University of South Alabama

University of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama (USA) is a public, national research university in Mobile, Alabama, USA. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in May, 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama.
USA is the only major public institution of higher learning on the upper Gulf Coast. With Alabama's two older universities more than 200 miles distant, the University is strategically located in the greater Mobile area, which has a population of more than a million within a 100-mile radius.
Currently, USA is divided into ten colleges and schools and includes one of Alabama's two state-supported medical schools. As of the Fall semester of 2014, South Alabama has an enrollment of 16,055 students. To date, the University has awarded over 80,000 degrees.
USA has an annual payroll of $404 million (US), with over 5,500 employees, and is the second largest employer in Mobile, Alabama. It has remained one of Alabama's fastest growing universities for the past several years. The university has come under great criticism; as of 2014 the university maintains a 14% graduation rate, and was named the 8th most dangerous college in the country by Business Insider.
Despite these criticisms, The University South Alabama has an annual economic impact of US$2 billion.In addition, South Alabama owned hospitals treat over 250,000 patients annually.