University of South Alabama

University of South Alabama International Student Insurance

General Information

The University of South Alabama (USA), located in Mobile, Alabama, was established in 1963. It was founded to replace several extension programs in the city operated by the University of Alabama, as civic leaders noticed the need for higher education in the region had outgrown what those programs had to offer. Classes began in summer 1964 with an enrollment of 276, but by the beginning of the fall semester, enrollment had already jumped to 928. The College of Medicine opened in 1973, followed shortly after by the College of Nursing and the Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions. In addition, USA operates four healthcare facilities: USA Health University Hospital, USA Children’s & Women’s Hospital, the USA Mitchell Cancer Institute, and the USA Physicians Group.

Today, USA offers more than 100 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs through 10 colleges and schools. It enrolls 15,000 students and counting each year. The school’s colors (appropriately for its acronym) are red, white, and blue, and its athletic nickname is the jaguars.

On Campus

Another prominent feature on campus is the 8,000-square-foot Archaeology Museum, featuring exhibits about the Gulf Coast’s prehistory and history. They cover more than 12,000 years and provide glimpses into the lives of ancient Woodland cultures, mound-building Mississippian peoples, early French settlers, and African-American families after the U.S. Civil War.

Other noteworthy research institutes at USA include the Center for Generational Studies, the Coastal Resource and Resiliency Center, the Coastal Weather Research Center, and the USA Center for the Study of War and Memory.

USA’s football team, the Jaguars, was announced in 2007 and played their first game in September 2009. They went 19-0 during their first two and a half seasons, but fell to their first FBS opponent, NC State, 35-13.

Notable Alumni

Notable University of South Alabama alumni include sculptor Tina Allen; author Carolyn Haines; Michael Kearney, who holds the Guinness World Record for the world’s youngest college graduate with an anthropology degree by age 10; and Major League Baseball players Glenn Borgmann, Luis Gonzalez, and Turner Ward.