A Parent’s Complete Guide to Alabama State University (2026-2027)
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Jump to
- What is the one thing every Alabama State University parent needs to know before move-in?
- Quick Facts for Alabama State University Families
- A Note on Hornets Identity and Financial Aid
- Getting to Montgomery
- What do parents need to know about Alabama State University move-in day 2026?
- The Residence Halls: Where Your Student Might Live
- How much does Alabama State University cost? Tuition, financial aid, and scholarships for 2026-27
- Montgomery and Central Alabama: What Parents Need to Know
- When is Alabama State University Family Weekend 2026 and how do parents plan for it?
- How can parents support their Alabama State University student’s mental health?
- Who do Alabama State University parents contact? Essential numbers and websites for families
- Alabama State’s Academic Strengths
- Getting Your Student’s Stuff Home Between Semesters
- You Are an Alabama State Hornets Family Now
- What is Alabama State University’s graduation rate?
- Academic Calendar
- What to Pack for Alabama State University
What is the one thing every Alabama State University parent needs to know before move-in?
Alabama State University has not published its Fall 2026 move-in dates yet.
Fall 2026 classes begin Monday, August 10, 2026.
Alabama State had not published Fall 2026 move-in dates as of mid-July 2026. Housing directs families to the StarRez housing portal, housing@alasu.edu, or 334-229-4357. Note that ASU labels its own Fall 2026 calendar tentative, so confirm the August 10 start before booking travel.
Verified against the official academic calendar and Alabama State University housing in July 2026. Move-in times are assigned individually, so always confirm your student’s slot in the housing portal before booking travel.
Alabama State University was founded in 1867 in Marion, Alabama, as the Lincoln Normal School, established by former enslaved people and freedpeople immediately after the Civil War to provide education for Black Alabamians.
The school was relocated to Montgomery in 1887, becoming the State Normal School and University for Colored Students and Teachers, and in the 159 years since its founding, Alabama State has grown from a teacher preparation school for freed people into a comprehensive university of approximately 5,000 students, offering programs from education and business through the sciences and the arts in Montgomery, the capital of Alabama.
The Montgomery civil rights history is the defining context of the Alabama State experience: ASU’s campus is located in Montgomery, the city where the Montgomery Bus Boycott (December 5, 1955 through December 20, 1956) was organized in response to the arrest of Rosa Parks on December 1, 1955, and where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. served at the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church. Alabama State students and faculty were directly involved in the civil rights movement: ASU students participated in the 1960 Montgomery lunch counter sit-ins, and the university community paid significant personal and institutional costs for its involvement in the movement at a time when Alabama State was dependent on the state government that was actively working to suppress civil rights activities.
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice (417 Caroline Street, Montgomery, opened 2018) and the Legacy Museum (115 Coosa Street, Montgomery) are the most significant new memorial and museum spaces built in the American South in the 21st century, created by Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative to document and memorialize the victims of racial terror lynching and the history of racial slavery and mass incarceration in the United States. Both are within 10 minutes of the Alabama State campus.
Quick Facts for Alabama State University Families
| Family Weekend | Alabama State University has no confirmed fall 2026 family weekend date. |
| Location | Montgomery, AL 36104 |
| Enrollment | ~5,000 students |
| Type | Public HBCU, Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) |
| In-State Tuition (2026-27) | ~$9,000/year (verify at alasu.edu) |
| Out-of-State Tuition (2026-27) | ~$17,000/year (verify at alasu.edu) |
| Room and Board | ~$10,000-$12,000/year (verify at alasu.edu) |
| Total Cost (in-state) | ~$22,000-$24,000/year (verify at alasu.edu) |
| Total Cost (out-of-state) | ~$30,000-$32,000/year (verify at alasu.edu) |
| Graduation Rate | ~30% (6-year) |
| Median Earnings (10 years post-grad) | ~$34,000 (verify at alasu.edu) |
| Nearest Airport | MGM (Montgomery Regional, 10 minutes) |
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A Note on Hornets Identity and Financial Aid
Alabama State’s athletic teams are the Hornets, competing in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) at the Division I level. The colors are black and old gold. The Hornets compete in football, basketball, and other SWAC sports.
The Mighty Marching Hornets band is a significant part of the ASU athletics identity and the Montgomery community’s relationship with the university.
