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.
West Virginia University
- Public 4 Year
- Morgantown, WV
-
4.0 | 4 reviews
WVU is a large public university known for undergraduate forensic science, engineering, and journalism. The campus spreads across a hilly college town in Morgantown along the Monongahela River.
- SAT Range 1010-1220
- Avg GPA 3.45
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $15,169
East Carolina University
- Public 4 Year
- Greenville, NC
-
4.2 | 4 reviews
East Carolina is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and education. The main campus is in Greenville, a college town in eastern North Carolina.
- SAT Range 1070-1240
- Avg GPA 3.33
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $13,755
Florida International University
- Public 4 Year
- Miami, FL
-
4.1 | 7 reviews
- Apr 1 application deadline
FIU is a large public university known for undergraduate hospitality management and international business. The urban campus in Miami has a large Hispanic student population and strong Latin American ties.
- SAT Range 1070-1260
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Acceptance Rate 55%
- Net Price $11,178
Southern Adventist University
- Private 4 Year
- Collegedale, TN
-
| 0 reviews
Southern Adventist is a private Seventh-day Adventist university known for undergraduate nursing and theology. Most students live on the residential campus in Collegedale near Chattanooga.
- SAT Range 1020-1300
- Avg GPA 3.59
- Acceptance Rate 65%
- Net Price $25,753
Appalachian State University
- Public 4 Year
- Boone, NC
-
4.3 | 10 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Appalachian State is a large public university known for undergraduate teacher education, business, and sustainable development. Boone is a mountain college town in North Carolina's Blue Ridge range.
- SAT Range 1120-1280
- Avg GPA 3.96
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $14,978
University of Montevallo
- Public 4 Year
- Montevallo, AL
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Aug 15 application deadline
Montevallo is a public liberal arts university known for undergraduate education, fine arts, and the performing arts. The historic campus sits in a small college town in central Alabama.
- SAT Range 970-1200
- Avg GPA 3.66
- Acceptance Rate 54%
- Net Price $17,890
Bridgewater College
- Private 4 Year
- Bridgewater, VA
-
| 0 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
Bridgewater is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate programs in biology, business, and education. The Church of the Brethren-affiliated campus sits in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.
- SAT Range 1020-1360
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Acceptance Rate 92%
- Net Price $11,316
Ave Maria University
- Private 4 Year
- Ave Maria, FL
-
3.0 | 2 reviews
Ave Maria is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate theology, philosophy, and the liberal arts. The campus anchors the planned town of Ave Maria in southwest Florida.
- SAT Range 1018-1240
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 41%
- Net Price $25,294
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide
- Private 4 Year
- Daytona Beach, FL
-
| 0 reviews
Embry-Riddle Worldwide is a private university known for undergraduate aviation, aeronautics, and aerospace programs offered mainly online. Most students complete degrees through flexible distance learning rather than a traditional residential campus.
- SAT Range 1040-1240
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 58%
- Net Price $19,458
Averett University
- Private 4 Year
- Danville, VA
-
1.6 | 5 reviews
Averett is a private university known for undergraduate aviation and business programs. The small campus sits in the city of Danville near the North Carolina border.
- SAT Range 926-1143
- Avg GPA 3.07
- Acceptance Rate 57%
- Net Price $23,471
Thomas University
- Private 4 Year
- Thomasville, GA
-
| 0 reviews
Thomas University is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The small campus is located in Thomasville in southern Georgia.
- SAT Range 990-1220
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 38%
- Net Price $17,823
Louisiana Tech University
- Public 4 Year
- Ruston, LA
-
3.3 | 3 reviews
Louisiana Tech is a public university known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and architecture. Ruston is a college town in northern Louisiana built around the campus.
- SAT Range 1100-1310
- Avg GPA 3.58
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $12,325
Longwood University
- Public 4 Year
- Farmville, VA
-
| 0 reviews
Longwood is a public university known for undergraduate education, business, and nursing. The residential campus sits in the small college town of Farmville.
- SAT Range 1030-1210
- Avg GPA 3.59
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $20,847
Maryville College
- Private 4 Year
- Maryville, TN
-
| 0 reviews
Maryville is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate environmental studies and outdoor programs. The residential campus sits near the Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee.
- SAT Range 1018-1188
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Acceptance Rate 61%
- Net Price $21,469
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
- Public 4 Year
- Greensboro, NC
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
UNCG is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and the performing arts. The urban campus is located in Greensboro.
- SAT Range 1150-1355
- Avg GPA 3.59
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $11,404
Emory & Henry University
- Private 4 Year
- Emory, VA
-
| 0 reviews
Emory & Henry is a private liberal arts university known for undergraduate teacher education and the social sciences. The rural campus sits in the Appalachian Mountains of southwestern Virginia.
- SAT Range 1051-1223
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $21,446
Tuskegee University
- Private 4 Year
- Tuskegee, AL
-
4.0 | 5 reviews
- 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
- Acceptance Rate 49%
- Net Price $24,344
East Tennessee State University
- Public 4 Year
- Johnson City, TN
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
ETSU is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and bluegrass music. The campus sits in the Appalachian Highlands of northeastern Tennessee.
- SAT Range 980-1200
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.33
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $16,286