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.

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South Public Private For-Profit 4 Year 2 Year

List of the Best South Colleges

  • Public 4 Year
  • Orangeburg, SC
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jul 31 application deadline

SC State is a public HBCU known for undergraduate education, business, and biological sciences. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in the small city of Orangeburg.

#343 Best Colleges in the South 2/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 800-1050
  • Avg GPA 3.17
  • Acceptance Rate 83%
  • Net Price $17,965

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

Grambling is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate education, nursing, and criminal justice. The residential campus is in the small town of Grambling in northern Louisiana.

#344 Best Colleges in the South 2/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 920-1080
  • Avg GPA 3.01
  • Acceptance Rate 45%
  • Net Price $17,018
Benedict College Campus
 

  • Private 4 Year
  • Columbia, SC
  • 3.0 | 2 reviews
  • Feb 15 application deadline

Benedict is a private historically Black college known for undergraduate business and criminal justice. The urban campus sits in South Carolina's capital city of Columbia.

#345 Best Colleges in the South
  • SAT Range 820-1010
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Acceptance Rate 96%
  • Net Price $18,665

  • Public 4 Year
  • Houston, TX
  • 3.0 | 3 reviews
  • Jul 15 application deadline

Texas Southern is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate pharmacy, business, and criminal justice. The urban campus is located in Houston's Third Ward.

#346 Best Colleges in the South 2/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 800-1000
  • Avg GPA 3.0
  • Acceptance Rate 97%
  • Net Price $13,584

  • Private 4 Year
  • Richmond, VA
  • | 0 reviews

Virginia Union is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate programs in business, education, and social work. The historic urban campus sits on Richmond's North Side.

#347 Best Colleges in the South 1/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 850-885
  • Avg GPA 2.71
  • Acceptance Rate 98%
  • Net Price $11,483

  • Public 4 Year
  • Arkadelphia, AR
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jul 15 application deadline

Henderson State is a public university known for undergraduate teacher education and business. The campus sits in the small college town of Arkadelphia.

#348 Best Colleges in the South
  • SAT Range 903-1073
  • Avg GPA 3.23
  • Acceptance Rate 100%
  • Net Price $20,444

  • Private 4 Year
  • Orlando, FL
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jul 1 application deadline

AdventHealth University is a private university known for undergraduate nursing and health sciences. The urban Orlando campus is closely tied to the AdventHealth hospital system.

#349 Best Colleges in the South
  • SAT Range 1010-1140
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Acceptance Rate 100%
  • Net Price $29,658

  • Public 4 Year
  • Albany, GA
  • 4.0 | 2 reviews

Albany State is a public HBCU known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The campus sits in the southwest Georgia city of Albany.

#350 Best Colleges in the South
  • SAT Range 740-900
  • Avg GPA 2.77
  • Acceptance Rate 100%
  • Net Price $11,484

  • Public 4 Year
  • Savannah, GA
  • 3.7 | 3 reviews
  • Jul 15 application deadline

Savannah State is a public HBCU known for undergraduate marine science. The waterfront campus sits along a tidal marsh on the edge of Savannah.

#351 Best Colleges in the South
  • SAT Range 845-980
  • Avg GPA 2.77
  • Acceptance Rate 100%
  • Net Price $7,956

  • Public 4 Year
  • Cleveland, MS
  • 5.0 | 2 reviews

Delta State is a public university known for undergraduate commercial aviation and teacher education. The campus is in the Mississippi Delta town of Cleveland.

#352 Best Colleges in the South 0/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 925-1210
  • Avg GPA 3.37
  • Acceptance Rate 100%
  • Net Price $14,021

  • Public 4 Year
  • Tahlequah, OK
  • 4.5 | 2 reviews

Northeastern State is a public university known for undergraduate teacher education and Native American studies. The Tahlequah campus sits in the capital of the Cherokee Nation.

#353 Best Colleges in the South 0/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 866-1136
  • Avg GPA 3.49
  • Acceptance Rate 100%
  • Net Price $12,410

  • Public 4 Year
  • Weatherford, OK
  • 4.0 | 1 reviews

SWOSU is a public university known for undergraduate pharmacy, nursing, and education. The campus is in the small college town of Weatherford in western Oklahoma.

#354 Best Colleges in the South
  • SAT Range -
  • Avg GPA 3.53
  • Acceptance Rate 100%
  • Net Price $14,410
King University Campus
 

  • Private 4 Year
  • Bristol, TN
  • | 0 reviews

King is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing and business. The campus is in Bristol on the Tennessee-Virginia border.

#355 Best Colleges in the South 0/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1000-1160
  • Avg GPA 3.46
  • Acceptance Rate 100%
  • Net Price $22,748

  • Private 4 Year
  • San Antonio, TX
  • | 0 reviews

Our Lady of the Lake is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate social work and education. The urban San Antonio campus is a Hispanic-Serving Institution.

#356 Best Colleges in the South
  • SAT Range 890-1070
  • Avg GPA 3.55
  • Acceptance Rate 100%
  • Net Price $16,999

  • Public 4 Year
  • El Paso, TX
  • | 0 reviews
  • May 1 application deadline

UTEP is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering. The campus features distinctive Bhutanese-style architecture in El Paso near the U.S.-Mexico border.

#357 Best Colleges in the South 0/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 860-1080
  • Avg GPA 3.3
  • Acceptance Rate 100%
  • Net Price $9,305

  • Private 4 Year
  • Harrisonburg, VA
  • | 0 reviews

Eastern Mennonite is a private Mennonite university known for undergraduate peacebuilding and nursing. Students attend a residential campus in Harrisonburg in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.

#358 Best Colleges in the South 0/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1040-1590
  • Avg GPA 3.7
  • Acceptance Rate 100%
  • Net Price $25,021

  • Private 4 Year
  • Staunton, VA
  • | 0 reviews

Mary Baldwin is a private university known for undergraduate liberal arts programs and the Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership. The residential campus is in the historic Shenandoah Valley city of Staunton.

#359 Best Colleges in the South
  • SAT Range 940-1120
  • Avg GPA 3.57
  • Acceptance Rate 100%
  • Net Price $17,810
Amridge University Campus
 

  • Private 4 Year
  • Montgomery, AL
  • 3.0 | 2 reviews

Amridge is a private Christian university affiliated with the Churches of Christ and known for undergraduate biblical studies, ministry, and business. Many undergraduates complete degrees largely online through its Montgomery campus.

  • SAT Range -
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Acceptance Rate 100%
  • Net Price -