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 $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region ranking as one thing you can use to help make this decision. The amount of financial aid you could receive at various schools, including some with high sticker prices, may surprise you.
See What's Included in This Value Report:
We analyzed 269 schools across the Southeast Region to determine which 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. In the next few paragraphs, we'll talk a little about what we use in our analysis and why.
To calculate the value of a school in our Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region ranking, we first consider its average net price of students from families making $48-$75k a year. The net price is the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that 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 take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Find out more about our best value ranking methodology.
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 $48-$75k) school for master’s degrees in the Southeast Region for overall quality. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Durham, North Carolina.
Not only is Duke University a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in North Carolina for overall quality.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vanderbilt University. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region list. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Nashville, Tennessee.
Not only is Vanderbilt University a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Tennessee for overall quality.
The quality degree programs at University of Florida helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region. UF is located in Gainesville, Florida and has a large student population. It is a public school.
University of Florida has the honor of being ranked #1 in Florida for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Out of the 269 master’s degree schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. Atlanta, Georgia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
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.
Learn More About Value at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus
A rank of #5 on our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region list means Wake Forest University is a great place for students working on their degree. Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Wake Forest University has the honor of being ranked #4 in North Carolina for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Emory University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region ranking. Atlanta, Georgia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Emory University is ranked #2 for quality in the state of Georgia.
With a ranking of #7, Florida International University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region list. FIU is a large public school situated in Miami, Florida.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Florida International University is ranked #5 for quality in the state of Florida.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #8. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in North Carolina for overall quality.
Learn More About Value at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #9. University of Virginia is a large public school situated in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Not only is University of Virginia - Main Campus a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Virginia for overall quality.
Learn More About Value at University of Virginia - Main Campus
With a ranking of #10, Northern Kentucky University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region list. Northern Kentucky University is a fairly large public school located in Highland Heights, Kentucky.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Northern Kentucky University is ranked #4 for quality in the state of Kentucky.
Florida State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region list. Located in Tallahassee, Florida, the school is a large public institution.
Florida State University has the honor of being ranked #3 in Florida for overall quality on top of being a good value.
William & Mary ranked #12 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region list. William & Mary is a medium-sized public school situated in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Not only is William & Mary a great value, but it is also ranked #4 in Virginia for overall quality.
University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #13 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region list. USF Tampa is a large public school situated in Tampa, Florida.
University of South Florida - Main Campus has the honor of being ranked #9 in Florida for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Read full value report on University of South Florida - Main Campus
North Carolina State University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region list. This large public school is located in Raleigh, North Carolina.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, North Carolina State University is ranked #3 for quality in the state of North Carolina.
With a ranking of #15, American Public University System did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region list. American Military University is located in Charles Town, West Virginia and has a large student population. It is a private for-profit school.
Not only is American Public University System a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in West Virginia for overall quality.
University of Central Florida ranked #16 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region list. This large public school is located in Orlando, Florida.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Central Florida is ranked #8 for quality in the state of Florida.
University of North Florida came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region ranking. UNF is a fairly large public school situated in Jacksonville, Florida.
Not only is University of North Florida a great value, but it is also ranked #15 in Florida for overall quality.
With a ranking of #18, University of Georgia did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region list. UGA is a large public school situated in Athens, Georgia.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Georgia is ranked #3 for quality in the state of Georgia.
Louisiana State University - Shreveport did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #19. This medium-sized public school is located in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Louisiana State University - Shreveport has the honor of being ranked #3 in Louisiana for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Read full value report on Louisiana State University - Shreveport
Florida Atlantic University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #20. FAU is a public institution located in Boca Raton, Florida.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Florida Atlantic University is ranked #12 for quality in the state of Florida.
The University of West Florida ranked #21 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region list. Located in Pensacola, Florida, the school is a fairly large public institution.
The University of West Florida has the honor of being ranked #14 in Florida for overall quality on top of being a good value.
University of Arkansas did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #22. UARK is a public institution located in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
University of Arkansas has the honor of being ranked #1 in Arkansas for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Virginia Tech landed the #23 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region ranking. Blacksburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Virginia Tech has the honor of being ranked #2 in Virginia for overall quality on top of being a good value.
William Carey University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #24. William Carey University is located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and has a medium-sized student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, William Carey University is ranked #3 for quality in the state of Mississippi.
University of Richmond came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region ranking. URichmond is located in University of Richmond, Virginia and has a small student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Richmond is ranked #6 for quality in the state of Virginia.
Not only did these schools make the top 41 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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These schools also performed well in our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southeast Region ranking:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | West Virginia University | Morgantown, WV | Value Report |
| 43 | Louisiana Tech University | Ruston, LA | Value Report |
| 44 | Eastern Kentucky University | Richmond, KY | Value Report |
| 45 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | Value Report |
| 46 | University of West Alabama | Livingston, AL | Value Report |
| 47 | University of North Alabama | Florence, AL | Value Report |
| 48 | Georgia Southern University | Statesboro, GA | Value Report |
| 49 | Mississippi College | Clinton, MS | Value Report |
| 50 | Fayetteville State University | Fayetteville, NC | Value Report |
| 51 | University of Louisiana at Monroe | Monroe, LA | Value Report |
| 52 | Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, VA | Value Report |
| 53 | Trevecca Nazarene University | Nashville, TN | Value Report |
| 54 | East Carolina University | Greenville, NC | Value Report |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.