The South's Best Colleges in Each State

By Southern Living

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

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Auburn University
Auburn, Alabama

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2 of 17

Arkansas

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University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR

3 of 17

Florida

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University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

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4 of 17

Delaware

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University of Delaware
Newark, DE

5 of 17

Georgia

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Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA

6 of 17

Kentucky

Courtesy of Berea College

Berea College
Berea, KY

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7 of 17

Maryland

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University of Maryland
College Park, MD

8 of 17

Missouri

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Washington University
Saint Louis, MO

9 of 17

Louisiana

Courtesy of Louisiana Tech University

Louisiana Tech University
Ruston, LA

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10 of 17

North Carolina

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Duke University
Durham, NC

11 of 17

South Carolina

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Clemson University
Clemson, SC

12 of 17

Tennessee

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Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN

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13 of 17

Texas

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Rice University
Houston, TX

14 of 17

Virginia

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University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA

15 of 17

Washington, DC

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Georgetown University
Washington, DC

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16 of 17

West Virginia

Courtesy of Wheeling Jesuit University/Luke Kopp

Wheeling Jesuit University
Wheeling, WV

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