Best party school in the US? This Alabama college stays in top 10

With fall comes college football, exams and, on many campuses, a social scene.

While students should consider colleges’ academics and affordability, some may also want to know which have a vibrant party culture.

The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa is the highest-ranked party school in the state, according to Niche, and takes the No. 10 spot in America. Over the past few years, it has consistently ranked in the top 10 on the list.

As with most ranking systems, there is a caveat: It is not clear how Niche gives each college its grade. Niche says it ranks schools by assessing more than 500,000 student reviews of U.S. colleges and comparing campuses’ access to bars, athletics, presence of fraternities and sororities and access to restaurants. You can go here to see the complete methodology.

The rankings also do not account for the experiences of all students or tell a full story of what is happening on a campus. And colleges don’t always like being named on “top party” lists, arguing that the rankings can encourage heavy drinking and illegal activity.

Here are the top 15 Alabama party Schools, according to Niche:

1. The University of Alabama, No. 10 in America
2. Auburn University, No. 43 in America
3. Tuskegee University, No. 142 in America
4. Alabama A&M University, No. 159 in America
5. Alabama State University, No. 163 in America
6. Jacksonville State University, No. 213 in America
7. Troy University, No. 229 in America
8. Spring Hill College, No. 248 in America
9. University of Alabama at Birmingham, No. 285 in America
10. Birmingham Southern College, No. 302 in America (and closed in 2024)
11. Miles College, No. 344 in America
12. University of South Alabama, No. 360 in America
13. The University of West Alabama, No. 397 in America
14. University of North Alabama, No. 407 in America
15. Stillman College, No. 476 in America

Niche also ranks subcategories such as Best Athletic Programs, earning the University of Alabama No. 3 in the nation, and Most Diverse, with Faulkner University ranking at No. 269.

While Alabama college students spend among the most in the nation for degrees, according to a 2022 report by the State Higher Education Foundation, Auburn University and the University of Alabama were on Niche’s Best Value list with both ranking in the 600 range nationally.