The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an athletic conference of 16 universities across the South, from Texas and Oklahoma to Florida and South Carolina. Fifteen are large public universities and one, Vanderbilt, is private. Beyond the shared conference, they differ widely in how hard they are to get into (5.9% to 96.6% acceptance rates), where their students come from and what they cost.
The 16 SEC schools at a glance
| School | State | Undergrads | Acceptance rate | In-state tuition | Out-of-state tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | AL | 33,227 | 76.6% | $12,180 | $34,172 |
| Arkansas | AR | 28,677 | 74.3% | $10,104 | $29,966 |
| Auburn | AL | 26,816 | 45.9% | $12,890 | $34,922 |
| Florida | FL | 35,629 | 24.2% | $6,381 | $28,659 |
| Georgia | GA | 32,137 | 37.7% | $11,450 | $31,688 |
| Kentucky | KY | 24,763 | 92.9% | $13,502 | $34,140 |
| LSU | LA | 30,594 | 73.3% | $11,954 | $28,631 |
| Mississippi State | MS | 18,397 | 77.6% | $10,202 | $27,637 |
| Missouri | MO | 23,929 | 78.5% | $14,837 | $36,056 |
| Oklahoma | OK | 22,734 | 76.6% | $9,797 | $27,377 |
| Ole Miss | MS | 21,473 | 96.6% | $9,772 | $28,600 |
| South Carolina | SC | 29,820 | 60.2% | $12,688 | $35,972 |
| Tennessee | TN | 30,418 | 41.6% | $13,812 | $33,256 |
| Texas | TX | 42,855 | 26.6% | $11,688 | $44,908 |
| Texas A&M | TX | 59,615 | 57.4% | $13,154 | $40,124 |
| Vanderbilt (private) | TN | 7,208 | 5.9% | $67,498 | $67,498 |
Sources: IPEDS (undergraduate enrollment; admissions for the fall 2024 entering class); College Scorecard (published tuition and fees before aid, about 2023–24). You may pay less if receiving grants or scholarships.
How many schools are in the SEC?
Sixteen, since Texas and Oklahoma joined in 2024.
Five ways the SEC schools differ
1. How hard they are to get into
Vanderbilt (5.9%) is highly selective, and Florida (24.2%) and Texas (26.6%) admit about one in four applicants. Georgia (37.7%), Tennessee (41.6%) and Auburn (45.9%) admit fewer than half. Most of the rest admit between about 57% and 79%, and Kentucky (92.9%) and Ole Miss (96.6%) admit nearly everyone who applies.
2. Where their students come from
Some SEC universities draw most of their students from other states: about 70% of Ole Miss's first-year students, 60% at Alabama and 57% at Arkansas. Others serve mostly their own state: about 94% of Texas A&M's first-years are Texans, as are 87% at Texas, and about four in five first-year students at Georgia are Georgians.
3. What it costs, depending on where you live
At the public universities, published out-of-state tuition runs from $27,377 (Oklahoma) to $44,908 (Texas). For in-state students, Florida ($6,381) is the lowest in the conference. Vanderbilt charges everyone the same, $67,498 before aid.
4. College town or city
Many SEC campuses are the heart of a college town: Auburn, Athens, Gainesville, Oxford, Starkville, College Station, Fayetteville and Norman. Others sit in state capitals (Austin, Baton Rouge and Columbia) or in cities such as Nashville, Knoxville, Lexington and Tuscaloosa.
5. Signature strengths
Each has areas where it graduates unusually large numbers of students: supply chain management at Tennessee and Arkansas, journalism at Missouri, public health at South Carolina, construction management at LSU, insurance at Georgia and engineering at Texas A&M, among others. Oklahoma is home to the National Weather Center.
Which SEC school might fit you?
Ask yourself:
- Do I want a classic college town or a city around me?
- Would I like to stay close to home, or join a school where many students come from out of state?
- Am I in-state for any of these schools, and how much does that matter for my family's budget?
- Is a campus of 30,000 or more exciting or overwhelming?
Lens helps you figure out which kinds of colleges fit you, using seven research-backed assessments, before you build your list. Start with Lens →
FAQ
How many schools are in the SEC? Sixteen.
What are the SEC schools? Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.
Is Texas in the SEC? Yes. Texas and Oklahoma joined in 2024.
Which SEC schools are private? Only Vanderbilt.
Which SEC school is the hardest to get into? Vanderbilt admitted 5.9% of applicants for fall 2024, followed by Florida (24.2%) and Texas (26.6%).
Which SEC schools are easiest to get into? By acceptance rate, the SEC schools that admitted the largest share of applicants for fall 2024 were Ole Miss (96.6%), Kentucky (92.9%), Missouri (78.5%), Mississippi State (77.6%), and Alabama and Oklahoma (76.6% each). Rates can differ by major and by whether you're in-state, so treat them as a starting point, not a prediction.
College pages in this group
- The University of Alabama: a large out-of-state community in Tuscaloosa
- University of Arkansas: business and supply chain in the Ozarks
- Auburn University: a land-grant university in a classic college town
- University of Florida: a broad research university with a low in-state price
- University of Georgia: the first state-chartered university, in Athens
- University of Kentucky: health sciences in Lexington
- Louisiana State University: Louisiana's flagship in Baton Rouge
- Mississippi State University: agriculture, engineering and veterinary medicine in Starkville
- University of Missouri: the first school of journalism
- University of Oklahoma: weather science and the National Weather Center
- University of Mississippi: Oxford, the Grove and a mostly out-of-state student body
- University of South Carolina: public health and international business in the state capital
- University of Tennessee, Knoxville: supply chain and a national lab partnership
- The University of Texas at Austin: a large research university in the state capital
- Texas A&M University: the SEC's largest university and its Aggie traditions
- Vanderbilt University: the SEC's only private university, in Nashville