--- title: Best Colleges in the South description: Money's college ratings look at costs, graduation rates and earnings to find the top schools. These are the best colleges in the South. authors: - name: Kaitlin Mulhere role: Editor url: https://money.com/author/kaitlin-mulhere/ bio: Kaitlin Mulhere is an editor at Money.com. Since joining in 2015, she’s written and edited about a variety of personal finance topics, including banks, credit, student debt, saving strategies and more. education: University of Florida at_money_since: 2015 articles: 217 covers: - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://twitter.com/KMulhere - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlin-mulhere-64503048/ editors: - name: Paul Reynolds role: Senior Editor, Special Projects url: https://money.com/author/paul-reynolds/ bio: Paul Reynolds is the Special Projects Editor at Money.com, with responsibilities that have included launching franchises in best autos and best airlines. Prior to his current role, he joined Money in 2020 as its insurance editor, overseeing life and auto insurance content as well as the site’s coverage of policies for pets, autos, businesses, travel and more. education: BA, Psychology, Queen's University (Canada), Bachelor of Journalism, Carleton University (Canada) at_money_since: 2020 articles: 95 covers: - Banking - Business - Debt - Economy and Politics - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://linkedin.com/in/paulreynoldsed/ former_staff: true published: '2023-06-22T14:27:13.000Z' modified: '2024-04-17T13:11:33.000Z' section: Everyday Money tags: - Best colleges - News word_count: 870 canonical: https://money.com/best-colleges-in-the-south/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![A group of students taking a selfie at the Duke University Campus](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-South-Feature-Duke.jpg) The top colleges in the South include prestigious private universities, state schools long known as good bangs for your buck and a work college with a unique tuition-free model. Money’s latest [Best Colleges](https://money.com/best-colleges/) evaluates schools through the lens of value.We identify colleges that demonstrate a strong return on your investment through analyzing 26 data points, including graduation rates, tuition and fees, financial aid, typical borrowing and average earnings after college. (You can read more on [how we scored the Best Colleges here](https://money.com/best-colleges/methodology/).) In addition to our overall ratings, we publish region-specific lists, too. We do that because roughly three-quarters of freshmen at four-year colleges attend a school within 500 miles of where they live, according to a [study](https://www.heri.ucla.edu/monographs/TheAmericanFreshman2019.pdf) from UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute. In other words: chances are high you’ll attend a college that's fairly near to home. If you live in the South, these colleges are all excellent options. They represent all of the 5-star colleges in the region, listed in alphabetical order. See the full Best Colleges in the South here. ## Cover your college expenses with a Student Loan, so you can focus solely on your grades and education. ### With a Student Loan from College Ave, you can worry less about tuition and devote your energy to mapping out your future. Click on your state and take the first step today. [View Rates](https://money.com/pr/u3e72cf8ee70?ap_referrer=%2Fbest-colleges-in-the-south%2F) ### Berea College ![Two students working on a computer in a laboratory at Berea College](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-South-Berea-College.jpg) - **Location:** Berea, Kentucky - **Estimated price with average grant:** $3,600 - **Graduation rate:** 70% - **Early career earnings:** $40,700 This small liberal arts college is a standout for affordability, capturing the top spot for this measure in Money's ratings two years in a row. With its focus on offering a path to a college degree for students from lower-income backgrounds, Berea doesn't charge tuition and some students receive additional scholarships to cover room and board expenses. All students work on campus to help earn cash for living expenses while in school. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/berea-college/). ### Duke University ![Students and a professor holding a turtle in a outdoor class at Duke University](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-South-Duke-University.jpg) - **Location:** Durham, North Carolina - **Estimated price with average grant:** $29,300 - **Graduation rate:** 94% - **Early career earnings:** $97,400 Although it's a major research institution, Duke offers its nearly 7,000 undergrads an extraordinary amount of direct interaction with professors. The student-faculty ratio — 6:1 — is one of the lowest in Money's ratings, and more than half of students work on research projects with faculty members. