Duke University of Durham, NC has earned back its title as the Best Southern College in 2015, after slipping into second place last year. Founded in 1838, it has developed into a regional powerhouse, competitive with the Ivies and the Atlantic Coast Conference Division, particularly with its arch-rival, UNC-Chapel Hill, another top 10 Southern school.
Meanwhile, Washington and Lee University, a private school situated between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains in Lexington, VA, moves up two spots in this year’s ranking, coming in at No. 2. Davidson College, the small liberal arts school in Davidson, NC, known for its study/work abroad programs (80% of students participate) and the 2014 Top Southern school is now in third place. Rice University (nicknamed the Harvard of the South) places at No. 4 and the University of Virginia, one of just three public institutions in the top 10 best regional schools, comes in at No. 5.
In fact, just six of the top 25 Southern schools are public this year, compared to 10 in 2014. All six, however, are ranked in the top 20 public schools throughout the nation along with the peers in the West (University of California, Berkeley), Midwest (University of Illinois, Urbana) and the East (University of Maryland, College Park). Three of the top Southern schools also offer exceptional ROI for your tuition, coming in the top 25 for best value colleges: the University of Florida (10), University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (12) and University of Texas, Austin (22).
Re-entering the list this year is Emory University in Atlanta, GA. After completing a two year penalty for misreporting data, the school jumps right back in at No. 10 in the South and No. 79 overall. Sewanee–University of the South in Sewanee, TN, and Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, both jumped five spots this year, securing number 13 and 19 in the region, respectively. The state of Virginia leads the South overall, with six schools in the top 25.
Click here to see our full list of America's Top Colleges 2015
