, UAB ranked first among all academic institutions nationwide.

Oakwood University is a historically Black Seventh-day Adventist institution located in Huntsville, AL; it was established as an industrial school in 1896. Oakwood University is accredited by several organizations, including the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the Commission on Colleges for the award of Baccalaureate Degree, and the National Council of Accreditation for Teacher Education; it is also a member of the United Negro College Fund. It offers Bachelor Degree programs in four science-focused academic divisions, including the Biological Sciences and Chemistry, to an enrollment of more than 1,800 students.

Lawson State Community College is a public, historically black community college located in southwestern Birmingham. It was established in 2005 following the merger of Lawson State Junior College and Bessemer State Technical College. Lawson State is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate degrees in arts, science, and applied science; it is also accredited by the American Dental Association, the Alabama Board of Nursing and the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. Since its beginning, Lawson State has averaged an annual enrollment of approximately 5000 students.

Established in 1896 as the Alabama Girls’ Industrial School, the University of Montevallo is Alabama’s only public, liberal arts university and one of just 29 such institutions across the US and Canada. It has been recognized as a national leader in liberal arts education and, accordingly, has been listed in the U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges. In addition, the University of Montevallo has been named a National College of Distinction for seven consecutive academic years, from 2012-2013 to 2018-2019, and is one of only two schools in Alabama with this achievement. The average enrollment at the University of Montevallo is approximately 2600 students. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and the Schools Commission on Colleges for the award of baccalaureate degrees.