Best Southern Colleges
There are 359 ranked four-year colleges in the South, evaluated with the same methodology used for our national rankings. Only nonprofit, selective four-year schools are included.
Leading our 2027 rankings is Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, topping our list in the South. The top rated public university is University of Virginia Main Campus. Also highly ranked: Rice University, Johns Hopkins University and Vanderbilt University.
Compare tuition, acceptance rates, and enrollment across the colleges below. See how rankings are calculated on our methodology page. Explore the regional list below or browse individual states.
South Carolina State University
- Public 4 Year
- Orangeburg, SC
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| 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.
- SAT Range 800-1050
- Avg GPA 3.17
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $17,965
Grambling State University
- Public 4 Year
- Grambling, LA
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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.
- SAT Range 920-1080
- Avg GPA 3.01
- Acceptance Rate 45%
- Net Price $17,018
Benedict College
- Private 4 Year
- Columbia, SC
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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.
- SAT Range 820-1010
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 96%
- Net Price $18,665
Texas Southern University
- Public 4 Year
- Houston, TX
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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.
- SAT Range 800-1000
- Avg GPA 3.0
- Acceptance Rate 97%
- Net Price $13,584
Virginia Union University
- Private 4 Year
- Richmond, VA
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| 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.
- SAT Range 850-885
- Avg GPA 2.71
- Acceptance Rate 98%
- Net Price $11,483
Henderson State University
- Public 4 Year
- Arkadelphia, AR
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| 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.
- SAT Range 903-1073
- Avg GPA 3.23
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $20,444
AdventHealth University
- Private 4 Year
- Orlando, FL
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| 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.
- SAT Range 1010-1140
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $29,658
Albany State University
- Public 4 Year
- Albany, GA
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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.
- SAT Range 740-900
- Avg GPA 2.77
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $11,484
Savannah State University
- Public 4 Year
- Savannah, GA
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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.
- SAT Range 845-980
- Avg GPA 2.77
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $7,956
Delta State University
- Public 4 Year
- Cleveland, MS
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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.
- SAT Range 925-1210
- Avg GPA 3.37
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $14,021
Northeastern State University
- Public 4 Year
- Tahlequah, OK
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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.
- SAT Range 866-1136
- Avg GPA 3.49
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $12,410
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
- Public 4 Year
- Weatherford, OK
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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.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $14,410
King University
- Private 4 Year
- Bristol, TN
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| 0 reviews
King is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing and business. The campus is in Bristol on the Tennessee-Virginia border.
- SAT Range 1000-1160
- Avg GPA 3.46
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $22,748
Our Lady of the Lake University
- Private 4 Year
- San Antonio, TX
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| 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.
- SAT Range 890-1070
- Avg GPA 3.55
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $16,999
The University of Texas at El Paso
- Public 4 Year
- El Paso, TX
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| 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.
- SAT Range 860-1080
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $9,305
Eastern Mennonite University
- Private 4 Year
- Harrisonburg, VA
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| 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.
- SAT Range 1040-1590
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $25,021
Mary Baldwin University
- Private 4 Year
- Staunton, VA
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| 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.
- SAT Range 940-1120
- Avg GPA 3.57
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $17,810