The South's Best Colleges in Each State

Southern Living

RX_1607_Money Colleges_Wheeling Jesuit University

MONEY has determined which of the roughly 2,000 four-year U.S. colleges and universities deliver the most value—that is, a great education, at an affordable price, that prepares students for rewarding careers.

How did MONEY decide the schools that made the cut? The colleges must have 500 or more full-time under- graduates and a six-year graduation rate of at least the median for their type (public or private). Schools were also screened out if they had low grades from bond-rating agencies and those identified by the U.S. Department of Education as being in financial trouble. That left 705 colleges, which have been ranked on 24 measures in three equally weighted categories.

Here are the best buys for each state in the South.

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1 of 17

Alabama

Samford Hall on the Campus of Auburn University

Carol Highsmith/Getty Images

Auburn University
Auburn, Alabama

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2 of 17

Arkansas

Campus of the University of Arkansas

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR

3 of 17

Florida

University Of Florida, Keene-Flint Hal

Jeff Greenberg/UIG via Getty Images

University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

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4 of 17

Delaware

University of Delaware

Evan Krape/University of Delaware

University of Delaware
Newark, DE

5 of 17

Georgia

McCamish Pavilion on the ampus of Georgia Tech

Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images

Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA

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Kentucky

Berea College Campus

Courtesy of Berea College

Berea College
Berea, KY

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7 of 17

Maryland

McKeldin Library at the University of Maryland

John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images

University of Maryland
College Park, MD

8 of 17

Missouri

Brookings Hall at Washington University

Stephen Ehlers/Getty Images

Washington University
Saint Louis, MO

9 of 17

Louisiana

Louisiana Tech University

Courtesy of Louisiana Tech University

Louisiana Tech University
Ruston, LA

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North Carolina

Duke University Chapel

Lance King/Getty Images

Duke University
Durham, NC

11 of 17

South Carolina

Tillman Hall on Campus of Clemson University

John Powell/Replay Photos via Getty Images

Clemson University
Clemson, SC

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Tennessee

Benson Science Hall on the Campus of Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt/Collegiate Images/Getty Images

Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN

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13 of 17

Texas

Lovett Hall on the ampus of Rice University

Craig Hartley/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Rice University
Houston, TX

14 of 17

Virginia

Rotunda at University of Virginia

hoto by Visions of America/UIG via Getty Imagesc

University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA

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Washington, DC

Georgetown University Healy Hall

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Georgetown University
Washington, DC

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West Virginia

Wheeling Jesuit University Football Field

Courtesy of Wheeling Jesuit University/Luke Kopp

Wheeling Jesuit University
Wheeling, WV

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