
The Consensus Best Regional Universities-South uses the College Consensus method to guide students to the regional institutions that have made their mark, in both published rankings, and in students’ reviews. As an aggregate ranking, the Consensus helps students see the big picture, pulling together rankings and reviews from all over the internet to rank the South’s most-loved and most trusted universities.
How Do We Rank the Best Regional Universities in the South?
The College Consensus is made up of two broad categories. For the Publisher Rating, we gather all of a school’s published rankings from sites including The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, and Wallethub, for a full picture of rankings. For the Student Review Rating, we comb reputable review sites like Unigo and Niche for all of the reviews a school has earned. We then combine those scores for the overall College Consensus.
The Consensus Best Regional Universities-South applies this method to the Southern universities classified as having a regional mission. These are Carnegie Classification master’s universities that offer undergraduate and graduate programs that have a primarily regional, rather than national, reach. These are the universities training the South’s professional workforce, from healthcare to business, and often doing it at an affordable cost. The best regional universities are a crucial part of life in the South, especially for rural areas.
What’s Different About the College Consensus Ranking?
Since the College Consensus gets its numbers from a variety of sources, a Consensus ranking is the most comprehensive, least biased out there. Our method makes sure that all the players in higher education get their say – not just administrators, faculty, and expert observers, but the students on the ground and online actually experiencing it. That means the College Consensus is a ranking all its own, giving future and current students a unique perspective on the higher education scene. Read more about our rankings methodology and sources at our about page.
The Consensus Best Regional Universities-South are listed in descending order by their Consensus score. In the event of ties, schools are ranked in alphabetical order with the same rank number.
1
Rollins CollegeWinter Park, FL

2
Elon UniversityElon, NC

3
Samford UniversityBirmingham, AL

4
James Madison UniversityHarrisonburg, VA

5
Citadel Military College of South CarolinaCharleston, SC

6
Stetson UniversityDeLand, FL

7
John Brown UniversitySiloam Springs, AR

8
Loyola University New OrleansNew Orleans, LA

9
Appalachian State UniversityBoone, NC

10
Berry CollegeMount Berry, GA

11
Christopher Newport UniversityNewport News, VA

12
Belmont UniversityNashville, TN

13
College of CharlestonCharleston, SC

14
Asbury UniversityWilmore, KY

15
University of North Carolina WilmingtonWilmington, NC

16
Converse CollegeSpartanburg, SC

17
Harding UniversitySearcy, AR

18
Columbia International UniversityColumbia, SC

19
Eastern Mennonite UniversityHarrisonburg, VA

20
The University of TampaTampa, FL

21
Western Carolina UniversityCullowhee, NC

22
Bryan College-DaytonDayton, TN

23
Florida Southern CollegeLakeland, FL

24
Mississippi University for WomenColumbus, MS

25
Xavier University of LouisianaNew Orleans, LA

26
Bellarmine UniversityLouisville, KY

27
Queens University of CharlotteCharlotte, NC

28
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona BeachDaytona Beach, FL

29
Piedmont CollegeDemorest, GA

30
Columbia CollegeColumbia, SC

31
William Carey UniversityHattiesburg, MS

32
Lincoln Memorial UniversityHarrogate, TN

33
University of Mary WashingtonFredericksburg, VA

34
Brenau UniversityGainesville, GA

35
University of West AlabamaLivingston, AL

36
University of LynchburgLynchburg, VA

37
Campbell UniversityBuies Creek, NC

38
Longwood UniversityFarmville, VA

39
Wheeling Jesuit UniversityWheeling, WV

40
Winthrop UniversityRock Hill, SC

41
University of North FloridaJacksonville, FL

42
Mississippi CollegeClinton, MS

43
University of South Florida-St PetersburgSt. Petersburg, FL

44
Georgia College & State UniversityMilledgeville, GA

45
West Virginia Wesleyan CollegeBuckhannon, WV

46
Mary Baldwin UniversityStaunton, VA

47
Western Kentucky UniversityBowling Green, KY

48
Hampton UniversityHampton, VA

49
Freed-Hardeman UniversityHenderson, TN

50
Radford UniversityRadford, VA

51
Thomas More College (KY)Crestview Hills, KY

52
Murray State UniversityMurray, KY

53
Wingate UniversityWingate, NC

54
The University of Tennessee-MartinMartin, TN

55
Palm Beach Atlantic UniversityWest Palm Beach, FL

56
Carson-Newman UniversityJefferson City, TN

57
Lee UniversityCleveland, TN

58
Alcorn State UniversityAlcorn State, MS

59
The University of Tennessee-ChattanoogaChattanooga, TN

60
Montreat CollegeMontreat, NC

61
University of MontevalloMontevallo, AL

62
Jacksonville State UniversityJacksonville, AL

63
Anderson University (SC)Anderson, SC

64
St. Thomas UniversityMiami Gardens, FL

65
Coastal Carolina UniversityConway, SC

66
University of North GeorgiaDahlonega, GA

67
Elizabeth City State UniversityElizabeth City, NC

68
North Greenville UniversityTigerville, SC

69
Florida Gulf Coast UniversityFort Myers, FL

70
University of North AlabamaFlorence, AL

71
Southern Adventist UniversityCollegedale, TN

72
University of CharlestonCharleston, WV

73
Lenoir-Rhyne UniversityHickory, NC

74
Arkansas State University-Main CampusJonesboro, AR

75
Nicholls State UniversityThibodaux, LA

76
Tuskegee UniversityTuskegee, AL

77
Marshall UniversityHuntington, WV

78
Morehead State UniversityMorehead, KY

79
Marymount UniversityArlington, VA

80
Southeastern UniversityLakeland, FL

81
North Carolina Central UniversityDurham, NC

82
Eastern Kentucky UniversityRichmond, KY

83
Pfeiffer UniversityMisenheimer, NC

84
University of Central ArkansasConway, AR

85
Virginia State UniversityPetersburg, VA

86
University of North Carolina at PembrokePembroke, NC

87
Francis Marion UniversityFlorence, SC

88
Henderson State UniversityArkadelphia, AR

89
Winston-Salem State UniversityWinston-Salem, NC

90
Delta State UniversityCleveland, MS

91
McNeese State UniversityLake Charles, LA

92
Austin Peay State UniversityClarksville, TN

93
Northern Kentucky UniversityHighland Heights, KY

94
Louisiana CollegePineville, LA

95
Lynn UniversityBoca Raton, FL

96
Methodist UniversityFayetteville, NC

97
Norfolk State UniversityNorfolk, VA

98
Auburn University at MontgomeryMontgomery, AL

99
Savannah State UniversitySavannah, GA

101
Charleston Southern UniversityCharleston, SC

102
Fairmont State UniversityFairmont, WV

103
Tusculum UniversityGreeneville, TN

104
Southern University and A & M CollegeBaton Rouge, LA

105
Alabama State UniversityMontgomery, AL

106
Albany State UniversityAlbany, GA

107
Arkansas Tech UniversityRussellville, AR

108
Cumberland UniversityLebanon, TN

109
Columbus State UniversityColumbus, GA

110
Concord UniversityAthens, WV

111
Fayetteville State UniversityFayetteville, NC

112
Southern Arkansas University Main CampusMagnolia, AR

113
Alabama A & M UniversityNormal, AL
