About The University of Alabama
What is The University of Alabama?
The University of Alabama is a public university in Tuscaloosa. Its history page says "The Alabama General Assembly officially established the first public university" in 1820 and that classes began in 1831, and its About page describes "Known as the Capstone" with "13 colleges and schools" and "42,431 currently enrolled students for the Fall Semester 2026". Its mission is to "advance the intellectual and social condition of the people of the state, the nation and the world through the creation, translation and dissemination of knowledge". This profile covers the university's own staff postings on careers.ua.edu, run with its Human Resources office, not the faculty or UA System jobs.
Where will I work?
The careers site listed 196 postings on 2026-10-20. 124 carry a faculty category (tenure-track, non-tenure-track or clinical, temporary part-time or administrative faculty), and this page lists 56 of the other 72: regular full-time, benefits-eligible staff roles, leaving out the trades, custodial, clinical-support and postdoctoral postings and the one on-call posting. Titles include "Systems Analyst IV", "Accountant II", "Academic Advisor I", "Law School Reference and Research Librarian", "Director Technology Partnerships" and "Graduate School Analytics and Strategy Manager". Of the 71 regular full-time staff postings, 69 are in Tuscaloosa. Postings state their pay and schedule, for example "Minimum: $49,100 - Midpoint: $61,400 (Salaried E7)" and "Monday - Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm" for an Accountant I. The Flexible Work Arrangements page says the university's "primary mode of delivering exceptional education, research, and service, as well as conducting administrative functions is on-site and in-person", with remote hybrid or remote full arrangements approved by exception: "Remote full arrangements are expected to be used strategically and generally only in exceptional circumstances".
What is the University of Alabama team like?
Human Resources runs WellBAMA, the university's "signature wellness program for faculty and staff", with a free annual health screening and rewards of "up to $100 annually". The Employee Assistance Program offers "free and confidential counseling sessions, plus complimentary legal, financial and work-life guidance", and the University Medical Center's Faculty Staff Clinic provides "a comprehensive and patient-centered primary care for UA employees and their families, including walk-in and urgent care". Bama Perks gives current faculty and staff "exclusive discounts" from local and national businesses, and there are family resources for child care and elder care.
Work-Life Balance
The Leave and Accommodations page says "Professional Staff earn 1.833 workdays for each month worked up to a maximum of 22 days annual leave per calendar year" and "Non-Exempt Staff earn annual leave in proportion to their length of service, ranging from 12 – 22 days per calendar year", with sick leave of "one (1) workday for each month worked up to a maximum of 12 days sick leave per calendar year". The Holiday Schedule says "Eligible employees who are not required to work will be excused on such holidays without charge to leave or loss of pay". For 2026 it lists the end of the "Winter Holiday: Monday, December 22, 2025, through Thursday, January 1, 2026", Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a Spring Break week, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day (Friday 3 July), Labor Day, Thanksgiving through Sunday, and the winter holiday "Wednesday, December 23, 2026, through Sunday, January 3, 2027": 20 working days of closure in the 2026 calendar year. A professional-staff member therefore has 22 days of annual leave and 20 closed days, 42, and a non-exempt employee at the entry tier 12 and 20, 32, before the sick leave. Paid parental leave is "up to four work weeks (20 days/160 hours maximum)".
Perks and Benefits
Eligible staff in a non-temporary position working at least half time take part in the Teachers' Retirement System, part of the Retirement Systems of Alabama, a defined benefit plan, with an employee contribution of 7.5% for those hired before 1 January 2013 and 6.2% after; the 403(b) plan carries "a matching contribution of up to 5% of gross monthly pay" for regular full-time faculty and exempt staff, and regular full-time non-exempt staff may take part but are "not match-eligible". The university offers "two medical plans through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama", a High Deductible Health Plan with a Health Savings Account and a PPO. The Educational Benefit gives full-time employees "100% of the tuition costs for up to three (3) credit hours during the fall and spring semesters and up to six (6) credit hours during the summer terms" at in-state rates, with 50% for dependents after six months of continuous employment.