Best Value Southern Colleges
There are 359 colleges in the South ranked by value using the same methodology as our national list. Rankings balance academic quality with the net price students typically pay.
University of Tulsa leads South value rankings for 2027 with a 10 out of 10 academic rating and an average net price of $13,095. The top value public university is New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. Also high value: Duke University, Johns Hopkins University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Compare net price, aid, and academic ratings across the colleges below. See how value scores are calculated on our methodology page. Explore the regional list below or browse individual states.
Lincoln Memorial University
- Private 4 Year
- Harrogate, TN
-
| 0 reviews
Lincoln Memorial is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and pre-veterinary studies. The rural campus sits near Cumberland Gap in the Appalachian Mountains.
- SAT Range 1000-1210
- Avg GPA 3.29
- Acceptance Rate 63%
- Net Price $21,447
Southern Methodist University
- Private 4 Year
- Dallas, TX
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
SMU is a private university known for undergraduate business and the performing arts. The campus occupies University Park, a residential enclave within Dallas.
- SAT Range 1340-1490
- Avg GPA 3.68
- Acceptance Rate 63%
- Net Price $48,179
Texas Tech University
- Public 4 Year
- Lubbock, TX
-
3.9 | 10 reviews
Texas Tech is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, agriculture, and business. The Lubbock campus is marked by Spanish Renaissance architecture on the South Plains of West Texas.
- SAT Range 1090-1280
- Avg GPA 3.76
- Acceptance Rate 73%
- Net Price $16,919
James Madison University
- Public 4 Year
- Harrisonburg, VA
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
JMU is a large public university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and education. Harrisonburg is a college town in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.
- SAT Range 1170-1340
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.57
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $18,856
University of Mary Washington
- Public 4 Year
- Fredericksburg, VA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Mary Washington is a public liberal arts university known for undergraduate historic preservation and education. The historic campus sits in Fredericksburg near the Rappahannock River.
- SAT Range 1170-1370
- Avg GPA 3.71
- Acceptance Rate 80%
- Net Price $21,800
Rollins College
- Private 4 Year
- Winter Park, FL
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Rollins is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate business and international studies. Most undergrads live on a lakeside campus along Lake Virginia in Winter Park.
- SAT Range 1160-1370
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 48%
- Net Price $39,201
Covenant College
- Private 4 Year
- Lookout Mountain, GA
-
| 0 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
Covenant is a private Christian liberal arts college known for undergraduate programs taught from a Reformed theological perspective. The mountaintop campus on Lookout Mountain overlooks the Chattanooga valley.
- SAT Range 1160-1380
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $27,926
University of Kentucky
- Public 4 Year
- Lexington, KY
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
Kentucky is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture, engineering, and business. Lexington is a midsize city in the state's Bluegrass horse country.
- SAT Range 1070-1290
- Avg GPA 3.59
- Acceptance Rate 93%
- Net Price $21,958
Salisbury University
- Public 4 Year
- Salisbury, MD
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Salisbury is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The campus sits in a small city on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
- SAT Range 1180-1320
- Avg GPA 3.73
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $18,760
East Carolina University
- Public 4 Year
- Greenville, NC
-
4.2 | 4 reviews
East Carolina is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and education. The main campus is in Greenville, a college town in eastern North Carolina.
- SAT Range 1070-1240
- Avg GPA 3.33
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $13,755
University of North Carolina Asheville
- Public 4 Year
- Asheville, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
UNC Asheville is a public liberal arts university known for undergraduate environmental studies and the arts. The campus sits in the mountain city of Asheville in the Blue Ridge.
- SAT Range 1170-1360
- Avg GPA 3.49
- Acceptance Rate 92%
- Net Price $13,798
Oklahoma State University Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Stillwater, OK
-
3.0 | 1 reviews
Oklahoma State is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture, engineering, and business. Stillwater is a classic college town built around the campus.
- SAT Range 1040-1250
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $19,561
Tennessee Technological University
- Public 4 Year
- Cookeville, TN
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Tennessee Tech is a public university known for undergraduate engineering and technology. The campus sits in the college town of Cookeville on the Cumberland Plateau.
- SAT Range 1048-1310
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $15,336
Abilene Christian University
- Private 4 Year
- Abilene, TX
-
3.7 | 6 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
ACU is a private Christian university known for undergraduate biblical studies, nursing, and business. Most undergrads live on its residential campus in Abilene, a city in West Texas.
- SAT Range 1070-1270
- Avg GPA 3.65
- Acceptance Rate 66%
- Net Price $28,760
LeTourneau University
- Private 4 Year
- Longview, TX
-
4.0 | 3 reviews
LeTourneau is a private Christian university known for undergraduate engineering and aviation. The campus is in Longview in East Texas.
- SAT Range 990-1330
- Avg GPA 3.66
- Acceptance Rate 38%
- Net Price $29,799
The University of Texas at Tyler
- Public 4 Year
- Tyler, TX
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Aug 24 application deadline
UT Tyler is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and engineering. The campus is in the East Texas city of Tyler.
- SAT Range 1010-1200
- Avg GPA 3.44
- Acceptance Rate 94%
- Net Price $14,476
University of Lynchburg
- Private 4 Year
- Lynchburg, VA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Sep 1 application deadline
University of Lynchburg is a private university known for undergraduate nursing and health sciences. Students live on a residential campus in Lynchburg near the Blue Ridge Mountains.
- SAT Range 980-1230
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 43%
- Net Price $23,845
Radford University
- Public 4 Year
- Radford, VA
-
3.5 | 2 reviews
Radford is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The campus sits in a small college town in southwestern Virginia's New River Valley.
- SAT Range 940-1160
- Avg GPA 3.31
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $16,749