Best Southeastern Colleges
There are 283 ranked four-year colleges in the Southeast, 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 Southeast. The top rated public university is University of Virginia Main Campus. Also highly ranked: Johns Hopkins University, Vanderbilt University and Emory 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.
Bethel University
- Private 4 Year
- McKenzie, TN
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| 0 reviews
Bethel is a private Christian university affiliated with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, known for undergraduate business and education programs. The campus is set in the small town of McKenzie in western Tennessee.
- SAT Range 830-1120
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 60%
- Net Price $13,112
Johnson C Smith University
- Private 4 Year
- Charlotte, NC
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4.5 | 2 reviews
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
- Acceptance Rate 45%
- Net Price $19,705
Bluefield State University
- Public 4 Year
- Bluefield, WV
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| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Bluefield State is a public HBCU known for undergraduate nursing, engineering technology, and education. The campus is in Bluefield, a small city in the Appalachian mountains of southern West Virginia.
- SAT Range 870-1080
- Avg GPA 3.41
- Acceptance Rate 97%
- Net Price $15,814
Western Kentucky University
- Public 4 Year
- Bowling Green, KY
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| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
WKU is a public university known for undergraduate journalism, photojournalism, and broadcasting. The hilltop campus overlooks Bowling Green in south-central Kentucky.
- SAT Range 840-1050
- Avg GPA 3.42
- Acceptance Rate 94%
- Net Price $12,548
Fairmont State University
- Public 4 Year
- Fairmont, WV
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4.0 | 1 reviews
Fairmont State is a public university known for undergraduate teacher education, nursing, and business. The hilltop campus overlooks the small city of Fairmont in north-central West Virginia.
- SAT Range 810-1070
- Avg GPA 3.36
- Acceptance Rate 99%
- Net Price $11,328
Tennessee State University
- Public 4 Year
- Nashville, TN
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| 0 reviews
Tennessee State is a public HBCU known for undergraduate nursing, business, and engineering. The urban campus is in Nashville.
- SAT Range 880-1050
- Avg GPA 3.22
- Acceptance Rate 70%
- Net Price $14,586
Clark Atlanta University
- Private 4 Year
- Atlanta, GA
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| 0 reviews
- Apr 1 application deadline
Clark Atlanta is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate social work, business, and mass media arts. The urban Atlanta campus is part of the Atlanta University Center consortium with neighboring HBCUs.
- SAT Range 880-1120
- Avg GPA 3.28
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $31,223
Dillard University
- Private 4 Year
- New Orleans, LA
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| 0 reviews
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
- Acceptance Rate 42%
- Net Price $21,842
Claflin University
- Private 4 Year
- Orangeburg, SC
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| 0 reviews
Claflin is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate biology, business, and education. The residential campus is located in Orangeburg in central South Carolina.
- SAT Range 840-1040
- Avg GPA 3.28
- Acceptance Rate 65%
- Net Price $17,272
Concord University
- Public 4 Year
- Athens, WV
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| 0 reviews
Concord is a small public university known for undergraduate teacher education and business. The residential campus sits in the college town of Athens in southern West Virginia.
- SAT Range 830-1090
- Avg GPA 3.4
- Acceptance Rate 93%
- Net Price $11,379
Southeastern Louisiana University
- Public 4 Year
- Hammond, LA
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| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Southeastern Louisiana is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The residential campus is in Hammond, a smaller city between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.39
- Acceptance Rate 99%
- Net Price $13,116
Georgia Southwestern State University
- Public 4 Year
- Americus, GA
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| 0 reviews
- Jul 21 application deadline
Georgia Southwestern is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The residential campus sits in the small city of Americus in southwest Georgia.
- SAT Range 890-1110
- Avg GPA 3.17
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $11,769
Louisiana State University Alexandria
- Public 4 Year
- Alexandria, LA
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| 0 reviews
LSUA is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The campus sits in Alexandria in central Louisiana.
- SAT Range 970-1220
- Avg GPA 3.16
- Acceptance Rate 92%
- Net Price $8,296
Newberry College
- Private 4 Year
- Newberry, SC
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3.0 | 2 reviews
Newberry is a private liberal arts college with undergraduate programs in education and business. The residential campus sits in the small town of Newberry and has long ties to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
- SAT Range 820-1060
- Avg GPA 3.58
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $21,943
Norfolk State University
- Public 4 Year
- Norfolk, VA
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| 0 reviews
- May 31 application deadline
Norfolk State is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate nursing, social work, and communications. The urban campus sits in Norfolk near downtown and the Elizabeth River.
- SAT Range 823-1030
- Avg GPA 2.9
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $9,124
Union Commonwealth University
- Private 4 Year
- Barbourville, KY
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4.5 | 2 reviews
Union Commonwealth is a small private university with undergraduate programs in education, business, and nursing. The residential campus sits in the Appalachian college town of Barbourville.
- SAT Range 920-1105
- Avg GPA 3.15
- Acceptance Rate 63%
- Net Price $17,124
University of the Cumberlands
- Private 4 Year
- Williamsburg, KY
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| 0 reviews
- Aug 31 application deadline
University of the Cumberlands is a private Christian university known for undergraduate teacher education and business. Students live on a residential campus in the small Appalachian town of Williamsburg.
- SAT Range 960-1160
- Avg GPA 3.47
- Acceptance Rate 99%
- Net Price $14,743
North Carolina Central University
- Public 4 Year
- Durham, NC
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
NCCU is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and criminal justice. The campus sits in Durham within North Carolina's Research Triangle.
- SAT Range 980-1100
- Avg GPA 3.27
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $14,475