COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · MOBILE, AL

Is University of South Alabama worth the money?

Yes — at resident pricing. A University of South Alabama degree clears +$1.33M in 30-year projected net value over skipping college and investing the difference.

A public four-year school in Mobile, Alabama, priced as a Alabama resident — earnings rolled up from 37 FREOPP-reported programs.

IPEDS 2023 cost · FREOPP 2021 earnings · BEA 2023 cost-of-living · same model as /worth-it · this school clears positive net value.

University of South Alabama · Mobile, AL

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$1.33M
30-year net value · non-resident
+$1.03M
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$51,079
Breaks even by age
45
Annual tuition · Alabama resident
$9,676
Annual tuition · out-of-state
$18,652
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$74,024
Total cost of attendance · out-of-state
$109,928
FREOPP program coverage
37 programs

The out-of-state tax in Alabama, ranked

How this is computed (and what it isn’t)

University of South Alabama runs through the /worth-it model at its resident tuition rate, with the standard loan assumptions, a 30-year horizon, and Alabama’s own cost-of-living on the skip-college path. The “30-year net value” is the projected accumulated value of going vs. skipping and investing the difference, in real dollars.

What it isn’t: a verdict on every major. The school-level number averages across 37 FREOPP-reported programs — the field you pick swings it by over a million dollars on its own. We only publish school pages that clear positive net value at resident pricing; earnings roll up from at least three FREOPP programs (ADR-0032), so a single high-earning major can’t fake the number.

Questions

Is University of South Alabama worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: University of South Alabama clears +$1.33M in 30-year projected net value versus skipping college and investing the difference. That is computed from a total cost of attendance of $74,024 and median earnings of $51,079 ten years after entry (IPEDS 2023 cost, FREOPP 2021 earnings, BEA 2023 cost-of-living — the same model as the LE TEEN calculator).
How much is tuition at University of South Alabama?
University of South Alabama's annual sticker tuition is $9,676 for Alabama residents and $18,652 for out-of-state students, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $74,024 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of University of South Alabama?
Over 4 years, University of South Alabama's sticker cost of attendance is $74,024 at resident pricing, or $109,928 out-of-state — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at Alabama prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $51,079.
What is out-of-state tuition at University of South Alabama?
Non-resident annual sticker tuition at University of South Alabama is $18,652, versus $9,676 for Alabama residents — a premium of $8,976 a year. Even at the non-resident rate, University of South Alabama clears positive 30-year net value.
How long until a University of South Alabama degree pays for itself?
The degree path overtakes the skip-college path around age 45 under our defaults — from there the gap only widens, ending +$1.33M ahead at the 30-year horizon.
What could change the number for University of South Alabama?
Two levers dominate. Residency: this page prices University of South Alabama as a Alabama resident; at non-resident tuition it still clears +$1.03M, but the gap is real money (see the out-of-state tax in Alabama). And the major: the field you pick swings lifetime ROI by over a million dollars on its own (see the majors pages).

Keep going

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Is University of South Alabama worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/university-of-south-alabama