Rankings / MBA
Best MBA Programs in Georgia
- 15
- Schools
- $64,262
- Avg. Earnings
- 62%
- Avg. Graduation
- $18,686
- Avg. Net Price
- $20,869
- Avg. Debt
CollegeRanker Research
What Surprised Us Most
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Median graduate earnings across these 15 programs run from $51,635 to $114,210, a 2.2× gap. The category label alone says little about payoff.
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University of Georgia delivers the most for the money: roughly $77,246 in median earnings against $13,918 a year in tuition, the strongest earnings-to-cost ratio on the list.
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Valdosta State University is the lowest-cost program here at $10,804 a year in tuition.
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Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus graduates 94% of its students, versus a 62% average across the list. Completion, more than selectivity, signals whether a degree actually gets finished.
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Emory University carries the healthiest debt load, with graduates owing just 0.13× their annual earnings.
Surprising Comparisons
- Valdosta State University costs $10,804 a year and Emory University costs $70,500. Yet their graduates earn $52,334 and $93,897, nowhere near the $59,696 price gap.
- On value, University of Georgia beats Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus: comparable career payoff at a fraction of the tuition.
- Graduation rates split the field: Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus finishes 94% of students while Shorter University finishes 41%. Same ranking, very different odds of leaving with a degree.
The Takeaway
The programs that win this ranking are not the priciest or the most selective. They turn students into earners without burying them in debt, which is exactly what our outcomes-first methodology is built to surface.
What This Means for Students
If you are choosing from this list, start with University of Georgia and Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus. Pull each school's net price for your income band, weigh projected earnings against the debt you would take on, and let payoff rather than prestige drive your shortlist.
Why this ranking matters
Business is one of the higher-return fields in the economy, but the payoff depends heavily on where you study it. Graduates of these programs earn a median of about $58K within a decade, and management analyst roles are projected to grow 10%. We rank programs by the outcomes they produce for graduates, not by reputation.
How we measure this — full methodology →How we rank · 4 pillars
Federal-source data only. Build your own weighting →
Data Behind This Page Updated 2026-11-02
Source datasets
- Chetty, R., Friedman, J., Saez, E., Turner, N., & Yagan, D. (2017). Mobility Report Cards: The Role of Colleges in Intergenerational Mobility. NBER Working Paper No. 23618.
- U.S. Department of Education. College Scorecard Data. Federal Student Aid, National Center for Education Statistics.
- National Center for Education Statistics. Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).
- U.S. News & World Report. Best Business Schools MBA Rankings. Used for MBA program validation.
Methodology
Schools are scored on the CollegeRanker 4-Pillar Algorithm: Economic Outcomes (30%), Social Mobility (25–35%), Academic Quality (15–20%), and Value (20–25%). Every weight is published and every figure traces to a public dataset.
See the full methodology and weights →Confidence notes
- Earnings, completion, and debt figures come from federal administrative records — tax data and student-aid filings — not surveys or self-reports, the highest-confidence tier of education data available.
- Social-mobility estimates are drawn from de-identified tax records covering more than 30 million students (Opportunity Insights).
- Where an institution is missing a metric, it is excluded from that metric rather than imputed, so averages are never inflated by guesses.
Limitations
- Federal earnings data primarily cover students who received federal financial aid; outcomes for non-aided students may differ.
- Earnings are measured roughly ten years after enrollment, so they describe how earlier cohorts fared — historical outcomes, not guarantees of future results.
- An institution's field-of-study mix affects raw earnings; scores reflect measured outcomes and are not fully major-adjusted unless explicitly noted.
- Net price is an average; the actual cost a given student pays varies widely by family income.
At a Glance
How the Top Schools Compare
| School | Earnings | Net Price | Graduation | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus #1 overall | $114,210 ▲ +78% vs avg | $12,028 | 94% | 84 |
| 2 Emory University #2 overall | $93,897 ▲ +46% vs avg | $16,754 | 91% | 84 |
| 3 University of Georgia #3 overall | $77,246 ▲ +20% vs avg | $13,636 | 89% | 82 |
| $62,766 ▼ -2% vs avg | $16,325 | 51% | 73 | |
| $64,452 ▲ +0% vs avg | $20,803 | 62% | 73 |
Score uses our 4-pillar methodology. Earnings % is vs. this list's average.
