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Facts about Birmingham-Southern

 
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  • Birmingham-Southern College is a four-year, private liberal arts institution founded in 1856 and affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
  • Location: 3 miles from downtown Birmingham, Alabama.
  • Enrollment: 1283 students from 34 states and 9 countries
  • Academic profile, class of 2020: High school core GPA of 3.7, average ACT score of 26
  • Faculty: 103 full-time and 48 part-time, 93 percent with a Ph.D. or highest degree in their field
  • Student/faculty ratio: 13:1
  • Average class size: 16
  • Academic calendar: 4-1-4; two semesters of four units each plus one Exploration Term course
  • Majors: 29 undergraduate majors, 26 minors, 3 distinctions, plus special programs
  • History: Birmingham-Southern College is the result of a merger of Southern University, founded in Greensboro, Alabama, in 1856, with Birmingham College, opened in 1898 in Birmingham, Alabama. These two institutions were consolidated on May 30, 1918 under the name of Birmingham-Southern College.
  • Campus: 192 acres, including lake and urban environmental park
  • Clubs and organizations: 80+
  • Athletics: 22 NCAA Division III varsity sports competing in the Southern Athletic Association
  • Academic consortia: Associated Colleges of the South (ACS); Birmingham Area Consortium of Higher Education (BACHE); National Council on Undergraduate Research, Council of Independent Colleges
  • National Honor Societies: Sheltering institution for a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, home to business honor society Beta Gamma Sigma; plus many more
  • Accreditation: Birmingham-Southern College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia, 30033-4097 or call (404)679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Birmingham-Southern College.