BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alabama universities posted some of the state’s strongest graduate school showings in medicine, nursing, engineering and veterinary medicine in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 Best Graduate Schools rankings, led by the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s top-10 placements in six categories.
The rankings are intended to help prospective students compare graduate and professional programs as they weigh cost, career opportunities and academic quality.
“We know a graduate degree is a major commitment,” LaMont Jones, managing editor of education at U.S. News, said in a statement. “That is why we are dedicated to methodologies that thoroughly examine a wide range of factors, from research excellence to career success.”
Among Alabama institutions, UAB had the state’s highest-ranked graduate programs in medical areas. Its Heersink School of Medicine was placed in U.S. News’ Tier 2 for both primary care and research, with the second-highest total research activity in that tier at $491 million.
UAB took the top ranking nationally in health care management, ranked fifth in nursing administration, eighth in master’s of nursing and ninth in doctor of nursing practice. Its physical therapy program ranked 12th, public health program ranked 14th and nursing-midwifery program ranked 16th.
Auburn University’s highest ranking came in veterinary medicine, where it placed 11th nationally. Auburn also ranked 31st in pharmacy.
Complete sets of rankings for all categories are available at this link.
Among graduate engineering programs, Auburn and the University of Alabama generally ranked higher than other state universities, with Auburn’s Samuel Ginn School of Engineering ranking in the top 50 in four areas, including:
- Agricultural engineering – 19th
- Astronautical engineering – 33rd
- Manufacturing/Systems engineering – 35th
- Civil engineering – 48th
It also carries the highest ranking in the state for overall engineering programs, ranking 58th nationally.
Other state schools that ranked in the top 50 nationally for their astronautical engineering programs are the University of Alabama’s Styslinger College of Engineering ranked 44th and the University of Alabama-Huntsville ranked 48th.
Among business schools, Auburn’s Harbert College of Business had the state’s highest-ranked executive MBA program at 32nd nationally, and its supply chain and logistics program ranked 39th, also the highest in the state.
The University of Alabama’s Manderson Graduate School of Business ranked highest in real estate, at 33rd. Its full-time MBA ranked 53rd nationally, compared to Auburn’s 74th.
Auburn University at Montgomery had the state’s highest-ranked graduate management program, at 85th nationally.
The University of Alabama School of Law was the state’s highest-ranked law school at 40th nationally. Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law ranked 122nd, while Faulkner University’s Jones School of Law ranked 164th.
The UA School of Law ranked 37th in tax law and 47th in business and corporate law programs.
U.S. News said ranking factors and weights remained the same as in the prior edition, though this year’s release includes several updates. Because ranking methodologies vary by discipline and degree level, U.S. News advises students to review each program’s individual methodology alongside the rankings.
Updated 5 p.m. to clarify that U.S. News does not rank medical schools, but places them in tiers.