Financial aid at Alabama State is need-based and merit-based through federal, Alabama state, and institutional programs. Alabama residents should verify eligibility for the Alabama Student Assistance Program (ASAP) and other state programs. Contact alasu.edu/financial-aid for current programs.
Getting to Montgomery
Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM) is approximately 10 minutes from the Alabama State campus, served by American from the Charlotte hub. The campus-adjacent convenience of MGM makes it among the more practical airports for HBCU families in the Deep South.
For families driving, I-65 connects Montgomery to Birmingham (90 miles north) and to Mobile (170 miles south). US-231 connects south toward the Florida Panhandle.
What do parents need to know about Alabama State University move-in day 2026?
Alabama State’s fall move-in runs in mid-to-late August. Check alasu.edu/housing for your student’s building and move-in window. Montgomery in mid-August is hot and humid in the central Alabama way: temperatures in the low to mid 90s with the substantial humidity of the Alabama interior, afternoon thunderstorms, and the campus in full late-summer heat.
Alabama State runs organized move-in with residential life staff and building-specific unloading areas.
Practical notes:
- Ship boxes ahead. Alabama State holds packages.
- After unloading, the Montgomery restaurant scene on Dexter Avenue and the downtown Montgomery Entertainment District provides first-night dining options. Chris’ Famous Hot Dogs (downtown Montgomery, since 1917, an Alabama institution) and the Dexter Avenue restaurant corridor are among the most accessible first-night Montgomery dining destinations.
The Residence Halls: Where Your Student Might Live
Alabama State’s residential system provides on-campus housing for undergraduate students, with freshmen required to live on campus.
The residence halls on the ASU campus provide traditional room and suite configurations for incoming and continuing students.
The Alabama State dining program provides meal plan options for on-campus residents.
How much does Alabama State University cost? Tuition, financial aid, and scholarships for 2026-27
Alabama residents should verify ASAP and other state aid eligibility. Contact alasu.edu/financial-aid for current programs.
| Expense | Cost |
|---|---|
| In-State Tuition and Fees | ~$9,000 (verify at alasu.edu) |
| Out-of-State Tuition and Fees | ~$17,000 (verify at alasu.edu) |
| Room and Board | ~$10,000-$12,000 (verify at alasu.edu) |
| Books and Supplies | ~$1,200 (verify at alasu.edu) |
| Personal and Transportation | ~$3,000 (verify at alasu.edu) |
| Estimated Total In-State (before aid) | ~$23,200-$25,200 (verify at alasu.edu) |
| Estimated Total Out-of-State (before aid) | ~$31,200-$33,200 (verify at alasu.edu) |
Alabama residents should verify ASAP and other state aid eligibility. Contact alasu.edu/financial-aid for current programs.
If there is a gap between aid and costs, SoFi is consistently competitive on private loan rates. Always work with Alabama State’s financial aid office first.
FAFSA guide for Alabama State families Full college cost planning guide
Montgomery and Central Alabama: What Parents Need to Know
The Alabama State parent visit is one of the most historically significant university parent visits in the American South, in a city where some of the most important events of the 20th century American civil rights movement took place and where the National Memorial for Peace and Justice represents a landmark in American memorial culture.
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice (417 Caroline Street, Montgomery) is the memorial to more than 4,000 Black Americans who were victims of racial terror lynching between 1877 and 1950, opened in 2018 by Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative. The steel monuments, one for each county in the United States where a lynching occurred, hanging from the roof of the outdoor pavilion on the hill above the Alabama River, create one of the most powerful and emotionally affecting memorial spaces built in the United States in the 21st century.
The Legacy Museum (115 Coosa Street, Montgomery) is the companion institution to the National Memorial, documenting the history of racial slavery, the domestic slave trade, racial terror, and mass incarceration in the United States from the antebellum period to the present. Located on the site of a warehouse where enslaved people were held before sale, the Legacy Museum uses immersive installation and oral history to create a comprehensive reckoning with racial history in America.
The Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church (454 Dexter Avenue, Montgomery) is where Dr. King served as pastor from 1954 to 1960, where the Montgomery Bus Boycott was organized, and which sits at the end of Dexter Avenue directly facing the Alabama State Capitol where Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as Confederate President in 1861. The church’s position on Dexter Avenue, facing the Capitol, is one of the most historically charged urban views in the American South.
Rosa Parks Museum at Troy University Montgomery (231 Montgomery Street, downtown Montgomery) is located at the site where Rosa Parks boarded the Cleveland Avenue bus on December 1, 1955, with exhibits documenting the Bus Boycott and Parks’ civil rights work.
