The University of Alabama at Birmingham is 10.6 miles from Brookside
No college sits inside Brookside’s boundary, but the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s campus in Birmingham, with 15,353 students on campus, is 10.6 miles from the center of town, and Jefferson State Community College is 10.7 miles away in Birmingham. About 2% of Brookside’s residents are enrolled in college, below Alabama (6%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Brookside. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Brookside
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Brookside
Four private colleges within 13.5 miles, one public college within 10.6 miles, and two community colleges.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at $48–75k, where Brookside’s median household income ($59,271) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Brookside: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: Herzing University-Birmingham (11); Fortis Institute-Birmingham (4).
Questions about college near Brookside
Is Brookside a college town?
No. About 2 of every 100 Brookside residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), below Alabama (6). The nearest campus, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is 10.6 miles away in Birmingham.
What colleges are near Brookside?
7 colleges are within 15 miles. The largest: the University of Alabama at Birmingham (10.6 miles, 15,353 students on campus), Jefferson State Community College (10.7 miles, 5,747) and Samford University (13.3 miles, 5,725).
What is the closest community college to Brookside, and what does it cost?
Jefferson State Community College in Birmingham, 10.7 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,100 a year for Alabama residents; the federal net price, $9,086, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does the University of Alabama at Birmingham cost if we live in Alabama?
Tuition and fees are $9,098 a year in-state and $22,562 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $16,172 (under $30,000 income) to $22,597 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Brookside. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →