by our College Data Analytics Team
This year's Best Education Colleges for Non-Traditional Students in the Southeast Region ranking analyzed 161 colleges that offered a bachelor's degree in education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent education programs, but they also offer a lot of support to non-traditional students.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the education program at the school, affordability, and non-traditional population. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
The education school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Education Schools for Non-Traditional Students.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
Check out the education programs at these schools if you want to see which ones are the best for non-traditional students.
Athens State University has taken the #1 spot in this year's education ranking for non-traditional students. Athens State University is a small public school located in the fringe town of Athens.
The student loan default rate at Athens State University is lower than is typical, just 1.9% of students default in three years. 1,673 of Athens State University students are exclusively distance learners. There are roughly 1,626 part time students in attendance at Athens State University.
Our rankings recognize University of Florida as the #2 school in this year's rankings. Located in the midsize city of Gainesville, UF is a public school with a fairly large student population. UF did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Colleges for Education in the Southeast Region list.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.9%. There are approximately 22,865 students at UF that take at least one class online. About 11,205 of the students at UF are attending part time.
University of Central Florida earned the #3 spot in our 2021 rankings. UCF is a very large public school located in the suburb of Orlando. In addition to being on our best for non-traditional students list, UCF has also earned the #2 rank in our Best Colleges for Education in the Southeast Region ranking.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.3%. There are approximately 28,807 students at UCF that take at least one class online. There are roughly 23,575 part time students in attendance at UCF.
Read full report on Education at University of Central Florida
Lee University earned the #4 spot in our 2021 rankings. Lee University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cleveland. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Lee University also is in the top 10% of our Best Colleges for Education in the Southeast Region ranking.
About 1.2% of Lee University students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 552 of Lee University students are exclusively distance learners. 1,303 students are part time.
The #5 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Florida Atlantic University. Located in the city of Boca Raton, FAU is a public college with a fairly large student population. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, FAU is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Education in the Southeast Region list.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.4%. There are approximately 14,436 students at FAU that take at least one class online. 11,860 of FAU students are attending part time.
The #6 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Florida International University. FIU is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Miami. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, FIU also did well on our Best Colleges for Education in the Southeast Region list. It's in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.
The student loan default rate at FIU is lower than is typical, just 2.0% of students default in three years. Approximately 21,632 students take at least one class online at FIU. There are roughly 22,664 part time students in attendance at FIU.
Florida State University comes in at #7 in this year's ranking. Florida State is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Tallahassee. As a testament to the quality of education offered at Florida State, the school also landed the #4 rank in our Best Colleges for Education in the Southeast Region ranking.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.0%. Approximately 20,172 students take at least one class online at Florida State. 8,311 students are part time.
University of Louisville landed the #8 spot in our 2021 best education schools for non-traditional students. UofL is a very large public school located in the large city of Louisville. UofL also made our Best Colleges for Education in the Southeast Region list, coming in at #7.
About 1.7% of UofL students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 8,578 students at UofL that take at least one class online. 6,267 students are part time.
East Carolina University comes in at #9 in this year's ranking. ECU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Greenville. ECU also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Education in the Southeast Region list. It's in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
The student loan default rate at ECU is lower than is typical, just 1.7% of students default in three years. There are approximately 12,522 students at ECU that take at least one class online. 7,199 of ECU students are attending part time.
The #10 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Western Carolina University. Located in the town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public college with a fairly large student population. WCU also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Education in the Southeast Region list. It's in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 2.3%. Approximately 3,568 students take at least one class online at WCU. About 2,712 of the students at WCU are attending part time.
North Carolina State University comes in at #11 in this year's ranking. Located in the city of Raleigh, NC State is a public school with a very large student population. In addition to being on our best for non-traditional students list, NC State has also earned the #3 rank in our Best Colleges for Education in the Southeast Region ranking.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.0%. Approximately 14,604 students take at least one class online at NC State. 7,732 of NC State students are attending part time.
Read full report on Education at North Carolina State University
Appalachian State University earned the #12 spot in our 2021 rankings. Appalachian State is a very large public school located in the town of Boone. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Appalachian State also is in the top 10% of our Best Colleges for Education in the Southeast Region ranking.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.3%. There are approximately 10,639 students at Appalachian State that take at least one class online. 2,303 of Appalachian State students are attending part time.
The #13 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of Southern Mississippi. Southern Miss is a large public school located in the small city of Hattiesburg.
The student loan default rate at Southern Miss is lower than is typical, just 2.9% of students default in three years. Approximately 5,805 students take at least one class online at Southern Miss. There are roughly 3,556 part time students in attendance at Southern Miss.
