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.
Transylvania University
- Private 4 Year
- Lexington, KY
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Transylvania is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate pre-medicine and the sciences. The historic campus occupies several blocks in downtown Lexington.
- SAT Range 1120-1380
- Avg GPA 3.77
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $25,442
University of Louisville
- Public 4 Year
- Louisville, KY
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
UofL is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering and business. Most undergraduates study on the urban Belknap Campus in Louisville.
- SAT Range 1040-1270
- Avg GPA 3.64
- Acceptance Rate 79%
- Net Price $19,785
University of South Florida
- Public 4 Year
- Tampa, FL
-
4.0 | 4 reviews
- 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
- Acceptance Rate 43%
- Net Price $11,579
University of Central Florida
- Public 4 Year
- Orlando, FL
-
4.2 | 6 reviews
- 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
- Acceptance Rate 40%
- Net Price $13,351
The University of Alabama
- Public 4 Year
- Tuscaloosa, AL
-
5.0 | 7 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
Alabama is a large public university known for undergraduate business and communications. Tuscaloosa is a classic college town built around the historic campus.
- SAT Range 1170-1400
- Avg GPA 3.76
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $22,559
University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Public 4 Year
- Birmingham, AL
-
| 0 reviews
- Jun 1 application deadline
UAB is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and biomedical programs. The urban campus is anchored by a major academic medical center in Birmingham.
- SAT Range 1210-1450
- Avg GPA 3.82
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $17,997
Presbyterian College
- Private 4 Year
- Clinton, SC
-
4.2 | 5 reviews
- Sep 21 application deadline
Presbyterian College is a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and known for undergraduate business and the sciences. Most students live on the residential campus in the small town of Clinton.
- SAT Range 980-1200
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 68%
- Net Price $20,840
Nova Southeastern University
- Private 4 Year
- Fort Lauderdale, FL
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
Nova Southeastern is a private university known for undergraduate marine science, health sciences, and psychology. The suburban campus sits in the Fort Lauderdale area of South Florida.
- SAT Range 1030-1300
- Avg GPA 3.99
- Acceptance Rate 73%
- Net Price $31,858
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
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
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
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
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
University of Houston
- Public 4 Year
- Houston, TX
-
4.0 | 7 reviews
- May 31 application deadline
University of Houston is a large public university known for undergraduate hospitality management, business, and engineering. The urban campus sits in southeast Houston.
- SAT Range 1160-1340
- Avg GPA 3.46
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $14,309
University of Arkansas
- Public 4 Year
- Fayetteville, AR
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Arkansas is a large public university known for undergraduate business and architecture. The campus sits in the college town of Fayetteville in the Ozark Mountains.
- SAT Range 1030-1220
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $18,408
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
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
Virginia Commonwealth University
- Public 4 Year
- Richmond, VA
-
3.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 18 application deadline
VCU is a large public university known for undergraduate fine arts, design, and health professions. The urban campus stretches across downtown Richmond.
- SAT Range 1010-1270
- Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 93%
- Net Price $26,836