Georgia State University vs University of North Georgia

Metric	Georgia State University	University of North Georgia
Undergraduate enrollment	26,623	16,146
Acceptance rate Lower means more selective	55.4%	67.9%
Average SAT	1,076	1,106
Median ACT	23	23
In-state tuition	$8,664	$5,285
Out-of-state tuition	$24,840	$16,503
Average net price What students actually pay after aid	$15,931	$9,823
Median debt at graduation	$20,903	$17,750
Graduation rate	53.1%	37.3%
First-year retention	79.9%	73.5%
Median salary (10 yr)	$47,384	$50,135

Metric

Georgia State University

University of North Georgia

Undergraduate enrollment

26,623

16,146

Acceptance rate
Lower means more selective

55.4%

67.9%

Average SAT

1,076

1,106

Median ACT

In-state tuition

$8,664

$5,285

Out-of-state tuition

$24,840

$16,503

Average net price
What students actually pay after aid

$15,931

$9,823

Median debt at graduation

$20,903

$17,750

Graduation rate

53.1%

37.3%

First-year retention

79.9%

73.5%

Median salary (10 yr)

$47,384

$50,135

What the numbers say

Georgia State University is the harder admit at 55.4%, against 67.9% at University of North Georgia.
University of North Georgia costs less after aid — $9,823 a year versus $15,931, a difference of $6,108 annually, or roughly $24,432 across four years.
University of North Georgia graduates report higher median earnings — $50,135 against $47,384 ten years after entry.
Georgia State University graduates a larger share of its students — 53.1% versus 37.3%.
On pure return — salary divided by net price — University of North Georgia comes out ahead at 5.1× 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 North Georgia run campus visits. Spending an afternoon on each will tell you things no dataset can.