Best Public Universities in the Southeast

Best Public Universities in the Southeast, ranked by median 10-year earnings. Region: our Southeast grouping. Included states / district: AL FL GA KY MS NC SC TN VA WV. Median earnings of federally aided former students who are working and not enrolled, 10 years after entry; includes students who did not graduate. “Best” on this page means highest reported earnings, not an overall quality score. Four-year colleges with at least 1,000 undergraduates. Online-only schools are excluded. This page lists all 121 colleges in the ranking. Search and filter the list.

1Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusAtlanta, Georgia14%1480$12k$103k94%18,785222 mi 2University of Virginia-Main CampusCharlottesville, Virginia17%1480$22k$87k96%17,59767 mi 3Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityBlacksburg, Virginia55%1364$25k$82k86%30,923173 mi 4Virginia Military InstituteLexington, Virginia71%1244$17k$77k76%1,527120 mi 5George Mason UniversityFairfax, Virginia87%1274$18k$76k68%27,75212 mi 6William & MaryWilliamsburg, Virginia34%1473$19k$73k89%7,0553 mi 7University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill, North Carolina15%1439$12k$72k91%20,752115 mi 8Citadel Military College of South CarolinaCharleston, South Carolina23%1208$21k$72k75%2,705< 1 mi 9University of FloridaGainesville, Florida24%1403$7k$72k91%35,62942 mi 10Clemson UniversityClemson, South Carolina38%1353$22k$72k87%23,300187 mi 11James Madison UniversityHarrisonburg, Virginia72%1256$23k$70k80%20,88882 mi 12North Carolina State University at RaleighRaleigh, North Carolina42%1376$17k$69k85%27,37193 mi 13University of GeorgiaAthens, Georgia38%1397$14k$69k90%32,137175 mi 14Auburn UniversityAuburn, Alabama46%1345$24k$65k82%26,816151 mi 15University of South Carolina-ColumbiaColumbia, South Carolina60%1297$23k$62k79%29,820101 mi 16University of Alabama in HuntsvilleHuntsville, Alabama69%1319$19k$62k64%6,591285 mi 17Florida State UniversityTallahassee, Florida24%1361$11k$62k86%32,21224 mi 18University of Mary WashingtonFredericksburg, Virginia80%1272$21k$61k66%3,5668 mi 19Christopher Newport UniversityNewport News, Virginia86%1180$23k$61k72%4,3651 mi 20Florida International UniversityMiami, Florida55%1163$9k$60k74%39,5088 mi 21The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleKnoxville, Tennessee42%1311$19k$60k74%30,418294 mi 22The University of AlabamaTuscaloosa, Alabama77%1285$22k$59k73%33,227173 mi 23University of KentuckyLexington, Kentucky93%1215$19k$59k71%24,763249 mi 24University of Central FloridaOrlando, Florida40%1269$10k$58k78%59,14623 mi 25Georgia College & State UniversityMilledgeville, Georgia78%1163$21k$58k64%5,947143 mi 26Virginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond, Virginia93%1137$23k$58k63%20,75318 mi 27University of South FloridaTampa, Florida43%1227$10k$58k77%37,2079 mi 28Kennesaw State UniversityKennesaw, Georgia69%1113$15k$58k52%41,254239 mi 29University of North Carolina at CharlotteCharlotte, North Carolina80%1231$15k$57k69%24,453153 mi 30Florida Atlantic UniversityBoca Raton, Florida66%1127$9k$57k63%23,7572 mi 31College of CharlestonCharleston, South Carolina60%1247$19k$56k66%10,558< 1 mi 32University of North FloridaJacksonville, Florida53%1153$10k$56k69%13,3597 mi 33West Virginia UniversityMorgantown, West Virginia89%1122$16k$56k65%17,385159 mi 34East Carolina UniversityGreenville, North Carolina89%1180$16k$55k63%19,89618 mi 35University of North Carolina WilmingtonWilmington, North Carolina64%1287$20k$55k71%14,9223 mi 36Old Dominion UniversityNorfolk, Virginia90%1197$15k$55k46%17,5141 mi 37Florida Gulf Coast UniversityFort Myers, Florida63%1114$13k$55k57%13,8745 mi 38University of Alabama at BirminghamBirmingham, Alabama88%1258$19k$55k64%11,635201 mi 39University of LouisvilleLouisville, Kentucky79%1150$18k$54k61%14,727248 mi 40Radford UniversityRadford, Virginia90%1060$15k$54k49%6,038180 mi 41Georgia Southern UniversityStatesboro, Georgia88%1053$15k$53k55%21,79053 mi 42Longwood UniversityFarmville, Virginia90%1120$19k$52k61%3,01562 mi 43Appalachian State UniversityBoone, North Carolina90%1214$17k$52k75%19,444236 mi 44Mississippi State UniversityMississippi State, Mississippi78%1219$18k$52k67%18,397193 mi 45The University of Tennessee-ChattanoogaChattanooga, Tennessee81%1147$14k$51k50%10,074308 