Top Rated South Public Colleges
These are the top ranked public four-year colleges in the South as ranked by CollegeSimply. Leading the rankings for 2027 as the best public college in the South is University of Virginia Main Campus. Learn how the Best Colleges rankings are calculated on our ranking methodology page.
Sam Houston State University
- Public 4 Year
- Huntsville, TX
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Sam Houston State is a large public university known for undergraduate criminal justice and forensic science. The main campus is in Huntsville in the piney woods of East Texas.
- SAT Range 930-1120
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.25
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $14,737
University of Central Oklahoma
- Public 4 Year
- Edmond, OK
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
UCO is a public university known for undergraduate forensic science and teacher education. The suburban campus sits in Edmond just north of Oklahoma City.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $18,660
The University of Texas Permian Basin
- Public 4 Year
- Odessa, TX
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 23 application deadline
UT Permian Basin is a public university known for undergraduate petroleum engineering and business. The campus is located in Odessa in West Texas's Permian Basin.
- SAT Range 910-1130
- Avg GPA 3.27
- Acceptance Rate 95%
- Net Price $13,563
The University of Tennessee Martin
- Public 4 Year
- Martin, TN
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
UT Martin is a public university known for undergraduate agriculture, education, and business. The residential campus is in the small college town of Martin in northwest Tennessee.
- SAT Range 970-1210
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $11,955
Coastal Carolina University
- Public 4 Year
- Conway, SC
-
4.7 | 3 reviews
Coastal Carolina is a public university known for undergraduate marine science and PGA golf management. The Conway campus lies a short drive from Myrtle Beach and the Atlantic coast.
- SAT Range 1050-1220
- Avg GPA 3.72
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $14,379
Texas A & M University Corpus Christi
- Public 4 Year
- Corpus Christi, TX
-
| 0 reviews
- Jul 1 application deadline
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is a public university known for undergraduate marine science, coastal biology, and environmental science. The campus sits on Ward Island along Corpus Christi Bay.
- SAT Range 970-1193
- Avg GPA 3.41
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $15,233
Coppin State University
- Public 4 Year
- Baltimore, MD
-
| 0 reviews
- Jul 15 application deadline
Coppin State is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate nursing and teacher education. The urban campus sits in west Baltimore.
- SAT Range 880-1020
- Avg GPA 2.62
- Acceptance Rate 46%
- Net Price $9,831
University of South Carolina Aiken
- Public 4 Year
- Aiken, SC
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
USC Aiken is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and education. The suburban campus is located in the smaller city of Aiken near the South Carolina-Georgia border.
- SAT Range 980-1220
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.19
- Acceptance Rate 79%
- Net Price $12,236
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
- Public 4 Year
- Tallahassee, FL
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
FAMU is a public HBCU known for undergraduate pharmacy, business, and engineering. The campus is located in Florida's capital city of Tallahassee.
- SAT Range 1030-1180
- Avg GPA 3.65
- Acceptance Rate 21%
- Net Price $13,819
West Virginia University Institute of Technology
- Public 4 Year
- Beckley, WV
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
WVU Tech is a public college known for undergraduate engineering and technology. The campus sits in Beckley in the mountains of southern West Virginia.
- SAT Range 880-1120
- Avg GPA 3.51
- Acceptance Rate 37%
- Net Price $11,281
University of Central Arkansas
- Public 4 Year
- Conway, AR
-
3.0 | 1 reviews
UCA is a public university known for undergraduate education and nursing programs. The campus sits in Conway, a college town north of Little Rock.
- SAT Range 910-1170
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $16,546
Texas A & M International University
- Public 4 Year
- Laredo, TX
-
| 0 reviews
Texas A&M International is a public university known for undergraduate international business and nursing. Its campus is in Laredo on the U.S.-Mexico border.
- SAT Range 890-1090
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 44%
- Net Price $5,644
West Texas A & M University
- Public 4 Year
- Canyon, TX
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
West Texas A&M is a public university known for undergraduate agriculture, nursing, and business. The campus is in Canyon, a small college town in the Texas Panhandle.
- SAT Range 950-1170
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Acceptance Rate 99%
- Net Price $15,572
Texas Woman's University
- Public 4 Year
- Denton, TX
-
4.7 | 3 reviews
TWU is a public university primarily for women, known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and education. The main campus is in Denton, a college town north of Dallas-Fort Worth.
- SAT Range 930-1140
- Avg GPA 3.24
- Acceptance Rate 96%
- Net Price $11,636
Northwestern Oklahoma State University
- Public 4 Year
- Alva, OK
-
| 0 reviews
Northwestern Oklahoma State is a small public university known for undergraduate education, nursing, and business. The residential campus sits in the small college town of Alva in northwestern Oklahoma.
- SAT Range 803-1036
- Avg GPA 3.42
- Acceptance Rate 65%
- Net Price $10,492
Louisiana State University Shreveport
- Public 4 Year
- Shreveport, LA
-
| 0 reviews
LSU Shreveport is a public university in the LSU system with undergraduate programs in business, education, and the sciences. The campus serves students across the Shreveport-Bossier region of northwest Louisiana.
- SAT Range 1000-1195
- Avg GPA 3.38
- Acceptance Rate 51%
- Net Price $7,287
Northern Kentucky University
- Public 4 Year
- Highland Heights, KY
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 15 application deadline
NKU is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and education. The suburban campus in Highland Heights sits just south of Cincinnati.
- SAT Range 953-1150
- Avg GPA 3.42
- Acceptance Rate 68%
- Net Price $9,211
East Central University
- Public 4 Year
- Ada, OK
-
| 0 reviews
East Central is a public university known for undergraduate teacher education and nursing. The campus is in the small city of Ada in south-central Oklahoma.
- SAT Range 900-1120
- Avg GPA 3.31
- Acceptance Rate 58%
- Net Price $8,565