Read full report on Education at University of Southern Mississippi
Jacksonville State University landed the #14 spot in our 2021 best education schools for non-traditional students. Jacksonville State University is a medium-sized public school located in the small suburb of Jacksonville.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 2.4%. There are approximately 4,335 students at Jacksonville State University that take at least one class online. There are roughly 2,811 part time students in attendance at Jacksonville State University.
Read full report on Education at Jacksonville State University
Mississippi State University landed the #15 spot in our 2021 best education schools for non-traditional students. Mississippi State is a very large public school located in the town of Mississippi State. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, Mississippi State is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Education in the Southeast Region list.
The student loan default rate at Mississippi State is lower than is typical, just 2.0% of students default in three years. Approximately 6,015 students take at least one class online at Mississippi State. 4,224 of Mississippi State students are attending part time.
The #16 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of North Florida. Located in the large city of Jacksonville, UNF is a public school with a large student population. UNF excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Education in the Southeast Region list.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.2%. Approximately 9,525 students take at least one class online at UNF. 5,162 of UNF students are attending part time.
Auburn University comes in at #17 in this year's ranking. Auburn is a fairly large public school located in the city of Auburn. As a testament to the quality of education offered at Auburn, the school also landed the #5 rank in our Best Colleges for Education in the Southeast Region ranking.
The student loan default rate at Auburn is lower than is typical, just 0.5% of students default in three years. There are approximately 11,718 students at Auburn that take at least one class online. 5,257 of Auburn students are attending part time.
Harding University earned the #18 spot in our 2021 rankings. Harding is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Searcy. Harding also took the #6 spot in our Best Colleges for Education in the Southeast Region rankings.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.0%. 916 students at Harding are exclusively online. About 1,290 of the students at Harding are attending part time.
University of South Carolina - Upstate earned the #19 spot in our 2021 rankings. USC Upstate is a small public school located in the suburb of Spartanburg.
The student loan default rate at USC Upstate is lower than is typical, just 3.1% of students default in three years. There are approximately 3,243 students at USC Upstate that take at least one class online. There are roughly 1,416 part time students in attendance at USC Upstate.
The University of Alabama comes in at #20 in this year's ranking. Located in the city of Tuscaloosa, UA is a public school with a very large student population. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, UA is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Education in the Southeast Region list.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.2%. There are approximately 9,339 students at UA that take at least one class online. 6,421 of UA students are attending part time.
Carson - Newman University earned the #21 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the small suburb of Jefferson City, Carson - Newman is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
About 1.1% of Carson - Newman students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 887 students at Carson - Newman are exclusively online. There are roughly 1,096 part time students in attendance at Carson - Newman.
University of Alabama at Birmingham comes in at #22 in this year's ranking. UAB is a very large public school located in the city of Birmingham. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, UAB is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Education in the Southeast Region list.
About 1.2% of UAB students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 8,202 students at UAB that take at least one class online. There are roughly 7,363 part time students in attendance at UAB.
The #23 spot in this year's ranking belongs to William Carey University. Located in the city of Hattiesburg, William Carey University is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
The student loan default rate at William Carey University is lower than is typical, just 1.6% of students default in three years. There are approximately 1,695 students at William Carey University that take at least one class online. 2,191 students are part time.
Northern Kentucky University landed the #24 spot in our 2021 best education schools for non-traditional students. NKU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Highland Heights.
About 2.2% of NKU students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 6,629 of NKU students are exclusively distance learners. 7,069 of NKU students are attending part time.
Here are some additional great schools for Southeast Region non-traditional students studying Education that almost earned our Best Education Colleges for Non-Traditional Students in the Southeast Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Clemson University | Clemson, SC |
| 26 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
| 27 | University of South Florida - Main Campus | Tampa, FL |
| 28 | Western Kentucky University | Bowling Green, KY |
| 29 | Lipscomb University | Nashville, TN |
| 30 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro, NC |
| 31 | John Brown University | Siloam Springs, AR |
| 32 | Georgia State University | Atlanta, GA |
Explore the best for non-traditional students education colleges for a specific state in the Southeast region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| North Carolina | 2,719 |
| Mississippi | 1,442 |
| Florida | 4,294 |
| Virginia | 1,940 |
| Alabama | 1,828 |
| Georgia | 2,749 |
| Tennessee | 1,550 |
| West Virginia | 552 |
| South Carolina | 1,666 |
| Louisiana | 1,226 |
| Kentucky | 1,851 |
| Arkansas | 1,218 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|
Footnotes
*Avg Cost is for the top 25 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