See full ranking →Executive Summary
Best MBA Programs in Georgia
This analysis ranks 15 institutions on graduate earnings, social mobility, completion, and cost. Across the list, alumni earn a median of $64,262 ten years after enrolling, against an average graduation rate of 62% and an average net price of $18,686.
Key takeaways
- Strongest Earnings-to-Cost Ratio: Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus — Net Price: $12,028 | Graduation Rate: 94%
- Strongest Completion Outcomes: Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus — 94% completion rate
- Highest Earnings Generator: Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus — Median alumni earnings: $114,210
CollegeRanker Primary Research
The most expensive quartile of colleges costs 373% more than the most affordable — but their graduates earn just 34% more.
Management Education Analysis
What does this ranking tell us about leadership and management education?
$57,984
Median earnings (10yr)
54%
Median graduation rate
$16,754
Median net price
1.4%
Avg. mobility rate
Business and MBA programs sell acceleration: faster paths into management, bigger networks, and a salary step-change. The return is famously dispersed, though. A handful of programs deliver enormous ROI through placement and alumni networks, while many barely clear the cost of attendance. Management education is less a single product than a wide spectrum of outcomes.
Across the 15 programs on this list, graduates earn a median of $57,984 ten years after they first enrolled, about $9,984 more than the roughly $48,000 a typical American worker takes home. The median graduation rate is 54%. Net price, what students pay after grants, runs a median of $16,754 a year, with about $21,500 in median federal debt at graduation. An average of 36% of students receive Pell grants, and the typical school moves low-income students into the top income quintile at a rate of 1.4%.
What we’re seeing: value concentrates where networks and employer pipelines are strongest, and ROI varies more here than in almost any other field. Median earnings reach $57,984 ten years after enrollment, with Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus at the top of the list. The spread between the best programs and the median is the real story of an MBA.
The podium
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Full rankings
Atlanta, GA · 14% accepted · $12,028 net
Why it ranks #1
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus lands at #1 with a 84/100 composite, led by economic outcomes (89/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (75/100). Graduates earn a median $114,210 a decade after enrolling, 78% above this list's average, and net price runs $12,028 a year, well under the field. Strong earnings drive the rank, but with mobility weighted 35% and value 20%, salary alone can only take a school so far.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #2
Emory University lands at #2 with a 84/100 composite, led by economic outcomes (85/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (74/100). Graduates earn a median $93,897 a decade after enrolling, 46% above this list's average, and net price runs $16,754 a year, well under the field. Strong earnings drive the rank, but with mobility weighted 35% and value 20%, salary alone can only take a school so far.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #3
University of Georgia lands at #3 with a 82/100 composite, led by social mobility (80/100) and pulled down by academic quality (73/100). Graduates earn a median $77,246 a decade after enrolling, 20% above this list's average, and net price runs $13,636 a year, well under the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what puts it near the top.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #4
Kennesaw State University lands at #4 with a 73/100 composite, led by social mobility (84/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (63/100). Graduates earn a median $62,766 a decade after enrolling, 2% below this list's average, and net price runs $16,325 a year, well under the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what puts it near the top, even with below-average salaries.
