Best Southern Colleges

There are 1097 colleges and universities in the South enrolling 7,307,736 students. Explore the list of top colleges in the South below to begin your college search. The CollegeSimply rankings are objective and data-driven in order to help you find good matches for you. Learn how the Best Colleges rankings are calculated on our ranking methodology page. Whether you're searching for a good public, private or community college, this guide to universities in South offers a comprehensive view to the state's higher education options.

The  South is home to nationally ranked institutions like Duke University, Rice University, Johns Hopkins University and Vanderbilt University. The highest ranked college in the South is Duke University and the top rated public state college is University of Virginia Main Campus.

1,097 Results
Sort:
South Public Private For-Profit 4 Year 2 Year

List of the Best South Colleges

Guilford College Campus

credit : source / license

  • Private 4 Year
  • Greensboro, NC
  • | 0 reviews

Guilford is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate peace and conflict studies. The Quaker-founded residential campus sits in Greensboro.

#163 Best Colleges in the South 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1120-1260
  • Avg GPA 3.14
  • Acceptance Rate 80%
  • Net Price $22,270
Details Calculate my Chances
Anderson University Campus

credit : source / license

  • Private 4 Year
  • Anderson, SC
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews

A private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. Most students live on its residential campus in Anderson in South Carolina's Upstate region.

#164 Best Colleges in the South 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1100-1280
  • Avg GPA 3.72
  • Acceptance Rate 55%
  • Net Price $24,434
Details Calculate my Chances
Middle Tennessee State University Campus

credit : source / license

  • Public 4 Year
  • Murfreesboro, TN
  • 4.5 | 2 reviews
  • Aug 15 application deadline

MTSU is a large public university known for undergraduate recording industry, aerospace, and music business programs. The campus is in Murfreesboro, a growing city about a half hour southeast of Nashville.

#165 Best Colleges in the South 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1010-1230
  • Avg GPA 3.64
  • Acceptance Rate 69%
  • Net Price $13,859
Details Calculate my Chances
Lynn University Campus

credit : source / license

  • Private 4 Year
  • Boca Raton, FL
  • 3.0 | 4 reviews
  • Aug 1 application deadline

Lynn is a private university known for undergraduate business, communication, and hospitality management. The suburban Boca Raton campus sits near Florida's Atlantic coast.

#166 Best Colleges in the South
  • SAT Range 1040-1200
  • Avg GPA 3.3
  • Acceptance Rate 73%
  • Net Price $45,469
Details Calculate my Chances
Oklahoma Baptist University Campus

credit : source / license

  • Private 4 Year
  • Shawnee, OK
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews

Oklahoma Baptist is a private Baptist university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and music. The residential campus sits in the smaller city of Shawnee east of Oklahoma City.

#167 Best Colleges in the South 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1070-1240
  • Avg GPA 3.68
  • Acceptance Rate 49%
  • Net Price $23,839
Details Calculate my Chances
Thomas More University Campus
 

  • Private 4 Year
  • Crestview Hills, KY
  • | 0 reviews

Thomas More is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and business. The suburban campus in Crestview Hills sits just south of Cincinnati.

#168 Best Colleges in the South 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1030-1230
  • Avg GPA 3.35
  • Acceptance Rate 90%
  • Net Price $22,297
Details Calculate my Chances
Hampton University Campus

credit : source / license

  • Private 4 Year
  • Hampton, VA
  • 3.8 | 6 reviews
  • Mar 1 application deadline

Hampton is a private HBCU known for undergraduate journalism, business, and nursing. The waterfront campus sits along the Hampton River near the Chesapeake Bay.

#169 Best Colleges in the South 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 790-1090
  • Avg GPA 3.3
  • Acceptance Rate 62%
  • Net Price $27,428
Details Calculate my Chances
University of North Texas Campus

credit : Crystal J Hollis / license

  • Public 4 Year
  • Denton, TX
  • 4.3 | 3 reviews
  • Aug 1 application deadline

UNT is a large public university known for undergraduate music and jazz studies. Denton is a college town north of the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

#170 Best Colleges in the South 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 980-1230
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.46
  • Acceptance Rate 72%
  • Net Price $15,965
Details Calculate my Chances
University of New Mexico Main Campus Campus

credit : source / license

  • Public 4 Year
  • Albuquerque, NM
  • | 0 reviews

UNM is a large public university known for undergraduate Latin American studies, anthropology, and photography. The urban Albuquerque campus features Pueblo Revival architecture.

