SEC Schools Ranked Academically

When it comes to college athletics, the SEC is unquestionably number one. It has brought home more than half the NCAA football championships this century, along with a slew of basketball and baseball trophies. But sports aren’t the only thing it does well. As an academic conference, the SEC doesn’t get near the credit it deserves.

If you want an SEC college experience — which is like no other in the country — but you’re also looking for rigorous academics, you have plenty of options. This guide lists the SEC schools ranked academically and explains the reason for each ranking.

The schools of the SEC (Texas and Oklahoma coming soon).

The SEC Schools Ranked Academically

The SEC Schools Ranked Academically

First, let’s explain the methodology behind the rankings. We believe high-quality academic institutions are ones that have selective admissions, graduate a high percentage of their students, carry a level of prestige, and have nationally recognized programs and departments.

We did look at the U.S. News rankings when building this list — you’ll see each school’s ranking as the second bullet point below the university’s name — but it’s far from the only thing we considered, and you’ll notice that many schools are listed above others that outrank them in U.S. News.

That’s because, in our opinion at least, several of the factors U.S. News uses in its ranking formula — alumni giving and Pell grant data, for instance — have little to nothing to do with how good of an education a student receives. So, we disregarded that data and formulated our rankings based on the criteria we believe actually matter.

With that said, the SEC schools ranked academically are as follows:

#1: Vanderbilt University

Location: Nashville, TN
U.S. News ranking: #14
Acceptance rate: 9%
Middle 50% SAT range: 1,460-1,560
Middle 50% ACT range: 33-35
Graduation rate: 93%

Vanderbilt is the undisputed academic king of the SEC. While it’s been an elite university for decades, Vandy has benefited in recent years from Nashville’s booming popularity. As recently as 2000, the school’s acceptance rate was over 40%. Now it’s less than 10%. Whereas its peer schools used to be places like Tulane and Wake Forest, it now holds its own against Duke and Washington University in St. Louis and has left Emory in the dust. Now, if only it could figure out how to get its football team to share in the success.

#2: University of Florida

Location: Gainesville, FL
U.S. News ranking: #28
Acceptance rate: 31%
Middle 50% SAT range: 1,290-1,460
Middle 50% ACT range: 29-33
Graduation rate: 89%

The University of Florida comes in at a strong second in our SEC academic rankings. It’s been the most selective and prestigious non-Vandy SEC school for decades, but like Vanderbilt, it has cashed in more recently on the growing popularity of its geographic area. It seems like the entire country is moving to Florida these days, which means more students than ever want to attend schools like UF. As a result, it has gone from a solidly above average state university to one that occupies the same echelon as schools like the University of Michigan, the University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

#3: University of Texas at Austin (Future Member)

Location: Austin, TX
U.S. News ranking: #38
Acceptance rate: 29%
Middle 50% SAT range: 1,230-1,500
Middle 50% ACT range: 29-34
Graduation rate: 85%

UT-Austin doesn’t become a full-fledged SEC member until 2025, but we decided to throw it in for fun. It’s a highly prestigious university and a research powerhouse. It has a controversial admissions policy where any in-state student in the top 6% of their high school class is guaranteed admission. This policy has drawn complaints for years from high-achieving students at competitive high schools who rank just outside the top 6% and are thus denied admission. Many critics of the policy claim it opens the door for too many students who aren’t ready for the rigorous curriculum of UT-Austin and that it’s the reason the school’s graduation rate lags slightly behind that of other elite public universities.

#4: University of Georgia

Location: Athens, GA
U.S. News ranking: #48
Acceptance rate: 40%
Middle 50% SAT range: 1,280-1,430
Middle 50% ACT range: 28-32
Graduation rate: 86%

The University of Georgia has made massive strides this century. Back in the day, all you needed to get in was a pulse and a diploma from a Georgia high school. Today, even accomplished students have to hold their breath wondering whether they’ll get in or be relegated to Georgia State or Georgia Southern. UGA has also become a popular choice with out-of-state students who want top academics but also to live the SEC lifestyle.