For parent visit dining: Chris’ Famous Hot Dogs (downtown Montgomery, since 1917), Central (downtown Montgomery, contemporary Southern), and the Dexter Avenue corridor restaurants for accessible Montgomery dining with the character of the city.
When is Alabama State University Family Weekend 2026 and how do parents plan for it?
Alabama State University has no confirmed fall 2026 family weekend date.
Alabama State does not hold a standalone family weekend. Homecoming is tied to Thanksgiving week, listed as November 25 to 29, 2026.
Confirm current details on the official Alabama State University family weekend page. Hotel rooms near campus sell out early, so book as soon as dates are confirmed.
Alabama State University refunds tuition on a declining schedule after the semester starts, so timing a withdrawal matters.
The withdrawal date used for both the tuition refund and the federal aid return calculation is the date the Office of Records and Registration receives the withdrawal form, not the last date of attendance. The university must return any unearned federal aid, which can leave a student owing the school even after an institutional refund is applied.
Refund schedule: 100% before classes begin, 80% in week 2, 60% in week 3, 40% in weeks 4 to 5, 0% from week 6 onward. Exact calendar dates for each tier are published in that term’s official Academic Calendar. Confirmed via the official Alabama State University refund policy page. Policies and dates change every term, so verify directly before making a decision.
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Most colleges do not refund 100% of tuition once the semester starts.
GradGuard Tuition Insurance can reimburse tuition, housing, and fees if a covered illness, injury, mental health condition, or other covered reason forces a withdrawal during the term. Plans must be purchased before the semester begins.
Freshmen may bring a car to Alabama State, no special restriction.
Stated explicitly: “First-year students living in on-campus housing may bring cars to campus.” A decal must be obtained from the Transportation and Parking Office before parking on campus, or the vehicle risks being booted or towed. No current-year date stamp found on the page.
Freshman permit cost: not found; the page directs students to Parking Services for exact pricing. Confirmed via the official Alabama State parking page. Policies can change year to year, so verify before move-in.
Where to stay near Alabama State University
Hotels near campus fill up fast on move-in and Family Weekend. This live map shows places to stay near Alabama State University. Drag the map or change the dates to fit your trip.
UniversityParent may earn a commission on bookings made through this map, at no extra cost to you.
Alabama State’s Homecoming and the SWAC athletics schedule provide the primary athletics events for families. The Hornets football program and the SWAC competition schedule provide the primary athletics events. Check alasu.edu/athletics for current Family Weekend and home game schedules.
Hotel strategy: Montgomery has hotel inventory along the Carmichael Road corridor and near the I-65 interchange, and the downtown Montgomery hotel inventory near the civil rights memorial sites. Book Homecoming and major SWAC football weekends in advance.
How can parents support their Alabama State University student’s mental health?
Alabama State’s Counseling Services provides individual therapy, group therapy, crisis support, and psychiatric referrals.
The Montgomery civil rights history creates a specific context for students studying and living in the city where the Bus Boycott was organized and where the National Memorial for Peace and Justice addresses the history of racial violence in the United States. Processing the emotional weight of that historical context, for students at an institution that was directly part of the civil rights movement, is part of the Alabama State experience, and the counseling center’s programming reflects this.
Alabama State mental health and health resources:
- Counseling Services: contact via alasu.edu/counseling
- Student Health Services: contact via alasu.edu/health
- Crisis line: 988 (call or text, 24/7)
- Emergency: 911
Who do Alabama State University parents contact? Essential numbers and websites for families
Verify all phone numbers and URLs at alasu.edu before using, as contact information is subject to change.
- Student Affairs / Parent Resources: contact via alasu.edu/student-affairs
- Admission: contact via alasu.edu/admissions
- Financial Aid: contact via alasu.edu/financial-aid
- Housing: contact via alasu.edu/housing
- Counseling Services: contact via alasu.edu/counseling
- Student Health Services: contact via alasu.edu/health
- Campus Police (non-emergency): contact via alasu.edu/police
- Registrar: contact via alasu.edu/registrar
- Emergency: 911
Alabama State’s Academic Strengths
The College of Education provides teacher preparation and educational leadership programs that maintain Alabama State’s historical mission as a teacher preparation institution for Black Alabamians and reflect the ongoing need for educators in Alabama’s public school system.