mi 46University of MississippiUniversity, Mississippi97%1184$13k$51k72%21,473266 mi 47Athens State UniversityAthens, Alabama———$50k—2,446288 mi 48Northern Kentucky UniversityHighland Heights, Kentucky68%1087$8k$50k52%8,246184 mi 49University of North GeorgiaDahlonega, Georgia68%1106$10k$50k37%16,146227 mi 50University of West GeorgiaCarrollton, Georgia52%1032$13k$50k43%7,520222 mi 51Western Carolina UniversityCullowhee, North Carolina82%1157$13k$49k60%10,024233 mi 52University of South AlabamaMobile, Alabama71%1147$18k$49k53%8,8798 mi 53Valdosta State UniversityValdosta, Georgia72%1013$11k$49k42%6,62266 mi 54Shepherd UniversityShepherdstown, West Virginia97%1034$11k$49k51%2,34454 mi 55Clayton State UniversityMorrow, Georgia68%958$8k$49k40%4,348214 mi 56University of West FloridaPensacola, Florida58%1138$9k$49k59%9,3302 mi 57Georgia Southwestern State UniversityAmericus, Georgia75%978$12k$49k41%2,424135 mi 58University of South Carolina-UpstateSpartanburg, South Carolina67%1099$14k$49k43%4,038181 mi 59Middle Tennessee State UniversityMurfreesboro, Tennessee69%1121$13k$49k54%16,301364 mi 60Tennessee Technological UniversityCookeville, Tennessee76%1151$14k$49k58%8,698365 mi 61Augusta UniversityAugusta, Georgia86%1070$14k$48k49%5,61392 mi 62University of MemphisMemphis, Tennessee72%1088$12k$48k51%12,701322 mi 63University of North Carolina at GreensboroGreensboro, North Carolina89%1193$11k$48k56%14,062159 mi 64University of South Carolina BeaufortBluffton, South Carolina73%—$15k$48k34%2,05210 mi 65Georgia Gwinnett CollegeLawrenceville, Georgia96%—$16k$48k21%11,344207 mi 66Georgia State UniversityAtlanta, Georgia55%1076$16k$47k53%26,623221 mi 67Coastal Carolina UniversityConway, South Carolina75%1143$14k$47k48%10,37710 mi 68Winthrop UniversityRock Hill, South Carolina79%1139$15k$47k57%3,523147 mi 69Fairmont State UniversityFairmont, West Virginia99%996$9k$47k44%2,590162 mi 70Marshall UniversityHuntington, West Virginia96%1061$8k$46k51%7,266205 mi 71Mississippi University for WomenColumbus, Mississippi90%1090$12k$46k47%1,605192 mi 72Eastern Kentucky UniversityRichmond, Kentucky78%1149$11k$46k50%12,318265 mi 73University of South Carolina AikenAiken, South Carolina79%1120$12k$46k40%2,96289 mi 74Virginia State UniversityPetersburg, Virginia89%948$16k$46k39%5,07410 mi 75University of North AlabamaFlorence, Alabama87%—$12k$45k55%5,811282 mi 76Winston-Salem State UniversityWinston-Salem, North Carolina78%945$13k$45k47%4,170178 mi 77University of Virginia's College at WiseWise, Virginia29%1050$9k$45k47%1,101292 mi 78Jacksonville State UniversityJacksonville, Alabama78%1059$14k$45k55%7,036231 mi 79East Tennessee State UniversityJohnson City, Tennessee86%1144$16k$45k53%10,004267 mi 80Murray State UniversityMurray, Kentucky86%1133$9k$45k61%6,688351 mi 81Norfolk State UniversityNorfolk, Virginia88%927$15k$45k39%5,3922 mi 82Columbus State UniversityColumbus, Georgia99%977$13k$45k42%5,625155 mi 83North Carolina A & T State UniversityGreensboro, North Carolina50%1074$11k$44k57%12,182157 mi 84Auburn University at MontgomeryMontgomery, Alabama92%1093$13k$44k33%2,542129 mi 85Florida Agricultural and Mechanical UniversityTallahassee, Florida21%1107$14k$44k53%7,58223 mi 86Austin Peay State UniversityClarksville, Tennessee96%1088$10k$44k40%7,560352 mi 87University of West AlabamaLivingston, Alabama43%1015$13k$44k35%2,974128 mi 88The University of Tennessee-MartinMartin, Tennessee88%1120$11k$44k53%4,866375 mi 89University of Southern MississippiHattiesburg, Mississippi99%1190$22k$44k49%10,07565 mi 90University of North Carolina AshevilleAsheville, North Carolina92%1251$12k$44k54%2,910234 mi 91Western Kentucky UniversityBowling Green, Kentucky94%971$11k$44k56%12,155324 mi 92Francis Marion UniversityFlorence, South Carolina86%1015$11k$44k43%2,62856 mi 93University of North Carolina at PembrokePembroke, North Carolina93%1056$10k$43k44%5,33066 mi 94West Liberty UniversityWest Liberty, West Virginia97%1045$15k$43k60%1,511109 mi 95Morehead State UniversityMorehead, Kentucky77%—$10k$43k52%4,578226 mi 96North Carolina Central UniversityDurham, North Carolina87%1050$15k$43k42%6,081108 mi

US Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS. Missing or suppressed values are excluded. A ranking is a comparison of the named measure, not an overall quality score.