#5: Texas A&M University

Location: College Station, TX
U.S. News ranking: #68
Acceptance rate: 64%
Middle 50% SAT range: 1,160-1,370
Middle 50% ACT range: 25-31
Graduation rate: 82%

Texas A&M is one of the SEC’s newest members, having joined the conference in 2012. It’s considered the second most prestigious public university in Texas, behind UT-Austin. It also offers guaranteed admission to students at the top of their high school class. But for those just a bit below, getting into TAMU is worlds easier than getting into UT-Austin, as evidenced by the school’s 64% acceptance rate. The university has strong engineering programs and a ton of neat traditions, such as the Corps of Cadets and the “12th Man” at football games. There’s no middle ground with Texas A&M: students either love it and find it seeps into their blood, or they think it feels like a weird cult and transfer.

#6: Auburn University

Location: Auburn, AL
U.S. News ranking: #99
Acceptance rate: 71%
Middle 50% SAT range: 1,180-1,330
Middle 50% ACT range: 24-30
Graduation rate: 78%

Auburn is growing in prestige and rocketing up this list. It made headlines earlier this year when it accepted a record-low 24% of students who applied early decision for fall 2022. Granted, the admission rate appears to be much higher (though still below last year’s 71% rate) for the regular decision round. But regardless of the final numbers, it’s clear Auburn is getting noticed, and not just by students from Alabama and surrounding states. Its engineering programs are top notch, and it ranks highly year in and year out on student happiness and quality of life surveys.

#7 (tie): University of Tennessee—Knoxville

Location: Knoxville, TN
U.S. News ranking: #103
Acceptance rate: 75%
Middle 50% SAT range: 1,180-1,340
Middle 50% ACT range: 25-31
Graduation rate: 72%

Neyland Stadium in Knoxville on a Saturday.

UT-Knoxville is another school that is slowly turning heads from other parts of the country, as evidenced by its percentage of out-of-state students creeping up every year. And, don’t look now, but Coach Josh Heupel might have the football team on the right track after two decades and counting of futility and frustration. In the 20th century, just about anyone could get into UTK — the urban legend was that the only question on the application was, “Can you fog a mirror?” — but now, with an average ACT score of 28, the school is becoming selective.

#7 (tie): University of South Carolina

Location: Columbia, SC
U.S. News ranking: #117
Acceptance rate: 62%
Middle 50% SAT range: 1,150-1,340
Middle 50% ACT range: 26-31
Graduation rate: 76%

Continuing the trend of SEC schools making colossal academic strides, next on our list is former academic backwater University of South Carolina (or, as it’s called by SEC football haters, USC Jr.). This school used to have next to no academic standards; now, it boasts one of the most comprehensive and sought-after honors colleges in the country, attracting high-achieving students from all over the country. Even if you don’t go honors, you can get a world-class education at South Carolina, and you’ll be surrounded by similarly bright students. The average ACT for incoming freshmen is creeping toward a 30.

#9: University of Missouri

Location: Columbia, MO
U.S. News ranking: #122
Acceptance rate: 76%
Middle 50% SAT range: 1,130-1,350
Middle 50% ACT range: 23-30
Graduation rate: 70%

The University of Missouri joined the SEC in late 2011, a few months before Texas A&M. Its incoming student stats, acceptance rate, and graduation rate don’t look particularly earth-shattering, but the school has a few major things going for it. One, it’s a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a consortium of the top research universities in the United States. Two, its journalism school is generally considered to be the most prestigious in the nation.

#10: University of Alabama

Location: Tuscaloosa, AL
U.S. News ranking: #148
Acceptance rate: 79%
Middle 50% SAT range: 1,080-1,370
Middle 50% ACT range: 21-31
Graduation rate: 71%

The University of Alabama is criminally underrated by U.S. News. Not too long ago, the school drew very little interest from students outside its own state’s borders. Now, it counts a staggering 58% of its student body as being from out of state. Many people have dubbed this the “Saban effect,” increased interest in the school resulting from the football team’s dominance under Coach Nick Saban. Regardless of the reason, students are flocking to Alabama from all over the country, and its academic profile continues to rise as a result.

