The Best Southern Small Colleges
These are the top ranked small, public and private, four-year colleges in the South as ranked by CollegeSimply. These schools all have total enrollment under 3,000. Small colleges allow students a more intimate and personalized experience where it's more likely you will get to know your professors. Leading the list for 2027 is Washington and Lee University. Learn how the Best Small Colleges rankings are calculated on our ranking methodology page.
Hendrix College
- Private 4 Year
- Conway, AR
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| 0 reviews
- 1,110 total enrollment
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
Oklahoma City University
- Private 4 Year
- Oklahoma City, OK
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| 0 reviews
- 2,966 total enrollment
Oklahoma City University is a private university known for undergraduate dance, music, and theater. The urban campus is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
- SAT Range 1050-1260
- Avg GPA 3.77
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $24,051
Goucher College
- Private 4 Year
- Baltimore, MD
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| 0 reviews
- 1,459 total enrollment
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
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| 0 reviews
- 2,350 total enrollment
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
Agnes Scott College
- Private 4 Year
- Decatur, GA
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- 1,079 total enrollment
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
Eckerd College
- Private 4 Year
- Saint Petersburg, FL
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4.0 | 1 reviews
- 1,893 total enrollment
Eckerd is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate marine science and environmental studies. The waterfront campus borders Boca Ciega Bay in St. Petersburg.
- SAT Range 1160-1330
- Avg GPA 3.8
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $43,884
Meredith College
- Private 4 Year
- Raleigh, NC
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| 0 reviews
- 1,465 total enrollment
Meredith is a private women's college known for undergraduate business, education, and design. The residential campus sits in Raleigh near the state's government district.
- SAT Range 1098-1348
- Avg GPA 3.52
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $24,323
Roanoke College
- Private 4 Year
- Salem, VA
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4.5 | 2 reviews
- 1,804 total enrollment
Roanoke is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate business, biology, and psychology. The residential campus sits in Salem at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
- SAT Range 1090-1300
- Avg GPA 3.56
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $26,044
Mount St. Mary's University
- Private 4 Year
- Emmitsburg, MD
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4.3 | 3 reviews
- 2,408 total enrollment
Mount St. Mary's is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate business, education, and the liberal arts. The residential campus sits in rural Emmitsburg near the Catoctin Mountains.
- SAT Range 1046-1280
- Avg GPA 3.36
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $23,027
Bellarmine University
- Private 4 Year
- Louisville, KY
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4.0 | 1 reviews
- 2,886 total enrollment
Bellarmine is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and the health sciences. The campus occupies a residential setting in Louisville.
- SAT Range 1030-1250
- Avg GPA 3.42
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $23,165
Berry College
- Private 4 Year
- Mount Berry, GA
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| 0 reviews
- 2,484 total enrollment
Berry is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate animal science, business, and education. Most students join a campus work program on the college's 27,000-acre grounds of forests and farmland near Rome.
- SAT Range 1125-1330
- Avg GPA 3.84
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $25,363
Transylvania University
- Private 4 Year
- Lexington, KY
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| 0 reviews
- 1,006 total enrollment
Transylvania is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate pre-medicine and the sciences. The historic campus occupies several blocks in downtown Lexington.
- SAT Range 1120-1380
- Avg GPA 3.77
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $25,442
Presbyterian College
- Private 4 Year
- Clinton, SC
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4.2 | 5 reviews
- 1,095 total enrollment
Presbyterian College is a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and known for undergraduate business and the sciences. Most students live on the residential campus in the small town of Clinton.
- SAT Range 980-1200
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 68%
- Net Price $20,840
Covenant College
- Private 4 Year
- Lookout Mountain, GA
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| 0 reviews
- 1,100 total enrollment
Covenant is a private Christian liberal arts college known for undergraduate programs taught from a Reformed theological perspective. The mountaintop campus on Lookout Mountain overlooks the Chattanooga valley.
- SAT Range 1160-1380
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $27,926
Asbury University
- Private 4 Year
- Wilmore, KY
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- 2,100 total enrollment
Asbury is a private Christian university known for undergraduate media communications and equestrian studies. Most students live on the residential campus in the small town of Wilmore.
- SAT Range 1080-1320
- Avg GPA 3.65
- Acceptance Rate 63%
- Net Price $23,033
Ouachita Baptist University
- Private 4 Year
- Arkadelphia, AR
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| 0 reviews
- 1,858 total enrollment
Ouachita Baptist is a private Baptist university known for undergraduate music, education, and business. Most students live on the residential campus in the small college town of Arkadelphia.
- SAT Range 1070-1280
- Avg GPA 3.72
- Acceptance Rate 68%
- Net Price $24,532
Randolph Macon College
- Private 4 Year
- Ashland, VA
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| 0 reviews
- 1,687 total enrollment
Randolph-Macon is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate biology, psychology, and business. Most undergrads live on a historic campus in the small college town of Ashland.
- SAT Range 980-1220
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $28,912
Christian Brothers University
- Private 4 Year
- Memphis, TN
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| 0 reviews
- 1,772 total enrollment
Christian Brothers is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate engineering and business. The urban campus sits in midtown Memphis.
- SAT Range 1020-1380
- Avg GPA 3.67
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $16,754