Samford University is a premier nationally ranked Christian university. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. It enrolls 5,619 students from 44 states and 30 countries.

Samford is the top-ranked university in Alabama in national rankings by The Wall Street Journal. U.S. News & World Report ranked Samford 4th in the South, 7th in the South for most innovative, 2nd in the South for best colleges for veterans and 9th in the South for commitment to undergraduate teaching among regional universities. Additionally, The Wall Street Journal ranks Samford 12th nationally for student engagement. Kiplinger’s Personal Finance ranks Samford 50th private university in the U.S. for value and affordability.

Samford offers numerous undergraduate and graduate/professional degrees through 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. The faculty-to-student ratio is 1:13.

Among Samford’s 51,926 alumni are more than 60 members of the U.S. Congress, eight state governors, two U.S. Supreme Court justices, one Secretary of State, four Rhodes Scholars, multiple Emmy and Grammy award-winning artists, two national championship football coaches, and recipients of the Pulitzer and Nobel Peace prizes.

The university fields 17 varsity sports—eight men’s and nine women’s—that participate at the NCAA Division I level in the Southern Conference. Samford’s athletics teams are ranked #1 in Alabama and #17 nationally for Graduation Success Rate (GSR) by the NCAA with an average score of 97%. Ten teams posted perfect scores.