College Compass Menu Start free →

Real costs by region · Southeast · families earning under $30,000

25 Southeast colleges under $8,000 a year — if you earn under $30,000.

Across 200 Southeast colleges, families earning under $30,000 paid between $735 and $47,261 a year. The 25 cheapest are all under $8,000 — and 4 of them are private.

School	Type	Admit	Sticker / yr	This band paidPaid
Duke University	Private	6%	$87,072	$735
University of Florida-Online	Public	61%	$17,843	$1,477
University of Florida	Public	24%	$22,523	$1,982
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Public	15%	$26,055	$2,004
Northern Kentucky University	Public	68%	$19,725	$2,603
Florida Atlantic University	Public	66%	$21,522	$3,022
Vanderbilt University	Private	6%	$89,590	$3,414
University of South Florida	Public	43%	$22,859	$4,122
Elizabeth City State University	Public	64%	$17,701	$4,246
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College	Public	76%	$13,956	$4,323
University of West Florida	Public	58%	$19,947	$4,815
Berea College	Private	19%	$60,718	$5,428
University of Central Florida	Public	40%	$23,133	$5,816
Florida State University	Public	24%	$25,720	$5,938
Fayetteville State University	Public	82%	$16,652	$6,233
Murray State University	Public	86%	$23,485	$6,242
North Carolina State University at Raleigh	Public	42%	$26,425	$6,382
Wake Forest University	Private	22%	$87,499	$6,525
University of North Florida	Public	53%	$20,983	$6,647
Gordon State College	Public	86%	$14,771	$6,912
University of North Georgia	Public	68%	$18,177	$6,981
Florida International University	Public	55%	$21,462	$7,003
Western Kentucky University	Public	94%	$24,188	$7,087
Morehead State University	Public	77%	$21,961	$7,150
The University of Tennessee-Martin	Public	88%	$23,079	$7,151

"Paid" is the average net price reported to the U.S. Department of Education for aided families at under $30,000 household income — planning data, not an offer. Public colleges show in-state prices; out-of-state families typically pay more. Colleges enrolling fewer than 1,000 students are excluded, because federal price cells at very small schools are volatile enough to manufacture patterns that disappear at scale. A low price and a low admit rate are different things — the admit column is there so the two are never confused.

Same region, different income

$30,000–$48,000 · $48,000–$75,000 · $75,000–$110,000 · over $110,000

Same income, different region

Northeast · Mid-Atlantic · Midwest · Southwest · West

State by state

Alabama · Florida · Georgia · Kentucky · Mississippi · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee

Early Decision: when the binding bet is worth it →

Why three likely admits is the floor for a safe season →