#171 Best Colleges in the South 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 890-1170
  • Avg GPA 3.42
  • Acceptance Rate 95%
  • Net Price $6,347
Details Calculate my Chances
North Greenville University Campus

credit : source / license

  • Private 4 Year
  • Tigerville, SC
  • | 0 reviews
  • Aug 22 application deadline

North Greenville is a private Christian university known for undergraduate programs in Christian studies, education, and business. The residential campus lies in the Blue Ridge foothills of rural Tigerville.

#172 Best Colleges in the South 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1060-1240
  • Avg GPA 3.84
  • Acceptance Rate 67%
  • Net Price $21,346
Details Calculate my Chances
Oglethorpe University Campus

credit : source / license

  • Private 4 Year
  • Atlanta, GA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jul 15 application deadline

Oglethorpe is a private liberal arts college known for a required undergraduate core curriculum in the humanities and sciences. The wooded campus sits in Atlanta's Brookhaven neighborhood.

#173 Best Colleges in the South 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1090-1310
  • Avg GPA 3.73
  • Acceptance Rate 88%
  • Net Price $20,490
Details Calculate my Chances
University of Louisiana at Lafayette Campus

credit : source / license

  • Public 4 Year
  • Lafayette, LA
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews

UL Lafayette is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, engineering, and architecture. The campus is set in Lafayette, a hub of Cajun and Acadiana culture in southern Louisiana.

#174 Best Colleges in the South 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1120-1240
  • Avg GPA 3.4
  • Acceptance Rate 87%
  • Net Price $13,017
Details Calculate my Chances
Virginia Wesleyan University Campus

credit : source / license

  • Private 4 Year
  • Virginia Beach, VA
  • | 0 reviews

Virginia Wesleyan is a private liberal arts university known for undergraduate programs in the arts and sciences. The wooded campus sits in suburban Virginia Beach near the Atlantic coast.

#175 Best Colleges in the South 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1140-1350
  • Avg GPA 3.39
  • Acceptance Rate 73%
  • Net Price $21,267
Details Calculate my Chances
Converse University Campus

credit : source / license

  • Private 4 Year
  • Spartanburg, SC
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Aug 1 application deadline

Converse is a private university known for undergraduate music and the visual and performing arts. Its historic campus in Spartanburg was long a women's college and is now coeducational.

#176 Best Colleges in the South 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1010-1250
  • Avg GPA 3.89
  • Acceptance Rate 68%
  • Net Price $19,061
Details Calculate my Chances
The University of Texas at Arlington Campus

credit : osiristhe / license

  • Public 4 Year
  • Arlington, TX
  • 4.7 | 3 reviews
  • Jun 1 application deadline

UT Arlington is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, engineering, and architecture. The suburban campus sits in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex between the two cities.

#177 Best Colleges in the South 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1010-1240
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.43
  • Acceptance Rate 80%
  • Net Price $13,755
Details Calculate my Chances
Gardner Webb University Campus

credit : source / license

  • Private 4 Year
  • Boiling Springs, NC
  • 4.7 | 3 reviews

Gardner-Webb is a private Baptist university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The residential campus sits in the small town of Boiling Springs in western North Carolina.

#178 Best Colleges in the South 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 975-1198
  • Avg GPA 3.74
  • Acceptance Rate 77%
  • Net Price $20,016
Details Calculate my Chances
Frostburg State University Campus

credit : source / license

  • Public 4 Year
  • Frostburg, MD
  • 3.0 | 1 reviews
  • Feb 15 application deadline

Frostburg State is a public university known for undergraduate teacher education and business. The residential campus sits in the Appalachian mountain town of Frostburg in western Maryland.

#179 Best Colleges in the South 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 980-1200
  • Avg GPA 3.5
  • Acceptance Rate 89%
  • Net Price $17,669
Details Calculate my Chances
University of South Carolina Upstate Campus
 

  • Public 4 Year
  • Spartanburg, SC
  • | 0 reviews

USC Upstate is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The campus is in Spartanburg in South Carolina's Upstate region.

#180 Best Colleges in the South 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1005-1175
  • Avg GPA 2.53
  • Acceptance Rate 67%
  • Net Price $13,999
Details Calculate my Chances