U.S. News and World Report has selected Piedmont College and Brenau University as one the “Best Value Schools in the Southeast.”

Piedmont College, which has campuses in Demorest and Athens, and Brenau University, which has campuses in Gainesville, Martinez, Norcross, Fairburn and Jacksonville, Fla., are two of only three schools in Georgia to make the annual list in the regional universities category.

The magazine selected 31 Best Value schools across 12 Southeast states, based on their overall academic quality and the net cost of attending.

“The higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal,” the editors said. “Only schools ranked in or near the top half of their categories are included, because U.S. News considers the most significant values to be among colleges that are above average academically.”

U.S. News defines regional universities as offering undergraduate and graduate degrees, including some doctoral degrees. Of the 113 regional institutions in the Southeast ranked by U.S. News, the Best Value schools in Georgia include Berry College (No. 3), Piedmont College (No. 19), and Brenau University (No. 30).

“In recent years, Piedmont College has made major investments in facilities and academic programs, while maintaining the small classes and other features that make us who we are,” said Piedmont President James F. Mellichamp in a news release.

“We have also worked hard to keep tuition affordable, especially through in-house scholarships, and that effort is what the latest U.S. News selection recognizes.”

The U.S. News ranking follows a similar review by Washington Monthly magazine, which named Piedmont one of the top “Best Bang for the Buck” colleges in the Southeast.