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/duke-university/). ### Georgetown University ![People enjoying a beautiful day on the lawn at the Georgetown University campus](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-South-Georgetown-University.jpg) - **Location:** Washington, D.C. - **Estimated price with average grant:** $24,700 - **Graduation rate:** 95% - **Early career earnings:** $101,800 For students interested in politics and international relations, Georgetown's campus in the nation's capital is hard to beat. The university regularly welcomes Washington's elite to lecture or teach, and students can take advantage of the location through year-round internships and old-fashioned networking. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/georgetown-university/). ### Georgia Institute of Technology ![students walking down the stairs at a Georgia Institute of Technology campus building](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-South-Georgia-Institute-Technology.jpg) - **Location:** Atlanta, Georgia - **Estimated price with average grant:** $18,600 - **Graduation rate:** 89% - **Early career earnings:** $96,400 Popular academic programs at Georgia Tech include computer science, mechanical engineering and industrial engineering. It's little surprise, then, that the university scores high in Money's outcomes measures: Early career earnings are well above average, even after controlling for the university's student body, and Georgia Tech lands in the top 3% of four-year colleges on a return on investment [analysis](https://bipartisanpolicy.org/report/which-colleges-are-worth-the-cost/) from the Bipartisan Policy Center. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/georgia-institute-of-technology-main-campus/). ### Rice University ![Aerial view of the Rice University Campus](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-South-Rice-University.jpg) - **Location:** Houston, Texas - **Estimated price with average grant:** $19,900 - **Graduation rate:** 92% - **Early career earnings:** $87,300 While Rice has a high sticker price, nearly two-thirds of undergraduates at the private research university get grants to reduce the cost of attendance. Plus, Rice is part of small group of colleges that are ["no loan",](https://money.com/more-colleges-no-student-loan-policies/) meaning they don't include student loans in their need-based financial aid packages. As a result, about 75% of students here graduate debt-free. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/rice-university/). ### University of Florida ![A woman walking across campus at the University of Florida](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-South-University-Florida.jpg) - **Location:** Gainesville, Florida - **Estimated price with average grant:** $10,500 - **Graduation rate:** 87% - **Early career earnings:** $69,500 The University of Florida shines in many areas, including affordability — tuition comes out to about $6,400 a year for Floridians — and athletics — the Gators are one of the strongest college sports franchises in the country, with a variety of teams claiming national championship trophies. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/university-of-florida/). ### University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ![group of students sitting on the lawn at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-South-University-North-Carolina-Chapel-Hill.jpg) - **Location:** Chapel Hill, North Carolina - **Estimated price with average grant:** $12,300 - **Graduation rate:** 90% - **Early career earnings:** $67,800 The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the nation's first public university, has long been known as one of the best bargains in higher education. Of more than 700 schools on Money’s Best Colleges list, UNC scores in the top three for affordability. Among the strongest departments at UNC are biology and other sciences, traditional liberal arts such as religious studies and journalism. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill/). ### University of Virginia ![Aerial view of a graduation ceremony at the University of Virginia](https://img.money.com/2023/06/Best-Colleges-2023-South-University-Virginia.jpg) - **Location:** Charlottesville, Virginia - **Estimated price with average grant:** $21,900 - **Graduation rate:** 94% - **Early career earnings:** $80,600 Known as a "public Ivy," the University of Virginia has the highest graduation rate of any public college in the country, with 94% of students earning a degree within six years. Plus, students get to attend classes and live in dorms on a picturesque campus that's a UNESCO World Heritage Site. [Full profile](https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/university-of-virginia-main-campus/). *Notes: Prices for public universities reflect in-state tuition charges. Graduation rates measures degree completion within six years for both transfer students and first-time students. Early career earnings are the median earnings for both graduates and non-completers, 10 years after they first enrolled. Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Peterson’s, Money/Witlytic calculations.* ## Need some financial aid to cover tuition? A Student Loan can help. ### When you need a hand to cover the many costs that come with higher education, a Student Loan is a good option. 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