Pillar breakdown
Milledgeville, GA · 78% accepted · $20,803 net
Why it ranks #5
Georgia College & State University lands at #5 with a 73/100 composite, led by social mobility (79/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (59/100). Graduates earn a median $64,452 a decade after enrolling, 0% above this list's average, and net price runs $20,803 a year, above the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what puts it near the top.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #6
Georgia Southern University lands at #6 with a 73/100 composite, led by social mobility (80/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (61/100). Graduates earn a median $59,167 a decade after enrolling, 8% below this list's average, and net price runs $16,785 a year, well under the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what puts it near the top, even with below-average salaries.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #7
University of West Georgia lands at #7 with a 72/100 composite, led by social mobility (81/100) and pulled down by academic quality (62/100). Graduates earn a median $54,320 a decade after enrolling, 15% below this list's average, and net price runs $11,787 a year, well under the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what puts it near the top, even with below-average salaries.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #8
Mercer University lands at #8 with a 71/100 composite, led by social mobility (83/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (47/100). Graduates earn a median $63,469 a decade after enrolling, 1% below this list's average, and net price runs $24,778 a year, above the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what puts it near the top, even with below-average salaries.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #9
Valdosta State University lands at #9 with a 71/100 composite, led by social mobility (81/100) and pulled down by academic quality (62/100). Graduates earn a median $52,334 a decade after enrolling, 19% below this list's average, and net price runs $10,804 a year, well under the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what puts it near the top, even with below-average salaries.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #10
Georgia State University lands at #10 with a 71/100 composite, led by social mobility (82/100) and pulled down by academic quality (56/100). Graduates earn a median $51,903 a decade after enrolling, 19% below this list's average, and net price runs $12,365 a year, well under the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what puts it near the top, even with below-average salaries.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #11
Berry College lands at #11 with a 70/100 composite, led by social mobility (83/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (55/100). Graduates earn a median $57,984 a decade after enrolling, 10% below this list's average, and net price runs $21,964 a year, above the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what carries it up the list, even with below-average salaries.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #12
Shorter University lands at #12 with a 68/100 composite, led by social mobility (82/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (54/100). Graduates earn a median $51,757 a decade after enrolling, 19% below this list's average, and net price runs $18,008 a year. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what carries it up the list, even with below-average salaries.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #13
Piedmont University lands at #13 with a 67/100 composite, led by social mobility (83/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (48/100). Graduates earn a median $56,724 a decade after enrolling, 12% below this list's average, and net price runs $22,075 a year, above the field. Because the methodology weights social mobility (35%) and value (20%) above prestige, that mobility is what carries it up the list, even with below-average salaries.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #14
Augusta University lands at #14 with a 63/100 composite, led by economic outcomes (69/100) and pulled down by social mobility (54/100). Graduates earn a median $52,071 a decade after enrolling, 19% below this list's average, and net price runs $12,017 a year, well under the field. Strong earnings drive the rank, but with mobility weighted 35% and value 20%, salary alone can only take a school so far.
Pillar breakdown
Why it ranks #15
Savannah College of Art and Design lands at #15 with a 62/100 composite, led by academic quality (81/100) and pulled down by value per dollar (27/100). Graduates earn a median $51,635 a decade after enrolling, 20% below this list's average, and net price runs $50,165 a year, above the field. Academics score well here, yet mobility (35%) and value (20%) carry the most weight, so outcome-per-dollar sets the final position.
Pillar breakdown
Cut it by what you care about
The same 15 schools, re-ranked by the outcome that matters to you.
Where the programs — and the jobs are
Where these graduates work
Graduates of these programs most often become Management Analysts and related roles — a field with $99,410 median pay and 10% projected growth.
See the Management Analyst career guide →This ranking scores 15 institutions on graduation rates, graduate earnings, debt burdens, and social mobility data from Opportunity Insights. Every data point comes from federal sources. No surveys, no opinions.
Social mobility carries the heaviest weight in our algorithm. We use Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card — built on 30 million anonymized tax records — to measure whether a college changes a family's economic trajectory across generations. Schools that take low-income students and launch them into higher earnings rank higher than schools that admit wealthy students and take credit for their success.
The transparency penalty matters here. Schools that don't report their data get scored lower than schools that do. If an institution won't show you its numbers, we think you should know that before you write them a tuition check.
The story behind the ranking
A ranking gives you an order; these charts give you the shape. They show how this group of schools spreads across the four things that decide whether a degree pays off — what graduates earn, whether they finish, how far they move up, and what it costs. Look for the standouts, the outliers, and the trade-offs the list alone can't show.
Earnings Outcomes
What graduates earn 10 years after enrolling. Data from College Scorecard.
Distribution of Median Earnings
Earnings vs. Net Price
Top-left = best value. Top-ranked schools are highlighted.
