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.
George Mason University
- Public 4 Year
- Fairfax, VA
-
3.7 | 3 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
George Mason is a large public university known for undergraduate economics, public policy, and computer science. The suburban Fairfax campus sits near Washington, D.C.
- SAT Range 1160-1360
- Avg GPA 3.68
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $18,823
James Madison University
- Public 4 Year
- Harrisonburg, VA
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
JMU is a large public university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and education. Harrisonburg is a college town in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.
- SAT Range 1170-1340
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.57
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $18,856
Samford University
- Private 4 Year
- Birmingham, AL
-
| 0 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
Samford is a private Christian university known for undergraduate pharmacy, nursing, and business. The Georgian-style campus sits in the Birmingham suburb of Homewood.
- SAT Range 1070-1250
- Avg GPA 3.84
- Acceptance Rate 82%
- Net Price $34,926
University of Maryland Baltimore County
- Public 4 Year
- Baltimore, MD
-
3.5 | 2 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
UMBC is a public university known for undergraduate computer science, information systems, and engineering. The suburban campus sits in Baltimore County just outside the city.
- SAT Range 1240-1420
- Avg GPA 3.97
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $18,770
University of Mary Washington
- Public 4 Year
- Fredericksburg, VA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Mary Washington is a public liberal arts university known for undergraduate historic preservation and education. The historic campus sits in Fredericksburg near the Rappahannock River.
- SAT Range 1170-1370
- Avg GPA 3.71
- Acceptance Rate 80%
- Net Price $21,800
Queens University of Charlotte
- Private 4 Year
- Charlotte, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- Sep 7 application deadline
Queens is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and communications. The historic campus sits in Charlotte's Myers Park neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1140-1340
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.41
- Acceptance Rate 62%
- Net Price $31,839
Lipscomb University
- Private 4 Year
- Nashville, TN
-
4.0 | 2 reviews
Lipscomb is a private Christian university known for undergraduate business, education, and nursing. The residential campus sits in Nashville's Green Hills neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1160-1380
- Avg GPA 3.73
- Acceptance Rate 68%
- Net Price $27,695
Spelman College
- Private 4 Year
- Atlanta, GA
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Spelman is a highly selective historically Black women's college known for undergraduate sciences and the liberal arts. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in Atlanta's West End, part of the Atlanta University Center.
- SAT Range 1108-1320
- Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 25%
- Net Price $40,354
Maryland Institute College of Art
- Private 4 Year
- Baltimore, MD
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
MICA is a private art and design college known for undergraduate illustration, graphic design, and fine arts. The urban campus lies in Baltimore's Station North Arts District.
- SAT Range 1078-1305
- Avg GPA 3.47
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $47,834
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
- Public 4 Year
- Winston Salem, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- Mar 15 application deadline
UNCSA is a public arts conservatory known for undergraduate dance, drama, music, and filmmaking. Students train on a specialized campus in Winston-Salem devoted to intensive performing-arts study.
- SAT Range 1140-1370
- Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 30%
- Net Price $13,140
Hendrix College
- Private 4 Year
- Conway, AR
-
| 0 reviews
- Jun 1 application deadline
Hendrix is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences and its Odyssey experiential-learning program. Most students live on the residential campus in the college town of Conway.
- SAT Range 1123-1348
- Avg GPA 3.79
- Acceptance Rate 56%
- Net Price $24,699
Belmont University
- Private 4 Year
- Nashville, TN
-
4.0 | 4 reviews
- Jul 1 application deadline
Belmont is a private university known for undergraduate music business, commercial music, and entertainment programs. The urban Nashville campus has long ties to the city's recording and music industry.
- SAT Range 1160-1350
- Avg GPA 3.83
- Acceptance Rate 95%
- Net Price $38,578
Auburn University
- Public 4 Year
- Auburn, AL
-
4.6 | 9 reviews
- 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
- Acceptance Rate 46%
- Net Price $25,242
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Daytona Beach
- Private 4 Year
- Daytona Beach, FL
-
4.5 | 8 reviews
Embry-Riddle is a private university known for undergraduate aerospace engineering, aeronautical science, and aviation. The Daytona Beach campus adjoins the local airport on Florida's Atlantic coast.
- SAT Range 1160-1360
- Avg GPA 3.88
- Acceptance Rate 65%
- Net Price $42,976
Goucher College
- Private 4 Year
- Baltimore, MD
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Goucher is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate creative writing, dance, and international studies. Every undergraduate completes a required study abroad experience.
- SAT Range 1090-1325
- Avg GPA 3.23
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $26,913
John Brown University
- Private 4 Year
- Siloam Springs, AR
-
| 0 reviews
John Brown is a private Christian university known for undergraduate engineering, nursing, and business. The residential campus is in the small college town of Siloam Springs in northwest Arkansas.
- SAT Range 1070-1340
- Avg GPA 3.77
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $21,537
Florida Southern College
- Private 4 Year
- Lakeland, FL
-
| 0 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
Florida Southern is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate business, education, and nursing. The Lakeland campus holds the world's largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.
- SAT Range 1150-1330
- Avg GPA 3.73
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $29,384
Agnes Scott College
- Private 4 Year
- Decatur, GA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
Agnes Scott is a private women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences, writing, and global learning. The residential campus sits in historic Decatur, just outside Atlanta.
- SAT Range 1160-1330
- Avg GPA 3.77
- Acceptance Rate 62%
- Net Price $27,499