Best Value Southeastern Colleges

There are 283 colleges in the Southeast ranked by value using the same methodology as our national list. Rankings balance academic quality with the net price students typically pay.

Duke University leads Southeast value rankings for 2027 with a 10 out of 10 academic rating and an average net price of $21,981. The top value public university is University of Florida. Also high value: Johns Hopkins University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Vanderbilt University.

Compare net price, aid, and academic ratings across the colleges below. See how value scores are calculated on our methodology page. Explore the regional list below or browse individual states.

283 Results
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Southeast Public Private 4 Year

  • Private 4 Year
  • Durham, NC
  • 5.0 | 6 reviews
  • Jan 3 application deadline

Duke is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate public policy, biomedical engineering, and economics. The residential campus in Durham centers on Collegiate Gothic quads and a separate East Campus for first-year housing.

#1 Best Value in the Southeast 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1500-1570
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.94
  • Acceptance Rate 6%
  • Net Price $21,981
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Baltimore, MD
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Jan 3 application deadline

Johns Hopkins is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate biomedical engineering, public health, and international studies. Most undergraduates study on the Homewood campus in north Baltimore.

#2 Best Value in the Southeast 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1520-1570
  • Avg GPA 3.92
  • Acceptance Rate 6%
  • Net Price $26,017
Details

  • Public 4 Year
  • Chapel Hill, NC
  • 5.0 | 2 reviews
  • Jan 15 application deadline

UNC-Chapel Hill is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate journalism, business, and public health. Chapel Hill is a classic college town built around the historic campus.

#3 Best Value in the Southeast 9/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1390-1530
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.83
  • Acceptance Rate 15%
  • Net Price $10,154
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Nashville, TN
  • 5.0 | 5 reviews
  • Jan 1 application deadline

Vanderbilt is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate education, music, and the sciences. The tree-lined urban campus is a designated arboretum in the heart of Nashville.

#4 Best Value in the Southeast 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1500-1570
  • Avg GPA 3.89
  • Acceptance Rate 6%
  • Net Price $25,186
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Lexington, VA
  • 4.3 | 3 reviews
  • Jan 1 application deadline

Washington and Lee is a highly selective private liberal arts university known for undergraduate business, journalism, and politics. Most undergrads live under a strict student-run honor system on the historic campus in Lexington.

#5 Best Value in the Southeast 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1430-1540
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.87
  • Acceptance Rate 14%
  • Net Price $23,055
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Winston-Salem, NC
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jan 1 application deadline

Wake Forest is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate business and the liberal arts. Most undergraduates live on the residential campus in Winston-Salem.

#6 Best Value in the Southeast 9/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1410-1520
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Acceptance Rate 22%
  • Net Price $24,401
Details

  • Public 4 Year
  • Charlottesville, VA
  • | 0 reviews

UVA is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate commerce, government, and architecture. The historic campus in Charlottesville centers on Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village.

#7 Best Value in the Southeast 9/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1410-1540
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.85
  • Acceptance Rate 17%
  • Net Price $18,427
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Atlanta, GA
  • 4.8 | 5 reviews
  • Jan 1 application deadline

Emory is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and the biological sciences. The wooded campus sits in Atlanta's Druid Hills neighborhood.

#8 Best Value in the Southeast 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1470-1550
  • Avg GPA 3.8
  • Acceptance Rate 11%
  • Net Price $27,303
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Davidson, NC
  • 4.0 | 1 reviews
  • Jan 7 application deadline

Davidson is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate economics, political science, and the sciences. An honor code shapes unproctored exams and student self-governance on the residential campus near Charlotte.

#9 Best Value in the Southeast 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1400-1530
  • Avg GPA 3.81
  • Acceptance Rate 13%
  • Net Price $27,720
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • University of Richmond, VA
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Jan 1 application deadline

University of Richmond is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate business and leadership studies. The suburban Collegiate Gothic campus sits in Richmond's West End.

#10 Best Value in the Southeast 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1410-1530
  • Avg GPA 3.71
  • Acceptance Rate 22%
  • Net Price $30,037
Details

  • Public 4 Year
  • Gainesville, FL
  • 4.5 | 6 reviews
  • Mar 1 application deadline

UF is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate business, engineering, and journalism. The large campus anchors the college town of Gainesville.

#11 Best Value in the Southeast 9/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1320-1480
  • Avg GPA 3.9
  • Acceptance Rate 24%
  • Net Price $11,936
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Danville, KY
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jan 15 application deadline

Centre is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate economics, politics, and the natural sciences. Most students live on the residential campus in the small college town of Danville.

#12 Best Value in the Southeast 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1160-1450
  • Avg GPA 3.62
  • Acceptance Rate 54%
  • Net Price $23,860
Details

  • Public 4 Year
  • Lexington, VA
  • 5.0 | 2 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

VMI is a public military college known for undergraduate engineering and the sciences. All students join the Corps of Cadets and live in barracks under a military regimen on the historic Lexington campus.

#13 Best Value in the Southeast 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1050-1270
  • Avg GPA 3.65
  • Acceptance Rate 71%
  • Net Price $18,825
Details

  • Public 4 Year
  • Williamsburg, VA
  • 5.0 | 4 reviews
  • Jan 2 application deadline

William & Mary is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate history, government, and international relations. The historic campus adjoins Colonial Williamsburg in a small college town.

#14 Best Value in the Southeast 9/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1400-1530
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.85
  • Acceptance Rate 34%
  • Net Price $19,686
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • DeLand, FL
  • | 0 reviews

Stetson is a private university known for undergraduate business and music. The historic campus sits in the college town of DeLand in Central Florida.

#15 Best Value in the Southeast 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1060-1270
  • Avg GPA 3.69
  • Acceptance Rate 72%
  • Net Price $20,319
Details

  • Public 4 Year
  • Atlanta, GA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jan 4 application deadline

Georgia Tech is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and the sciences. The urban campus sits in midtown Atlanta.

#16 Best Value in the Southeast 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1370-1540
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.85
  • Acceptance Rate 14%
  • Net Price $15,918
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Macon, GA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jul 1 application deadline

Mercer is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, business, and music. Most undergrads study on the historic main campus in Macon.

#17 Best Value in the Southeast 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1160-1350
  • Avg GPA 3.98
  • Acceptance Rate 69%
  • Net Price $24,364
Details

  • Public 4 Year
  • College Park, MD
  • 4.8 | 6 reviews

UMD is a large public university known for undergraduate computer science, engineering, and journalism. The College Park campus sits just outside Washington, D.C.

#18 Best Value in the Southeast 9/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1400-1530
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.84
  • Acceptance Rate 45%
  • Net Price $16,581
Details