The ground-state configuration of 35 Al has been studied via Coulomb dissociation (CD) using the LAND-FRS setup (GSI, Darmstadt) at a relativistic energy of ∼403 MeV/nucleon. The measured inclusive differential CD cross section for 35 Al, integrated up to 5.0 MeV relative energy between the 34 Al core and the neutron using a Pb target, is 78(13) mb. The exclusive measured CD cross section that populates various excited states of 34 Al is 29(7) mb. The differential CD cross section of 35 Al → 34 Al + n has been interpreted in the light of a direct breakup model, and it suggests that the possible ground-state spin and parity of 35 Al could be, tentatively, 1/2 + or 3/2 + or 5/2 + . The valence neutrons, in the ground state of 35 Al, may occupy a combination of either l = 3,0 or l = 1,2 orbitals coupled with the 34 Al core in the ground and isomeric state(s), respectively. This hints of a particle-hole configuration of the neutron across the magic shell gaps at N = 20,28 which suggests narrowing the magic shell gap. If the 5/2 + is the ground-state spin-parity of 35 Al as suggested in the literature, then the major ground-state configuration of 35 Al is a combination of 34 Al(g.s.; 4 − ) ⊗ ν p 3/2 and 34 Al(isomer; 1 + ) ⊗ ν d 3/2 states. The result from this experiment has been compared with that from a previous knockout measurement and a calculation using the SDPF-M interaction.