Completion & Access
Graduation rates and who gets in. Data from College Scorecard & IPEDS.
Graduation Rates
Pell Grant Rate vs. Graduation Rate
Right = more low-income students. Higher = more graduate.
What the Mobility Data Says
Social mobility carries the heaviest weight in this ranking, and the measure comes from Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card, built from more than 30 million anonymized tax records. Across the 14 schools here with that data, the average mobility rate is 1.4%. That figure is the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top. Mercer University leads the group at 2.1%, with Georgia State University (2.1%) and Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus (1.9%) close behind.
Access varies widely. On average, 6.1% of students at these schools come from families in the bottom income quintile. Georgia State University enrolls the most, at 9.3%, a sign it is reaching the students mobility is meant to lift. A high mobility rate paired with strong access is the combination that changes a generation's trajectory.
For the low-income students who do enroll, the success rate (the odds of reaching the top quintile) averages 26.5% across the list, peaking at 57.5% at Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus.
These campuses can also be measured on social capital: the cross-class friendships Opportunity Insights links to long-run economic outcomes. Economic connectedness here averages 1.51, where about 1.0 is the national norm, and Emory University is highest at 1.78.
Mobility, access, and social-capital figures from Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card & the Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas.
Cost & Debt
What families actually pay and what students owe. Data from College Scorecard.
Median Debt at Graduation
Frequently Asked Questions
Best MBA Programs in Georgia: Your Questions, Answered
What is the #1 school in the Best MBA Programs in Georgia ranking? +
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus in Atlanta, GA ranks #1 in our 2026 Best MBA Programs in Georgia ranking. It earns the top spot on the strength of a median $114,210 in graduate earnings ten years after enrollment and a 94% graduation rate. Our score is built entirely from federal data on graduation rates, graduate earnings, debt, and social mobility. Reputation surveys play no part.
Which program has the highest graduate earnings? +
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus posts the highest median earnings on this list: $114,210 ten years after enrollment, well above the $64,262 average across the 15 ranked programs with earnings data. Earnings that outpace cost are what separate a degree that pays off from one that does not.
Which program offers the best value? +
On a pure return-on-cost basis, University of Georgia leads: graduates earn a median $77,246 against tuition of about $13,918 a year, the strongest earnings-to-cost ratio in the ranking. Applicants should weigh that payback against sticker price rather than prestige.
Which school has the highest graduation rate? +
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus has the highest graduation rate in this ranking at 94%, compared with a 62% average across the list. Completion matters because the students who finish are the ones who actually capture the earnings and mobility gains a degree promises.
How much does an MBA cost at these schools? +
Across the 3 programs with verified tuition, annual MBA tuition averages $38,221, ranging from about $13,918 a year at University of Georgia to $70,500 at Emory University. These are tuition figures pulled from official program pages (in-state where the school is public), not estimated net price.
How is the Best MBA Programs in Georgia ranking calculated? +
We score every school on a four-pillar algorithm: economic outcomes (graduate earnings and debt), social mobility (Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card, built on more than 30 million anonymized tax records), academic quality (graduation and retention), and value (net price and loan burden). Social mobility carries the heaviest weight, so schools that lift low-income students into higher earnings rank above those that simply admit wealthy students. Every input comes from federal data, and schools that withhold their numbers are scored lower for it.
How many schools are ranked and where does the data come from? +
This ranking evaluates 15 institutions using the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, the Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Card and Social Capital Atlas, Times Higher Education, and NCES IPEDS. There are no opinion surveys or paid placements. The order is determined by the data alone and refreshed as new federal figures are released.
Sources & Citations
Chetty, R., Friedman, J., Saez, E., Turner, N., & Yagan, D. (2017). Mobility Report Cards: The Role of Colleges in Intergenerational Mobility. NBER Working Paper No. 23618. →
U.S. Department of Education. College Scorecard Data. Federal Student Aid, National Center for Education Statistics. →
National Center for Education Statistics. Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). →
U.S. News & World Report. Best Business Schools MBA Rankings. Used for MBA program validation. →
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