The University of South Alabama is the only major public institution of higher education on the upper Gulf Coast. The university was created by an act of the Alabama State Legislature in May, 1963. With Alabama's 2 older colleges more than Two hundred miles away, the school is strategically located in the greater Mobile area, which has a population of more than a million within a One hundred mile radius.

The College is dedicated to the education of physicians, allied health professionals, health scientists, and professional nurses who will provide the community and the region with the highest quality health care. To  help promote improved health care in its service region through research, teaching, and outreach programs, its hospitals and clinics will offer the latest scientific and medical technology possible.

The University of South Alabama's programs of education, public service, research and health care are all founded upon the basis of a reciprocal relationship between the school and the community it serves.