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.
Morehouse College
- Private 4 Year
- Atlanta, GA
-
| 0 reviews
- 44% acceptance rate
- Feb 1 application deadline
Morehouse is a private historically Black men's college known for undergraduate business, political science, and biology. The urban Atlanta campus is part of the Atlanta University Center consortium with neighboring HBCUs.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.48
- Net Price $36,292
Oakwood University
- Private 4 Year
- Huntsville, AL
-
1.0 | 1 reviews
- 45% acceptance rate
Oakwood is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate nursing and theology. The Seventh-day Adventist campus is located in Huntsville.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 2.99
- Net Price $26,730
Grambling State University
- Public 4 Year
- Grambling, LA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 45% acceptance rate
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.
- SAT Range 920-1080
- Avg GPA 3.01
- Net Price $17,018
University of Maryland College Park
- Public 4 Year
- College Park, MD
-
4.8 | 6 reviews
- 45% acceptance rate
UMD is a large public university known for undergraduate computer science, engineering, and journalism. The College Park campus sits just outside Washington, D.C.
- SAT Range 1400-1530
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.84
- Net Price $16,581
Alcorn State University
- Public 4 Year
- Alcorn State, MS
-
1.0 | 1 reviews
- 45% acceptance rate
Alcorn State is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate agriculture, nursing, and biology. The rural campus sits in southwestern Mississippi.
- SAT Range 670-998
- Avg GPA 3.2
- Net Price $12,376
Johnson C Smith University
- Private 4 Year
- Charlotte, NC
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- 45% acceptance rate
Johnson C. Smith is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate business, computer science, and social work. The compact urban campus sits in Charlotte's historic West End.
- SAT Range 800-980
- Avg GPA 2.48
- Net Price $19,705
Auburn University
- Public 4 Year
- Auburn, AL
-
4.6 | 9 reviews
- 46% acceptance rate
- Feb 1 application deadline
Auburn is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, architecture, and agriculture. The residential campus anchors the classic college town of Auburn.
- SAT Range 1260-1390
- Avg GPA 3.97
- Net Price $25,242
Washington Adventist University
- Private 4 Year
- Takoma Park, MD
-
| 0 reviews
- 46% acceptance rate
- Aug 1 application deadline
Washington Adventist is a private Seventh-day Adventist university known for undergraduate nursing and health sciences. The small campus is in Takoma Park just outside Washington, D.C.
- SAT Range 860-1130
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.24
- Net Price $18,154
Coppin State University
- Public 4 Year
- Baltimore, MD
-
| 0 reviews
- 46% acceptance rate
- Jul 15 application deadline
Coppin State is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate nursing and teacher education. The urban campus sits in west Baltimore.
- SAT Range 880-1020
- Avg GPA 2.62
- Net Price $9,831
Delaware State University
- Public 4 Year
- Dover, DE
-
| 0 reviews
- 47% acceptance rate
- Feb 1 application deadline
Delaware State is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate aviation and agriculture. The main campus is in Dover, Delaware's capital city.
- SAT Range 800-1020
- Avg GPA 3.09
- Net Price $13,953
Rollins College
- Private 4 Year
- Winter Park, FL
-
| 0 reviews
- 48% acceptance rate
- 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
- Net Price $39,201
Tuskegee University
- Private 4 Year
- Tuskegee, AL
-
4.0 | 5 reviews
- 49% acceptance rate
- Apr 15 application deadline
Tuskegee is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, nursing, and veterinary science. The rural campus is a historic HBCU in Alabama.
- SAT Range 995-1255
- Avg GPA 3.1
- Net Price $24,344
Rust College
- Private 4 Year
- Holly Springs, MS
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- 49% acceptance rate
Rust is a private historically Black liberal arts college known for undergraduate teacher education and the social sciences. The small campus sits in the town of Holly Springs in northern Mississippi.
- SAT Range 440-1339
- Avg GPA 2.66
- Net Price $12,037
Belhaven University
- Private 4 Year
- Jackson, MS
-
| 0 reviews
- 50% acceptance rate
Belhaven is a private Christian university known for undergraduate dance, music, and visual arts. The urban campus sits in Jackson's historic Belhaven neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1010-1298
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Net Price $16,299
North Carolina A & T State University
- Public 4 Year
- Greensboro, NC
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- 50% acceptance rate
- Jun 1 application deadline
NC A&T is a large public HBCU known for undergraduate engineering and agriculture. The urban campus is in Greensboro.
- SAT Range 1020-1190
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Net Price $10,097
Rhodes College
- Private 4 Year
- Memphis, TN
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- 50% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Rhodes is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate biology and international studies. The collegiate Gothic campus sits in a wooded residential section of Memphis.
- SAT Range 1300-1486
- Avg GPA 3.99
- Net Price $31,037