Georgia College & State University vs Valdosta State University

Metric	Georgia College & State University	Valdosta State University
Undergraduate enrollment	5,947	6,622
Acceptance rate Lower means more selective	78.2%	72.3%
Average SAT	1,163	1,013
Median ACT	24	20
In-state tuition	$9,186	$6,124
Out-of-state tuition	$29,512	$17,836
Average net price What students actually pay after aid	$20,686	$10,945
Median debt at graduation	$22,250	$24,779
Graduation rate	63.6%	42.4%
First-year retention	82.3%	71.9%
Median salary (10 yr)	$58,140	$49,361

Metric

Georgia College & State University

Valdosta State University

Undergraduate enrollment

5,947

6,622

Acceptance rate
Lower means more selective

78.2%

72.3%

Average SAT

1,163

1,013

Median ACT

In-state tuition

$9,186

$6,124

Out-of-state tuition

$29,512

$17,836

Average net price
What students actually pay after aid

$20,686

$10,945

Median debt at graduation

$22,250

$24,779

Graduation rate

63.6%

42.4%

First-year retention

82.3%

71.9%

Median salary (10 yr)

$58,140

$49,361

What the numbers say

Valdosta State University is the harder admit at 72.3%, against 78.2% at Georgia College & State University.
Valdosta State University costs less after aid — $10,945 a year versus $20,686, a difference of $9,741 annually, or roughly $38,964 across four years.
Georgia College & State University graduates report higher median earnings — $58,140 against $49,361 ten years after entry.
Georgia College & State University graduates a larger share of its students — 63.6% versus 42.4%.
On pure return — salary divided by net price — Valdosta State University comes out ahead at 4.5× versus 2.8×.

How to actually choose

Comparison tables are a starting point, not a decision. Three things matter more than anything in the table above:

Your real aid offer. Net price is an average across all income levels. Two students at the same school can pay amounts that differ by tens of thousands. Wait for actual award letters before ruling anything out on cost.
Your intended major. Earnings vary more between majors at one school than between schools for one major. A computer science graduate from the "lower earning" school here will likely out-earn a general studies graduate from the other.
Whether you will finish. Graduation rate is the metric most predictive of whether the money spent turns into a credential. Campus fit, support services, and commute all feed into it more than prestige does.

Visit before you commit

Both Georgia College & State University and Valdosta State University run campus visits. Spending an afternoon on each will tell you things no dataset can.