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Georgia ranking · College Scorecard · Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals

Best Colleges in Georgia

Using U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data retrieved March-July 2026, these operating Georgia colleges (undergraduate enrollment 1,000+) rank highest on value: median earnings ten years after enrollment minus average net price. That single gap is the sort key - not prestige, selectivity, or a composite score.

$90,656
Top earnings-price gap
67
Georgia colleges ranked
$12,116
#1 avg net price

The list in one line

Among Georgia colleges with enrollment of 1,000+, every school on this list clears a $-4,593 earnings-minus-net-price gap. Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus leads at $90,656.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

$90,656
#1 - Georgia Institute of
$102,772
#1 ten-year median earnings
$-4,593
#67 cutoff gap
1,000+
undergraduate enrollment floor

Value = 10-year median earnings - average net price for federal-aid students. See methodology for cohort and lag details.

Top 15 Georgia colleges by earnings-price gap

Higher gap = more earnings relative to average net price

earnings - net price

What this shows Specialized health and career schools can rank highly when program mix lifts earnings; compare completion rates and debt on each school profile before reading value as overall quality.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals

The full Georgia list

# School Name Median Earnings (10yr)Avg Net PriceEarnings - PriceEnrollment
1 Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus $102,772 $12,116 $90,656 18,785
2 Chamberlain University-Georgia $92,405 $33,188 $59,217 1,940
3 Emory University $80,137 $22,585 $57,552 7,298
4 University of Georgia $68,726 $13,936 $54,790 32,137
5 Kennesaw State University $57,552 $15,048 $42,504 41,254
6 Clayton State University $49,179 $8,365 $40,814 4,348
7 University of North Georgia $50,135 $9,823 $40,312 16,146
8 Valdosta State University $49,361 $10,945 $38,416 6,622
9 Gwinnett Technical College $45,025 $6,696 $38,329 8,728
10 Georgia Southern University $53,236 $15,267 $37,969 21,790
11 Georgia College & State University $58,140 $20,686 $37,454 5,947
12 University of West Georgia $49,587 $12,786 $36,801 7,520
13 Georgia Southwestern State University $48,757 $12,019 $36,738 2,424
14 Georgia Highlands College $43,184 $6,928 $36,256 4,761
15 Georgia State University-Perimeter College $47,384 $11,453 $35,931 13,693
16 Oglethorpe University $55,232 $19,509 $35,723 1,352
17 Dalton State College $40,251 $5,012 $35,239 4,553
18 Brenau University $54,003 $18,924 $35,079 1,029
19 Augusta University $48,472 $13,787 $34,685 5,613
20 Mercer University $58,354 $23,847 $34,507 4,500
21 Chattahoochee Technical College $37,138 $3,407 $33,731 8,727
22 West Georgia Technical College $35,479 $2,457 $33,022 5,163
23 Georgia Gwinnett College $47,730 $15,844 $31,886 11,344
24 Berry College $53,800 $22,320 $31,480 2,245
25 Georgia State University $47,384 $15,931 $31,453 26,623
26 Columbus State University $44,544 $13,115 $31,429 5,625
27 Atlanta Technical College $30,350 $-914 $31,264 3,875
28 Southern Regional Technical College $31,293 $813 $30,480 3,098
29 Southern Crescent Technical College $36,104 $5,661 $30,443 4,098
30 Coastal Pines Technical College $30,214 $-126 $30,340 1,648
31 Wiregrass Georgia Technical College $30,864 $614 $30,250 2,887
32 Columbus Technical College $34,238 $4,001 $30,237 2,719
33 Georgia Northwestern Technical College $35,759 $5,720 $30,039 4,244
34 Lanier Technical College $37,623 $7,799 $29,824 4,613
35 Savannah State University $37,981 $8,172 $29,809 2,833
36 Gordon State College $37,871 $8,105 $29,766 2,544
37 South Georgia Technical College $30,364 $1,164 $29,200 1,407
38 Athens Technical College $35,951 $6,949 $29,002 3,318
39 North Georgia Technical College $32,932 $4,005 $28,927 1,910
40 Albany State University $40,674 $11,898 $28,776 5,956
41 Piedmont University $49,130 $20,599 $28,531 1,117
42 Middle Georgia State University $40,863 $12,361 $28,502 6,574
43 Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College $34,996 $6,842 $28,154 3,208
44 Atlanta Metropolitan State College $33,252 $5,258 $27,994 1,228
45 Shorter University $44,604 $16,646 $27,958 1,028
46 East Georgia State College $37,174 $9,626 $27,548 1,413
47 South Georgia State College $35,697 $8,767 $26,930 1,466
48 Savannah Technical College $33,018 $6,114 $26,904 3,366
49 Fort Valley State University $36,666 $10,338 $26,328 2,684
50 Albany Technical College $30,541 $4,524 $26,017 2,029
51 Ogeechee Technical College $31,248 $6,542 $24,706 1,820
52 College of Coastal Georgia $39,318 $15,261 $24,057 2,979
53 Central Georgia Technical College $30,848 $7,052 $23,796 6,174
54 Augusta Technical College $33,523 $10,485 $23,038 3,923
55 Georgia Military College $39,257 $16,923 $22,334 3,992
56 Reinhardt University $46,541 $24,425 $22,116 1,066
57 Strayer University-Georgia $40,092 $18,318 $21,774 4,299
58 Spelman College $59,993 $38,967 $21,026 3,414
59 Georgia Piedmont Technical College $34,619 $13,761 $20,858 2,198
60 Southeastern Technical College $30,329 $10,612 $19,717 1,008
61 Oconee Fall Line Technical College $30,899 $12,844 $18,055 1,708
62 Morehouse College $52,889 $39,013 $13,876 2,844
63 Point University $38,740 $25,335 $13,405 1,996
64 South University-Savannah Online $34,421 $28,049 $6,372 6,433
65 Clark Atlanta University $42,712 $37,702 $5,010 3,603
66 Savannah College of Art and Design $45,954 $49,430 $-3,476 15,243
67 United Education Institute-Morrow $31,141 $35,734 $-4,593 1,160

About This Ranking

Schools in Georgia are ranked by the same value metric as the national best-value list: 10-year median earnings minus average net price. Only operating schools with at least 1,000 undergraduates and both figures published are included. Ties break toward larger enrollment. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. See methodology.

Caveats and limitations

"Best" here means the largest earnings-minus-price gap among eligible Georgia schools - not teaching quality, campus life, or the right fit for any applicant. Program mix (for example nursing or engineering) can lift institution-level earnings without proving a stronger undergraduate experience.

Earnings cover federally aided students only and describe a lagged cohort. Net price averages aided students and will not match every family's bill. Always open the school profile for completion, debt, and program detail.

This ranking is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or admissions advice.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Rankings are computed directly from College Scorecard and IPEDS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals.