Best Value Four-Year Colleges in Georgia

Bachelor’s-degree institutions ranked by median 10-year earnings divided by average net price. Restricting to four-year schools removes the very low cost bases that dominate the all-institution list and makes the comparison meaningful between degree programs.

How this list is built

Includes 4-year institutions reporting both net price and 10-year earnings. Ranked by salary ÷ cost. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Schools that do not report the required fields are excluded rather than estimated — so absence from this list is not a judgment about the school.

#	College	Salary ÷ Cost	Net Price	Median Salary	Grad Rate
1	Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA · Public	8.5×	$12,116	$102,772	94.0%
2	Dalton State College Dalton, GA · Public	8.0×	$5,012	$40,251	25.3%
3	Clayton State University Morrow, GA · Public	5.9×	$8,365	$49,179	39.9%
4	Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Tifton, GA · Public	5.1×	$6,842	$34,996	36.1%
5	University of North Georgia Dahlonega, GA · Public	5.1×	$9,823	$50,135	37.3%
6	University of Georgia Athens, GA · Public	4.9×	$13,936	$68,726	89.7%
7	Gordon State College Barnesville, GA · Public	4.7×	$8,105	$37,871	20.4%
8	Savannah State University Savannah, GA · Public	4.6×	$8,172	$37,981	28.0%
9	Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA · Public	4.5×	$10,945	$49,361	42.4%
10	Georgia Southwestern State University Americus, GA · Public	4.1×	$12,019	$48,757	40.6%
11	University of West Georgia Carrollton, GA · Public	3.9×	$12,786	$49,587	43.5%
12	Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA · Public	3.8×	$15,048	$57,552	52.2%
13	Emory University Atlanta, GA · Private nonprofit	3.5×	$22,585	$80,137	91.1%
14	Fort Valley State University Fort Valley, GA · Public	3.5×	$10,338	$36,666	41.1%
15	Augusta University Augusta, GA · Public	3.5×	$13,787	$48,472	48.8%
16	Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA · Public	3.5×	$15,267	$53,236	54.9%
17	Wesleyan College Macon, GA · Private nonprofit	3.5×	$12,724	$44,317	44.5%
18	Albany State University Albany, GA · Public	3.4×	$11,898	$40,674	31.1%
19	Columbus State University Columbus, GA · Public	3.4×	$13,115	$44,544	41.8%
20	Middle Georgia State University Macon, GA · Public	3.3×	$12,361	$40,863	25.3%
21	Georgia Gwinnett College Lawrenceville, GA · Public	3.0×	$15,844	$47,730	21.5%
22	Georgia State University Atlanta, GA · Public	3.0×	$15,931	$47,384	53.1%
23	Brenau University Gainesville, GA · Private nonprofit	2.9×	$18,924	$54,003	32.9%
24	Oglethorpe University Atlanta, GA · Private nonprofit	2.8×	$19,509	$55,232	54.1%
25	Georgia College & State University Milledgeville, GA · Public	2.8×	$20,686	$58,140	63.6%
26	Chamberlain University-Georgia Sandy Springs, GA · Private for-profit	2.8×	$33,188	$92,405	50.0%
27	Thomas University Thomasville, GA · Private nonprofit	2.7×	$18,499	$49,716	27.5%
28	Shorter University Rome, GA · Private nonprofit	2.7×	$16,646	$44,604	37.7%
29	LaGrange College Lagrange, GA · Private nonprofit	2.5×	$20,875	$51,745	46.9%
30	Mercer University Macon, GA · Private nonprofit	2.4×	$23,847	$58,354	69.6%

Who comes out on top

Georgia Institute of Technology leads this ranking at 8.5×. Former students there report a median income of $102,772 ten years after entering. Average net price runs $12,116 per year. See the full Georgia Institute of Technology profile →

Reading these numbers honestly

No single metric identifies the right school for a given student. Earnings vary far more by major than by institution. Graduation rates partly reflect who a school admits, not only how well it teaches. Net price is an average across all income bands, and your actual offer may land well above or below it. Use this list to build a shortlist, then compare your real aid letters.

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