Most Selective Southeastern Colleges
There are 70 four-year colleges in the Southeast that accept 50% or fewer of applicants, ranked from most to least selective.
Johns Hopkins University is the hardest to get into in the Southeast, accepting just 6% of 45,895 applicants. Also highly selective: Duke University, Vanderbilt University and United States Naval Academy.
Selectivity does not always equal academic difficulty. Some schools admit a small share of applicants because demand exceeds capacity, not because admission standards are extreme. If you need safety schools, see our highest acceptance rate colleges in Southeast. For academically demanding options, explore colleges with the highest SAT, highest ACT, and highest GPA averages.
University of Central Florida
- Public 4 Year
- Orlando, FL
-
4.2 | 6 reviews
- 40% acceptance rate
- May 1 application deadline
UCF is a large public university known for undergraduate hospitality management, aerospace engineering, and digital media. The large suburban campus sits in east Orlando near the region's tourism industry.
- SAT Range 1200-1350
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.64
- Net Price $13,351
The University of Tampa
- Private 4 Year
- Tampa, FL
-
2.5 | 13 reviews
- 40% acceptance rate
University of Tampa is a private university known for undergraduate business, marine science, and nursing. The urban campus centers on historic Plant Hall along the Hillsborough River in downtown Tampa.
- SAT Range 1070-1240
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Net Price $35,679
Carolina University
- Private 4 Year
- Winston-Salem, North Carolina
-
| 0 reviews
- 40% acceptance rate
Carolina University is a private Christian university known for undergraduate biblical studies, ministry, and education. Most programs are taught within an evangelical Christian framework on its Winston-Salem campus.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.0
- Net Price $20,412
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
- Public 4 Year
- Pine Bluff, AR
-
| 0 reviews
- 41% acceptance rate
UAPB is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate aquaculture and agriculture. Students study on a residential campus in Pine Bluff in southeastern Arkansas.
- SAT Range 845-1108
- Avg GPA 2.9
- Net Price $12,373
Hampden Sydney College
- Private 4 Year
- Hampden-Sydney, VA
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- 41% acceptance rate
- Feb 1 application deadline
Hampden-Sydney is a private men's liberal arts college known for undergraduate rhetoric, history, and government. The historic campus sits in a rural setting in south-central Virginia.
- SAT Range 1030-1250
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Net Price $29,717
Ave Maria University
- Private 4 Year
- Ave Maria, FL
-
3.0 | 2 reviews
- 41% acceptance rate
Ave Maria is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate theology, philosophy, and the liberal arts. The campus anchors the planned town of Ave Maria in southwest Florida.
- SAT Range 1018-1240
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Net Price $25,294
Dillard University
- Private 4 Year
- New Orleans, LA
-
| 0 reviews
- 42% acceptance rate
Dillard is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate nursing, public health, and the sciences. The urban campus sits in New Orleans's Gentilly neighborhood.
- SAT Range 968-1202
- Avg GPA 3.31
- Net Price $21,842
Brevard College
- Private 4 Year
- Brevard, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- 42% acceptance rate
Brevard is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate wilderness leadership and environmental studies. The campus sits in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Pisgah National Forest.
- SAT Range 870-1220
- Avg GPA 3.07
- Net Price $26,930
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
- Public 4 Year
- Raleigh, NC
-
5.0 | 4 reviews
- 42% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
NC State is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, agriculture, and textiles. The campus sits in Raleigh within North Carolina's Research Triangle.
- SAT Range 1300-1470
- Avg GPA 3.83
- Net Price $15,522
The University of Tennessee Knoxville
- Public 4 Year
- Knoxville, TN
-
4.8 | 5 reviews
- 42% acceptance rate
Tennessee is a large public university known for undergraduate supply chain management, business, and nuclear engineering. The campus borders the Tennessee River in Knoxville.
- SAT Range 1200-1370
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.66
- Net Price $21,648
University of West Alabama
- Public 4 Year
- Livingston, AL
-
| 0 reviews
- 43% acceptance rate
- Aug 10 application deadline
West Alabama is a public university known for undergraduate education and business programs. The campus sits in the small town of Livingston in western Alabama.
- SAT Range 860-1120
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.16
- Net Price $13,954
University of South Florida
- Public 4 Year
- Tampa, FL
-
4.0 | 4 reviews
- 43% acceptance rate
- May 1 application deadline
USF is a large public university known for undergraduate public health, business, and engineering. The main campus is a large urban site in Tampa near Tampa Bay.
- SAT Range 1130-1320
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.64
- Net Price $11,579
Warner University
- Private 4 Year
- Lake Wales, FL
-
| 0 reviews
- 43% acceptance rate
Warner is a private Christian university known for undergraduate ministry, education, and business. Most students live on the residential campus in Lake Wales.
- SAT Range 790-1070
- Avg GPA 3.22
- Net Price $20,888
Millsaps College
- Private 4 Year
- Jackson, MS
-
| 0 reviews
- 43% acceptance rate
- Jul 1 application deadline
Millsaps is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate business and the sciences. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in Jackson.
- SAT Range 1025-1150
- Avg GPA 3.65
- Net Price $27,737
Furman University
- Private 4 Year
- Greenville, SC
-
| 0 reviews
- 43% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Furman is a private liberal arts university known for undergraduate biology, political science, and business. The residential campus centers on a lake just outside Greenville.
- SAT Range 1260-1430
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Net Price $34,086
University of Lynchburg
- Private 4 Year
- Lynchburg, VA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 43% acceptance rate
- 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
- Net Price $23,845
Beacon College
- Private 4 Year
- Leesburg, FL
-
4.0 | 2 reviews
- 43% acceptance rate
Beacon College is a small private college known for undergraduate programs designed for students with learning disabilities, ADHD, and related learning differences. The residential campus sits in Leesburg in central Florida.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.2
- Net Price $46,997
Point University
- Private 4 Year
- West Point, GA
-
| 0 reviews
- 44% acceptance rate
Point is a small private Christian university known for undergraduate ministry, business, and education. The campus is in the small town of West Point on the Georgia-Alabama border.
- SAT Range 972-1237
- Avg GPA 3.41
- Net Price $19,545