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.
Flagler College
- Private 4 Year
- Saint Augustine, FL
-
0.0 | 1 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
Flagler is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate business, education, and communication. The historic campus centers on the former Hotel Ponce de Leon in downtown St. Augustine.
- SAT Range 960-1190
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.38
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $32,395
Piedmont University
- Private 4 Year
- Demorest, GA
-
2.0 | 2 reviews
- Jul 15 application deadline
Piedmont is a private university known for undergraduate education and nursing. The campus is set in the small town of Demorest in northeast Georgia's Blue Ridge foothills.
- SAT Range 1038-1245
- Avg GPA 3.54
- Acceptance Rate 93%
- Net Price $22,252
Freed Hardeman University
- Private 4 Year
- Henderson, TN
-
| 0 reviews
Freed-Hardeman is a private Christian university affiliated with the Churches of Christ, known for undergraduate biblical studies, ministry, and education. The residential campus sits in the small town of Henderson in West Tennessee.
- SAT Range 952-1087
- Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 60%
- Net Price $20,178
Florida Atlantic University
- Public 4 Year
- Boca Raton, FL
-
4.2 | 4 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
FAU is a large public university known for undergraduate ocean engineering and marine science. The Boca Raton campus sits near the Atlantic coast in South Florida.
- SAT Range 1040-1200
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 66%
- Net Price $10,225
Guilford College
- Private 4 Year
- Greensboro, NC
-
| 0 reviews
Guilford is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate peace and conflict studies. The Quaker-founded residential campus sits in Greensboro.
- SAT Range 1120-1260
- Avg GPA 3.14
- Acceptance Rate 80%
- Net Price $22,270
Anderson University
- Private 4 Year
- Anderson, SC
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
A private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. Most students live on its residential campus in Anderson in South Carolina's Upstate region.
- SAT Range 1100-1280
- Avg GPA 3.72
- Acceptance Rate 55%
- Net Price $24,434
Middle Tennessee State University
- Public 4 Year
- Murfreesboro, TN
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- Aug 15 application deadline
MTSU is a large public university known for undergraduate recording industry, aerospace, and music business programs. The campus is in Murfreesboro, a growing city about a half hour southeast of Nashville.
- SAT Range 1010-1230
- Avg GPA 3.64
- Acceptance Rate 69%
- Net Price $13,859
Lynn University
- Private 4 Year
- Boca Raton, FL
-
3.0 | 4 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Lynn is a private university known for undergraduate business, communication, and hospitality management. The suburban Boca Raton campus sits near Florida's Atlantic coast.
- SAT Range 1040-1200
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 73%
- Net Price $45,469
Thomas More University
- Private 4 Year
- Crestview Hills, KY
-
| 0 reviews
Thomas More is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and business. The suburban campus in Crestview Hills sits just south of Cincinnati.
- SAT Range 1030-1230
- Avg GPA 3.35
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $22,297
Hampton University
- Private 4 Year
- Hampton, VA
-
3.8 | 6 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
Hampton is a private HBCU known for undergraduate journalism, business, and nursing. The waterfront campus sits along the Hampton River near the Chesapeake Bay.
- SAT Range 790-1090
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 62%
- Net Price $27,428
North Greenville University
- Private 4 Year
- Tigerville, SC
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 22 application deadline
North Greenville is a private Christian university known for undergraduate programs in Christian studies, education, and business. The residential campus lies in the Blue Ridge foothills of rural Tigerville.
- SAT Range 1060-1240
- Avg GPA 3.84
- Acceptance Rate 67%
- Net Price $21,346
Oglethorpe University
- Private 4 Year
- Atlanta, GA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jul 15 application deadline
Oglethorpe is a private liberal arts college known for a required undergraduate core curriculum in the humanities and sciences. The wooded campus sits in Atlanta's Brookhaven neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1090-1310
- Avg GPA 3.73
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $20,490
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
- Public 4 Year
- Lafayette, LA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
UL Lafayette is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, engineering, and architecture. The campus is set in Lafayette, a hub of Cajun and Acadiana culture in southern Louisiana.
- SAT Range 1120-1240
- Avg GPA 3.4
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $13,017
Virginia Wesleyan University
- Private 4 Year
- Virginia Beach, VA
-
| 0 reviews
Virginia Wesleyan is a private liberal arts university known for undergraduate programs in the arts and sciences. The wooded campus sits in suburban Virginia Beach near the Atlantic coast.
- SAT Range 1140-1350
- Avg GPA 3.39
- Acceptance Rate 73%
- Net Price $21,267
Converse University
- Private 4 Year
- Spartanburg, SC
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Converse is a private university known for undergraduate music and the visual and performing arts. Its historic campus in Spartanburg was long a women's college and is now coeducational.
- SAT Range 1010-1250
- Avg GPA 3.89
- Acceptance Rate 68%
- Net Price $19,061
Gardner Webb University
- Private 4 Year
- Boiling Springs, NC
-
4.7 | 3 reviews
Gardner-Webb is a private Baptist university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The residential campus sits in the small town of Boiling Springs in western North Carolina.
- SAT Range 975-1198
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $20,016
Frostburg State University
- Public 4 Year
- Frostburg, MD
-
3.0 | 1 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
Frostburg State is a public university known for undergraduate teacher education and business. The residential campus sits in the Appalachian mountain town of Frostburg in western Maryland.
- SAT Range 980-1200
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $17,669
University of South Carolina Upstate
- Public 4 Year
- Spartanburg, SC
-
| 0 reviews
USC Upstate is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The campus is in Spartanburg in South Carolina's Upstate region.
- SAT Range 1005-1175
- Avg GPA 2.53
- Acceptance Rate 67%
- Net Price $13,999