#11: University of Oklahoma (Future Member)

Location: Norman, OK
U.S. News ranking: #127
Acceptance rate: 85%
Middle 50% SAT range: 1,150-1,330
Middle 50% ACT range: 23-29
Graduation rate: 69%

The University of Oklahoma will join its archrival UT-Austin as an SEC member in 2025. It has a rising reputation but won’t exactly bring up the conference’s overall academic profile. Its main area of struggle is its graduation rate, which, while rising, still lags below 70%. It also lost its head football coach in 2022 to soon-to-be-Big-Ten member University of Southern California.

#12: Louisiana State University

Location: Baton Rouge, LA
U.S. News ranking: #172
Acceptance rate: 71%
Middle 50% SAT range: 1,130-1,300
Middle 50% ACT range: 23-29
Graduation rate: 66%

LSU is another school that doesn’t get the respect it deserves in U.S. News. Its graduation rate hurts its ranking more than anything else. However, if you’re hoping to study petroleum engineering, there isn’t a better school in the country to do it. In fact, all of LSU’s engineering programs are strong. You’ll see recruiters on campus from big Texas energy companies throughout the spring, looking to snap up bright new graduates.

#13: University of Arkansas

Location: Fayetteville, AR
U.S. News ranking: #162
Acceptance rate: 83%
Middle 50% SAT range: 1,050-1,210
Middle 50% ACT range: 21-28
Graduation rate: 66%

The University of Arkansas has middling incoming student stats and an unimpressive graduation rate, but the school is slowly building world-class facilities and hiring top-notch faculty members. Its location in Northwest Arkansas is awash in money, and the school has connections with all the top companies in the area, helping new graduates land jobs at surprisingly high salaries. The football team is also on the rise under Coach Sam Pittman.

#14: University of Mississippi

Location: Oxford, MS
U.S. News ranking: #148
Acceptance rate: 90%
Middle 50% SAT range: 1,020-1,220
Middle 50% ACT range: 21-29
Graduation rate: 64%

The University of Mississippi, or “Ole Miss” as its commonly known, has some work to do on its graduation rate, but it has top-notch humanities programs. Its English department in particular has a sterling reputation. After all, Oxford, Mississippi was the home of literary great William Faulkner. It’s hard to beat Ole Miss’s social scene, too. As its students often say, “We might not win every game, but we’ve never lost a party.”

#15: University of Kentucky

Location: Lexington, KY
U.S. News ranking: #127
Acceptance rate: 94%
Middle 50% SAT range: 1,080-1,310
Middle 50% ACT range: 22-29
Graduation rate: 66%

The University of Kentucky is a respectable flagship institution but loses points on this list because, with a 94% acceptance rate, it has near open admissions. Although we believe in giving students a chance who might not have hit their academic stride in high school, admissions standards that are too loose can waste resources and hurt a school’s graduation rate. As it stands, UK barely graduates two-thirds of its students within six years.

#16: Mississippi State University

Location: Starkville, MS
U.S. News ranking: #196
Acceptance rate: 76%
Middle 50% SAT range: 1,030-1,280
Middle 50% ACT range: 21-30
Graduation rate: 60%

A Mississippi State graduate uncorking the champagne.

Someone has to bring up the rear, and in the case of SEC schools ranked academically, it’s Mississippi State. Why is it last? The low graduation rate is a big part of it. A full four out of 10 students don’t manage to get a diploma within six years for one reason or another. The school also has the lowest per-student endowment in the SEC, and its out-of-the-way location in Starkville, Mississippi doesn’t lend itself to easy networking for jobs and internships. Not to mention, that cowbell can be really grating on the ears for four hours straight in Davis-Wade Stadium.