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The Southeastern Conference is widely recognized for its athletic dominance. However, many of its universities also have a strong academic reputation that often goes overlooked.
According to U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 Best Colleges rankings, five of the SEC’s 14 schools rank within the top 100 national universities. These rankings take into account factors such as graduation rates, faculty resources, and student outcomes.
Using U.S. News’ rankings as a guide, we will rank the SEC universities by their academic reputation. UGA made the top 5 in case you were wondering, see the list below for more details.
14
Mississippi State University
![](https://ugawire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2023/04/USATSI_14213607.jpg)
Location: Mississippi State, Mississippi
U.S. News rank: 194
Total enrollment fall 2020: 22,986
4-year graduation rate: 40%
13
Louisiana State University
![](https://ugawire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2018/10/usatsi_10476464.jpg)
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
U.S. News rank: 176 (tie)
Total enrollment fall 2020: 34,285
4-year graduation rate: 43%
12
University of Arkansas
![](https://ugawire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2023/04/USATSI_8782429.jpg)
Location: Fayetteville, Arkansas
U.S. News rank: 176 (tie)
Total enrollment fall 2020: 27,562
4-year graduation rate: 50%
11
University of Mississippi
![](https://ugawire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2023/04/459716168.jpg)
Location: University, Mississippi
U.S. News rank: 151
Total enrollment fall 2020: 21,014
4-year graduation rate: 48%
10
University of Alabama
![](https://ugawire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2023/04/USATSI_18003714.jpg)
U.S. News rank: 137 (tie)
Total enrollment fall 2020: 37,840
4-year graduation rate: 52%
9
University of Kentucky
![](https://ugawire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2023/04/187012166.jpg)
Location: Lexington, Kentucky
U.S. News rank: 137 (tie)
Total enrollment fall 2020: 29,986
4-year graduation rate: 47%
8
University of Missouri
![](https://ugawire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2023/04/496557134.jpg)
Location: Columbia, Missouri
U.S. News rank: 121
Total enrollment fall 2020: 31,103
4-year graduation rate: 50%
7
University of South Carolina
![](https://ugawire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2023/04/1227995714.jpg)
Location: Columbia, South Carolina
U.S. News rank: 115 (tie)
Total enrollment fall 2020: 35,468
4-year graduation rate: 65%
6
University of Tennessee
![](https://ugawire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2023/04/USATSI_13103355.jpg)
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
U.S. News rank: 115 (tie)
Total enrollment fall 2020: 30,559
4-year graduation rate: 51%
5
Auburn University
![](https://ugawire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2022/05/USATSI_11587918.jpg)
Location: Auburn, Alabama
U.S. News rank: 97
Total enrollment fall 2020: 30,737
4-year graduation rate: 51%
4
Texas A&M University
![](https://ugawire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2023/04/USATSI_10690315.jpg)
Location: College Station, Texas
U.S. News rank: 67
Total enrollment fall 2020: 70,418
4-year graduation rate: 57%
3
University of Georgia
![](https://ugawire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2023/04/USATSI_16654706.jpg)
Location: Athens, Georgia
U.S. News rank: 49
Total enrollment fall 2020: 39,147
4-year graduation rate: 68%
2
University of Florida
![](https://ugawire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2023/04/USATSI_19190211.jpg)
Location: Gainesville, Florida
U.S. News rank: 29
Total enrollment fall 2020: 53,372
4-year graduation rate: 67%
1
Vanderbilt University
![](https://ugawire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2023/04/USATSI_14929347.jpg)
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
U.S. News rank: 13 (tie)
Total enrollment fall 2020: 13,537
4-year graduation rate: 88%