Best Colleges in the South

The south is home to some of Money’s top-ranking public universities, as well as prestigious private colleges. Here are the 50 schools with the highest scores.

Published on May 16, 2022. Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Peterson’s, Money/Witlytic calculations.

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College Name	Overall Score	Acceptance rate	Est. full price 2022-23	Est. price with average grant	% of students who get any grants	Graduation rate	Early career earnings
Rank College Name Overall Score
1 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC 86.22	86.22	23%	$25,200	$10,600	53%	89%	$61,920
2 University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA 86.11	86.11	24%	$36,700	$20,100	48%	94%	$77,050
3 Duke University Durham, NC 86.03	86.03	8%	$79,200	$28,400	58%	96%	$93,120
4 Georgetown University Washington, DC 85.69	85.69	14%	$81,000	$32,400	41%	94%	$96,380
5 Virginia Military Institute Lexington, VA 85.14	85.14	60%	$33,300	$20,000	85%	78%	$71,910
6 Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA 84.87	84.87	21%	$30,600	$18,400	71%	87%	$88,200
7 University of Florida Gainesville, FL 83.65	83.65	37%	$22,000	$10,600	85%	88%	$64,460
8 Rice University Houston, TX 83.01	83.01	9%	$71,500	$20,300	64%	94%	$77,680
9 Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA 82.39	82.39	19%	$79,800	$28,700	61%	95%	$86,020
10 Berea College Berea, KY 81.28	81.28	30%	$57,200	$5,200	100%	63%	$37,150
11 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA 80.97	80.97	70%	$28,500	$21,400	57%	83%	$73,160
12 Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN 79.84	79.84	9%	$78,200	$27,200	65%	93%	$79,870
13 Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX 79.45	79.45	58%	$32,300	$21,000	62%	82%	$66,570
14 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX 77.77	77.77	32%	$29,700	$17,800	49%	83%	$67,840
15 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC 76.67	76.67	30%	$79,400	$27,800	48%	88%	$74,970
16 Centre College Danville, KY 74.82	74.82	76%	$60,400	$24,000	98%	81%	$57,980
17 George Mason University Fairfax, VA 74.68	74.68	87%	$30,800	$19,300	59%	70%	$66,150
18 Davidson College Davidson, NC 74.62	74.62	18%	$75,200	$30,200	73%	89%	$71,670
19 North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC 74.28	74.28	45%	$25,200	$15,400	56%	78%	$61,350
20 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX 74.15	74.15	80%	$22,300	$4,700	84%	48%	$45,900
21 Citadel Military College of South Carolina Charleston, SC 73.86	73.86	75%	$31,300	$18,900	65%	71%	$67,770
22 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA 73.37	73.37	77%	$29,600	$19,600	35%	84%	$61,270
23 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL 73.20	73.20	36%	$23,800	$13,500	85%	82%	$53,450
24 University of Georgia Athens, GA 72.87	72.87	45%	$28,400	$17,500	88%	84%	$59,770
25 University of North Texas at Dallas Dallas, TX 72.71	72.71	47%	$23,300	$9,000	85%	30%	N/A
26 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA 72.47	72.47	38%	$41,200	$19,600	48%	91%	$64,720
27 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL 71.95	71.95	44%	$23,500	$11,700	72%	72%	$51,910
28 Emory University Atlanta, GA 71.61	71.61	16%	$74,900	$27,100	60%	90%	$72,360
29 John Brown University Siloam Springs, AR 70.82	70.82	76%	$42,700	$22,800	76%	65%	$51,790
30 Florida International University Miami, FL 70.56	70.56	58%	$24,500	$9,500	74%	57%	$54,500
31 University of Richmond Richmond, VA 70.50	70.50	28%	$74,500	$27,100	72%	87%	$69,310
32 West Texas A & M University Canyon, TX 69.57	69.57	69%	$22,400	$13,800	77%	42%	$45,740
33 Texas A & M International University Laredo, TX 69.49	69.49	54%	$21,500	$4,400	83%	44%	$46,820
34 Clemson University Clemson, SC 69.21	69.21	51%	$33,800	$24,200	82%	83%	$63,860
35 Appalachian State University Boone, NC 68.50	68.50	77%	$20,800	$11,300	48%	71%	$45,600
36 The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX 68.27	68.27	79%	$31,600	$11,800	68%	72%	$60,600
37 Wofford College Spartanburg, SC 68.01	68.01	60%	$67,000	$32,100	96%	81%	$67,530
38 University of Houston Houston, TX 67.68	67.68	65%	$25,300	$15,300	82%	59%	$56,760
39 Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK 67.67	67.67	70%	$24,900	$15,600	77%	61%	$52,700
40 University of South Florida Tampa, FL 67.41	67.41	48%	$24,500	$10,600	67%	71%	$50,260
41 Rhodes College Memphis, TN 66.85	66.85	45%	$68,300	$31,500	93%	85%	$66,620
42 The University of Texas Permian Basin Odessa, TX 66.77	66.77	88%	$20,200	$7,800	56%	40%	$50,010
43 University of North Carolina School of the Arts Winston Salem, NC 66.74	66.74	29%	$23,300	$12,600	63%	72%	$41,160
44 Harding University Searcy, AR 66.41	66.41	61%	$34,400	$20,500	85%	67%	$47,520
45 University of St Thomas Houston, TX 66.31	66.31	87%	$47,300	$21,100	79%	56%	$53,220
46 East Carolina University Greenville, NC 66.21	66.21	79%	$23,200	$16,300	59%	64%	$47,400
47 University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL 66.08	66.08	72%	$22,100	$10,300	64%	57%	$49,340
48 Trinity University San Antonio, TX 66.00	66.00	29%	$64,300	$32,900	97%	76%	$65,320
49 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC 64.57	64.57	82%	$20,700	$10,400	63%	53%	$44,200
50 Radford University Radford, VA 64.41	64.41	75%	$26,000	$16,600	82%	59%	$50,380

Best Colleges in the South

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC

University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA

Duke University

Durham, NC

Georgetown University

Washington, DC

Virginia Military Institute

Lexington, VA

Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

Rice University

Houston, TX

Washington and Lee University

Lexington, VA

Berea College

Berea, KY

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, VA

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

Texas A & M University-College Station

College Station, TX

The University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, NC

Centre College

Danville, KY

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

Davidson College

Davidson, NC

North Carolina State University at Raleigh

Raleigh, NC

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Edinburg, TX

Citadel Military College of South Carolina

Charleston, SC

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL

University of Georgia

Athens, GA

University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX

William & Mary

Williamsburg, VA

University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL

Emory University

Atlanta, GA

John Brown University

Siloam Springs, AR

Florida International University

Miami, FL

University of Richmond

Richmond, VA

West Texas A & M University

Canyon, TX

Texas A & M International University

Laredo, TX

Clemson University

Clemson, SC

Appalachian State University

Boone, NC

The University of Texas at Dallas

Richardson, TX

Wofford College

Spartanburg, SC

University of Houston

Houston, TX

Oklahoma State University

Stillwater, OK

University of South Florida