The College of Education’s historical role in producing teachers for Alabama’s Black schools during the segregation era, and its continuing role in preparing educators for Alabama’s diverse communities, is central to ASU’s institutional identity.
The College of Health Sciences provides programs in health information management, physical therapy, and other health science disciplines that address the healthcare workforce needs of the Alabama and Montgomery healthcare market.
The College of Business Administration provides undergraduate programs in accounting, finance, marketing, and management that reflect ASU’s investment in professional business education for Montgomery and the central Alabama regional economy.
The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences provides programs in criminal justice, social work, political science, and communication that serve the professional and civic education needs of the ASU student population and connect to the Montgomery government and civic community.
Getting Your Student’s Stuff Home Between Semesters
MGM airport (10 minutes from campus) provides American connections to the Charlotte hub for end-of-semester travel. The central Alabama climate means December travel is generally weather-manageable. Storage Scholars specializes in student storage with residence hall pickup and delivery.
Full printable Alabama State dorm packing list
You Are an Alabama State Hornets Family Now
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice 10 minutes from campus where the steel monuments for 4,000 victims of racial terror hang above the Alabama River and Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative has built the most significant memorial space in the American South since the Civil War monuments that the EJI work is a response…
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice 10 minutes from campus where the steel monuments for 4,000 victims of racial terror hang above the Alabama River and Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative has built the most significant memorial space in the American South since the Civil War monuments that the EJI work is a response to. The Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church where the Bus Boycott was organized in the winter of 1955-1956 facing the Capitol at the end of Dexter Avenue. The Legacy Museum on Coosa Street where the history of slavery, lynching, and mass incarceration is documented in the building on the site where enslaved people were held before sale.
Alabama State was founded in 1867 by freed people who understood that education was the essential tool of freedom, and it has been in Montgomery since 1887, in the capital of the state that fought hardest to preserve slavery and that organized the Confederacy at the building that faces the church where the Bus Boycott was organized. The Hornets are in Montgomery. The memorial is close. The history is everywhere.
Go Hornets.
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Last updated: May 2026. Tuition, dates, and policies subject to change. Verify all time-sensitive information at alasu.edu and alasu.edu/housing.
What is Alabama State University’s graduation rate?
Alabama State University graduates 14.7% of students in four years; another 15.6 points finish within six. About 69.8% of first-year students return for sophomore year. Each bar is compared to the national average, marked by the vertical line.
34.3 pts below national
33.7 pts below national
11.2 pts below national
Here is how to read these numbers: the four-year and six-year rates show how many students finish on time and eventually, and retention shows how many return after the first year. Wherever your student lands, the habits that keep them on track matter most: a full, well-sequenced course load, an advisor meeting every term, and using campus support early. See why most students don’t graduate in four years and how to choose the right classes in the right order.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, most recent available data. National averages: NCES. Figures are for first-time, full-time bachelor’s-seeking students.
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Academic Calendar
Key dates for the Alabama State University 2026-2027 academic year. Always verify at the official Registrar page before making travel plans.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Fall classes begin | ~August 18, 2026 (est.) |
| Thanksgiving break | ~November 23-27, 2026 (est.) |
| Fall final exams | ~December 8-12, 2026 (est.) |
| Spring classes begin | ~January 12, 2027 (est.) |
| Spring break | ~March 15-20, 2027 (est.) |
| Spring final exams | ~April 28-May 4, 2027 (est.) |
| May commencement | ~May 8, 2027 (est.) |
Winter break housing: Most Alabama State University residence halls close for winter break. Students who need to stay on campus must apply for break housing through Residential Life in November. Check the housing portal for specific closure dates and application deadlines.
What to Pack for Alabama State University
Every dorm is different, but these are the items parents of Alabama State University students buy most. Ship directly to campus and skip the trunk-stuffing stress.
Twin XL Bedding Set
Sheets, comforter, and pillowcases — buy before you arrive so the bed is ready day one.
Shower Caddy & Flip Flops
Shared bathrooms require these. Get a hanging caddy and waterproof sandals before move-in.
Surge Protector Power Strip
Most dorms allow 6-outlet surge protectors with USB ports. Check your school’s policy first.
Want the full list? See our complete college packing list →
Shipping to campus? Students get 6 months of Amazon Prime for Young Adults free, then half price on the student’s own account. Here is how it works.
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