Ranking every SEC school academically by U.S. News & World Report for 2025
Dating back to the founding of the conference, the SEC has always been among the premier destinations across the country when it comes to athletics.
Yes, the obvious sport where the SEC's dominance is likely the most evident is obviously football, but in addition to that, the conference has also made significant strides forward in basketball in recent years, while also having been loaded in baseball and softball as well, among other sports.
However, what if I were to tell you that the SEC's success is not just athletically, but academically, as well?
Yes, according to a ranking of universities across the nation by U.S. News & World report, the SEC is home to some top academic institutions as well, four of which are ranked within the Top 50 overall.
Here is where all 16 SEC schools rank academically among national universities in the United States, per U.S. News & World Report, in 2025.
We begin with Mississippi State University, which was founded back in 1878, and sits in a tie at No. 214 nationally. Based out of Starkville, Mississippi, the university has an undergraduate enrollment of 18,230 (fall 2023) with out-of-state tuition and fees at $27,637, as well as $10,202 in-state.
In a tie at No. 189 is the University of Arkansas, which is based out of Fayetteville, Arkansas, and was founded back in 1871. Arkansas owns tuition and fees of $29,966 for out-of-state, as well as $10,104 in-state, with the undergraduate enrollment sitting at 27,472 (fall 2023).
Commonly known as "LSU," Louisiana State University was founded back in 1860, and based out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, sits at No. 179 nationally in a tie. LSU owns an undergraduate enrollment of 32,574 (fall 2023) with out-of-state tuition and fees at $28,631, while in-state is $11,954.
Based out of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the University of Alabama was founded back in 1831, and sits in a tie at No. 171 overall nationally. Owning an undergraduate enrollment of 33,425 (fall 2023), Alabama has out-of-state tuition and fees of $34,172, while in-state is $12,180.
In a tie at No. 171 is the University of Mississippi, or as better known to some SEC fans, "Ole Miss." Founded in 1848 out of Oxford, Mississippi, the university has an undergraduate enrollment of 19,094 (fall 2023) with in-state tuition and fees at $9,772, as well as out-of-state at $28,600.
Founded in 1865, the University of Kentucky is in a tie at No. 152 nationally with an undergraduate enrollment of 23,930 (fall 2023). Located in Lexington, Kentucky, the university has tuition and fees for out-of-state at $34,140, as well as $13,502 for in-state.
Based out of Norman, Oklahoma, the University of Oklahoma sits at No. 132 nationally in a tie with Clark University, Fairfield, and Loyola-Chicago. Owning an undergraduate enrollment of 22,046 (fall 2023), Oklahoma was founded back in 1890, and has tuition and fees of $26,665 for out-of-state, as well as $9,595 in-state.
Coming in with a lengthy tie at No. 121 overall alongside the likes of Arizona State, Creighton, and UCF, among others, is the University of South Carolina. Founded in 1801, the university is based out of Columbia, South Carolina owning an undergraduate enrollment of 28,470 (fall 2023), while the tuition and fees sit at $35,972 for out-of-state as opposed to $12,688 in-state.
Sitting in a lengthy tie at No. 109 is the University of Tennessee, based out of Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded back in 1794, Tennessee owns an undergraduate enrollment of 28,883 (fall 2023) with tuition and fees of $13,812 for in-state, as well as $32,956 out-of-state.
The University of Missouri sits at No. 109 nationally, tied with BYU, Cal State-Long Beach, George Mason, San Diego State, Arizona, New Hampshire, Oregon, San Diego, San Francisco, Tennessee, and Texas-Dallas for the spot. With the campus, which was founded back in 1839, located in Columbia, Missouri, the university has tuition and fees of $36,040 for out-of-state and $14,830 in-state, along with 23,629 undergraduate enrollment (fall 2023).
Auburn University, based out of Auburn, Alabama, ranks in a tie for No. 105 nationally with Saint Louis University, Illinois Institute of Technology, and TCU. Founded back in 1856, Auburn has an undergraduate enrollment of 26,874 (fall 2023) with in-state tuition and fees that sit at $12,890, while out-of-state is $34,922.
Founded in 1876, Texas A&M University sits in a tie for No. 51 nationally with both Virginia Tech and Case Western Reserve University. Based out of College Station, Texas, Texas A&M boasts a undergraduate enrollment of 59,933 (fall 2023) with out-of-state tuition and fees at $40,307, while in-state is $12,413.
A public institution founded back in 1785, the University of Georgia, based out of Athens, Georgia, sits at No. 46 nationally in a tie with Lehigh, Purdue, Washington, and Wake Forest. Georgia has an undergraduate enrollment of 31,514 (fall 2023) with out-of-state tuition and fees at $31,678, as well as $11,440 in-state.
A newer member of the SEC, the University of Texas is located in Austin, Texas, and are tied for No. 30 in the nation with both New York University and Florida. Founded in 1883, Texas boasts an undergraduate enrollment of 42,444 (fall 2023) with tuitions and fees of $42,778 for out-of-state, as well as $11,678 for in-state.
The University of Florida is based out of Gainesville, Florida, and is tied for No. 30 nationally with both the previously mentioned Texas, as well as New York University. Florida, which was founded back in 1853, owns an undergraduate enrollment of 34,924 (fall 2023), and has tuition and fees of $28,658 for out-of-state, $6,381 for in-state.
Based in Nashville, Tennessee, the SEC's highest-ranking academic institution is Vanderbilt University, who sit in a tie for No. 18 nationally with a pair of additional schools, Rice and Notre Dame. A private institution founded back in 1873, Vanderbilt has an undergraduate enrollment of 7,152 (fall 2023) with tuition and fees of $67,498.
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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: SEC schools ranked academically by U.S. News for 2025
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