by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which school to attend when you have so many options available. College Factual has developed its Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region ranking as one thing you can use to help make this decision. A school that typically has a high sticker price may actually be very affordable, depending on how much need-based financial aid you receive.
See What's Included in This Value Report:
Our analysis looked at 271 schools in the Southeast Region to determine which ones have the best value Master's Degree programs. To come up with this ranking of the best value schools, we look at factors that are all objective measurements. We explain more about what we look at and why we do so below.
When determining the value of a school in our Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region ranking, we first look at its average net price of a student coming from a family that makes $30-$48k a year. The net price is defined as the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that the student receives. But, a school that excels in providing value for your money must also be a great school overall as well.
To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
We go into more detail on these factors on our best value ranking methodology page.
Keep scrolling for the top schools in this ranking or select one of the other rankings methods below.
If you know what major you want to study, check out our list of the best value schools by major. If you're interested in other degree levels, you can view one of the lists below.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Duke University tops this year’s ranking as the best value (income $30-$48k) school for master’s degrees in the Southeast Region for overall quality. Durham, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Duke University has the honor of being ranked #1 in North Carolina for overall quality on top of being a good value.
A rank of #2 on our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region list means University of Florida is a great place for students working on their degree. UF is located in Gainesville, Florida and has a large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Florida is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Florida.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vanderbilt University. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region list. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Not only is Vanderbilt University a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Tennessee for overall quality.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region list. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is University of Virginia - Main Campus a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Virginia for overall quality.
A rank of #5 on our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region list means Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is a great place for students working on their degree. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, the school is a large public institution.
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus has the honor of being ranked #1 in Georgia for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Full Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Value Report
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #6. This large public school is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has the honor of being ranked #2 in North Carolina for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Learn More About Value at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Emory University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, the school is a fairly large private not-for-profit institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Emory University is ranked #2 for quality in the state of Georgia.
Florida International University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region list. FIU is located in Miami, Florida and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Florida International University has the honor of being ranked #5 in Florida for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Northern Kentucky University landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region ranking. NKU is a fairly large public school situated in Highland Heights, Kentucky.
Northern Kentucky University has the honor of being ranked #4 in Kentucky for overall quality on top of being a good value.
With a ranking of #10, William & Mary did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region list. William & Mary is located in Williamsburg, Virginia and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
Not only is William & Mary a great value, but it is also ranked #4 in Virginia for overall quality.
With a ranking of #11, Florida State University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region list. Florida State is located in Tallahassee, Florida and has a large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Florida State University is ranked #3 for quality in the state of Florida.
North Carolina State University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region list. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, the school is a large public institution.
Not only is North Carolina State University a great value, but it is also ranked #3 in North Carolina for overall quality.
Wake Forest University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region ranking. Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Wake Forest University is ranked #4 for quality in the state of North Carolina.
University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #14. USF Tampa is located in Tampa, Florida and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is University of South Florida - Main Campus a great value, but it is also ranked #9 in Florida for overall quality.
University of Central Florida ranked #15 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region list. University of Central Florida is a large public school located in Orlando, Florida.
Not only is University of Central Florida a great value, but it is also ranked #8 in Florida for overall quality.
University of Georgia did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #16. UGA is located in Athens, Georgia and has a large student population. It is a public school.
University of Georgia has the honor of being ranked #3 in Georgia for overall quality on top of being a good value.
University of North Florida did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #17. UNF is a public institution located in Jacksonville, Florida.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of North Florida is ranked #15 for quality in the state of Florida.
Virginia Tech ranked #18 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region list. This large public school is located in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Virginia Tech has the honor of being ranked #2 in Virginia for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Florida Atlantic University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region ranking. FAU is a public institution located in Boca Raton, Florida.
Florida Atlantic University has the honor of being ranked #12 in Florida for overall quality on top of being a good value.
American Public University System landed the #20 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region ranking. This large private for-profit school is located in Charles Town, West Virginia.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, American Public University System is ranked #1 for quality in the state of West Virginia.
Louisiana State University - Shreveport did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #21. Louisiana State University - Shreveport is a medium-sized public school located in Shreveport, Louisiana.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Louisiana State University - Shreveport is ranked #3 for quality in the state of Louisiana.
University of Arkansas came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region ranking. Fayetteville, Arkansas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is University of Arkansas a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Arkansas for overall quality.
With a ranking of #23, The University of West Florida did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region list. Located in Pensacola, Florida, the school is a fairly large public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, The University of West Florida is ranked #14 for quality in the state of Florida.
Sewanee - The University of the South came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region ranking. Sewanee is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Sewanee, Tennessee.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Sewanee - The University of the South is ranked #2 for quality in the state of Tennessee.
Read full value report on Sewanee - The University of the South
William Carey University landed the #25 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region ranking. William Carey University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Not only is William Carey University a great value, but it is also ranked #3 in Mississippi for overall quality.
Not only did these schools make the top 41 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
View Best Value Master’s Degree Schools (Income $30-$48k) Nationwide >
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These schools also performed well in our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southeast Region ranking:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | Fayetteville State University | Fayetteville, NC | Value Report |
| 43 | University of Kentucky | Lexington, KY | Value Report |
| 44 | East Carolina University | Greenville, NC | Value Report |
| 45 | University of South Alabama | Mobile, AL | Value Report |
| 46 | University of the Cumberlands | Williamsburg, KY | Value Report |
| 47 | Louisiana Tech University | Ruston, LA | Value Report |
| 48 | James Madison University | Harrisonburg, VA | Value Report |
| 49 | McNeese State University | Lake Charles, LA | Value Report |
| 50 | Columbia International University | Columbia, SC | Value Report |
| 51 | The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga | Chattanooga, TN | Value Report |
| 52 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham, AL | Value Report |
| 53 | Middle Tennessee State University | Murfreesboro, TN | Value Report |
| 54 | Georgia Southern University | Statesboro, GA | Value Report |
| 55 | Eastern Kentucky University | Richmond, KY | Value Report |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.