There are lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Top Southeast Region Colleges ranking.
We analyzed 741 colleges and universities across the Southeast Region to determine which were the best in terms of overall quality. Instead of depending on subjective information, we focus on over 20 objective factors to determine this ranking. These factors include such things as student-to-faculty ratio, average graduate earnings, and graduation rate.
We've developed a number of other tools and rankings to help you make your college decision. Start by filtering this list by location or field of study and then explore our other rankings that feature schools great for different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.
We've created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you're torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another!
Duke University tops this year’s ranking as the best school in the Southeast Region for overall quality. Duke is located in Durham, North Carolina and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6,654 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The low student loan default rate of 0.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $93,115 during the early years of their career..
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Vanderbilt University. The school came in at #2 in the Southeast Region on this year’s overall quality ranking. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 4,734 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt make an average of $79,872 per year during the early years of their career.
A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges in the Southeast Region list means Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is a large public school located in Atlanta, Georgia that handed out 9,219 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Tech go into careers with an average salary of $88,196 during the early years of their career.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Virginia - Main Campus helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in the Southeast Region . University of Virginia is a large public school situated in Charlottesville, Virginia. It awarded 8,698 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 89%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $77,048 during the early years of their career..
A rank of #5 on our Best Colleges in the Southeast Region list means Emory University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree.Atlanta, Georgia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 5,056 students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Emory is $72,364 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #6, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Southeast Region list. This large public school is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it awarded 9,948 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $61,915 during the early years of their career..
Virginia Tech landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, the large public school awarded 10,192 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech is $73,159 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #8, The University of Tennessee - Health Science Center did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Southeast Region list.Memphis, Tennessee is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,477 students in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $68,002 during the early years of their career..
With a ranking of #9, University of Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Southeast Region list. Located in Gainesville, Florida, the large public school handed out 17,268 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $64,463 during the early years of their career..
University of Georgia ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Southeast Region list. University of Georgia is a large public school located in Athens, Georgia that handed out 13,166 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from UGA make an average of $59,769 a year.
With a ranking of #11, Wake Forest University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Southeast Region list. Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2,875 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $74,968 during the early years of their career..
Elon University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Southeast Region ranking. Elon is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elon, North Carolina. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,958 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Elon make an average of $64,238 per year during the early years of their career.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Daytona Beach, Florida, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 4,305 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $77,768 during the early years of their career..
North Carolina State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #14. NC State is a large public school situated in Raleigh, North Carolina. It awarded 10,643 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from NC State make an average of $61,353 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #15, Washington and Lee University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Southeast Region list. Located in Lexington, Virginia, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 703 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. During the early years of their career, graduates from Washington and Lee make an average of $86,020 a year.
Medical University of South Carolina ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Southeast Region list.Charleston, South Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,012 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from MUSC go into careers with an average salary of $81,250 during the early years of their career.
Clemson University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Southeast Region ranking. This large public school is located in Clemson, South Carolina, and it awarded 7,601 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Clemson go into careers with an average salary of $63,857 during the early years of their career.
University of Miami came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Southeast Region ranking.Coral Gables, Florida is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 6,042 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from U Miami is $67,362 during the early years of their career.
William & Mary ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Southeast Region list. Located in Williamsburg, Virginia, the medium-sized public school handed out 3,012 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from William & Mary go into careers with an average salary of $64,723 during the early years of their career.
American Public University System ranked #20 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Southeast Region list. Located in Charles Town, West Virginia, the large private for-profit school handed out 14,306 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. During the early years of their career, graduates from American Military University make an average of $59,367 a year.
Tulane University of Louisiana came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Southeast Region ranking.New Orleans, Louisiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 5,096 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $56,999 during the early years of their career..
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Southeast Region ranking. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is a small public school located in Little Rock, Arkansas that handed out 950 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. During the early years of their career, graduates from UAMS make an average of $68,371 a year.
Florida State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #23. Florida State is a public institution located in Tallahassee, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13,129 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $53,449 during the early years of their career..
Johnson University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Southeast Region list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Knoxville, Tennessee, and it awarded 411 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. During the early years of their career, graduates from Johnson University make an average of $36,422 a year.
Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia Inc ranked #25 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Southeast Region list. Located in Madison, Tennessee, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 94 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
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