Georgia State University vs University of Georgia

Metric	Georgia State University	University of Georgia
Undergraduate enrollment	26,623	32,137
Acceptance rate Lower means more selective	55.4%	37.7%
Average SAT	1,076	1,397
Median ACT	23	31
In-state tuition	$8,664	$11,450
Out-of-state tuition	$24,840	$31,688
Average net price What students actually pay after aid	$15,931	$13,936
Median debt at graduation	$20,903	$18,500
Graduation rate	53.1%	89.7%
First-year retention	79.9%	94.0%
Median salary (10 yr)	$47,384	$68,726

Metric

Georgia State University

University of Georgia

Undergraduate enrollment

26,623

32,137

Acceptance rate
Lower means more selective

55.4%

37.7%

Average SAT

1,076

1,397

Median ACT

In-state tuition

$8,664

$11,450

Out-of-state tuition

$24,840

$31,688

Average net price
What students actually pay after aid

$15,931

$13,936

Median debt at graduation

$20,903

$18,500

Graduation rate

53.1%

89.7%

First-year retention

79.9%

94.0%

Median salary (10 yr)

$47,384

$68,726

What the numbers say

University of Georgia is the harder admit at 37.7%, against 55.4% at Georgia State University.
University of Georgia costs less after aid — $13,936 a year versus $15,931, a difference of $1,995 annually, or roughly $7,980 across four years.
University of Georgia graduates report higher median earnings — $68,726 against $47,384 ten years after entry.
University of Georgia graduates a larger share of its students — 89.7% versus 53.1%.
On pure return — salary divided by net price — University of Georgia comes out ahead at 4.9× versus 3.0×.

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