Maybe you aren’t a strictly straight-A student. Maybe you need more target schools on your list. Maybe you aren’t looking for a hyper-competitive environment. There are a lot of reseasons to look at “mid-tier” schools. Sometimes our students think that “mid-tier” sounds like a dig, but it really isn’t. These are still good colleges where students get good educations. We recently published a blog on the Best Colleges in the South and we wanted to highlight some more colleges in the South. The South might get a bad rap sometimes, but they have a lot of amazing schools. So let’s talk about the best Mid-Tier colleges in the American South.
Wake Forrest
Wake Forrest is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. With a 20% acceptance rate, it is probably the most competitive school to get into on this list. It arguably is not really “mid-tier,” but let’s call it “high-mid-tier” if that means anything. Wake Forrest has great interdisciplinary programs especially when it comes to creative minors and their open curriculum. Their students enjoy strong campus traditions and a high rate of employment after graduation.
University of Florida
Ok, we can argue if Florida is really “the south….” but just go with it. U of F is a public university in Gainesville, Florida. With 34k students and around a 31% acceptance rate, U of F is one of the largest schools on this list. They have over 100 majors across 16 colleges. Meaning they definitely have what you want to study. They are especially known for their engineering programs.
Clemson
Clemson University is a public research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Clemson has recently gotten harder to get into and currently has around a 41% acceptance rate. They have popular programs in business, computer science, engineering, and nursing. The school also has a lot of school spirit, partially due to its popular sports teams.
University of Richmond
The University of Richmond is a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia (we know it sounds public, based on its name, but it’s not.) The school has recently become much harder to get into. Currently, they have around a 23% acceptance rate. While they are a liberal arts college, they do have an undergraduate business school and the nation’s first-ever undergraduate school of leadership studies.
Spelman College
This women’s liberal arts college is also a historically Black university. If you are a white man, maybe skip to the next one on this list, we promise there are a lot of great schools in the south for you too. Located in the ATL, Spelman prioritizes academic excellence and “the intellectual, creative, ethical, and leadership development of its students.” If you are looking for an HBCU and are not into the “women’s” aspect of Spelman, Morehouse College is also an amazing choice in Atlanta.
Furman
Furman is a liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina. Their acceptance rate is usually in the 60s and they have around 2k undergrads. We usually don’t like talking about how a college’s campus is pretty (like most of them are…) but Furman is noted for its amazingly picturesque setting.
Texas A&M
Texas A&M is a public university in College Station, Texas (it's about an hour and a half outside of Houston.) With about 56k undergrads and more than 5,200 acres, A&M is not only one of the largest schools on this list, it’s one of the largest schools in the nation. If that doesn’t scare you off, it has an acceptance rate in the high 50s. They have specifically great programs in programs in engineering, technology, and agriculture, but they offer more than 130 undergraduate degrees.
Rhodes College
Rhodes College is a liberal arts school in Memphis, Tennessee’s historic midtown district. They are another small school with about 2k undergrads. While they are a smaller school, they still offer over 50 majors. They are especially committed to service and have a wide range of service learning courses. Their acceptance rate is usually in the low 50s.
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University or SMU is a private university outside of Dallas, Texas. The school is tied to the Methodist Church however it is nonsectarian in its teaching. Meaning you don’t need to be Methodist or religious to go there. They have several undergraduate schools including popular business and engineering schools. They have around a 50% acceptance rate. There is also a satellite campus in New Mexico.
Berea College
Ok, so we almost didn’t add Berea to this list, because not everyone can apply. Berea College is a liberal arts school in Berea, Kentucky that is only for students who need financial assistance. Pretty much the FAFSA needs to confirm you need help paying for college to get into Berea. This is because they don’t charge tuition. Meaning students who get in, pay for things like books and housing but do not pay any tuition to the school. We understand this probably doesn’t apply to all of (or even most of) our readers, but we felt it important to include it in case it does for some. Berea is an important school and a great choice that more people should know about. Like, have you heard about the student loan crisis? Interestingly, Berea was also the first college in the Southern United States to be coeducational and racially integrated.
“Mid-tier” is kind of a bad descriptor. These are great schools and we don’t always take kindly to being “mid.” But trust us, in this case, mid isn’t a read. There are so many amazing colleges that aren’t the Ivy-League-3%-acceptance-rate-Competative-juggnernauts that your classmates might be freaking out about.
Need help making the perfect college list, no matter what colleges you are looking into? We can help. Reach out here.