Higher Education Outcome Report · South

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Georgia Higher Education Outcome Report

Updated continuously · 72 degree-granting institutions graded

Georgia's higher education system is a lower earnings system. Median 10-year earnings sit at $47,692, -8% vs the national median.

logistics & film
fintech
healthcare

140
INSTITUTIONS: $47,692
MEDIAN EARNINGS: ▼ -8% vs natl; $19,565
AVG NET PRICE: 51 / 38
PUBLIC / PRIVATE

OUTCOME GRADE

C+

38/100 · #39 of 50

Georgia At A Glance

State-Level Intelligence

Institutions

72

330,878 students enrolled
Graduates / Year

~42,776

Estimated annual completers
Median Earnings
40th pct

$46,541

30th of 50 states
Mobility Score
54th pct

1.7%

21st of 46 states
Talent Retention
8th pct

68%

First-year retention rate
Value Ratio
28th pct

2.5x

Earnings per net-price dollar

Top Industries Hiring Graduates:

Business
Humanities
Healthcare

Executive Summary

Georgia graduates earn a median of $46,541 a decade after entry, 5% below the national state average, ranking 30th of 50 states.
Upward mobility sits mid-pack: the state's institutions move bottom-quintile students into the top quintile at a 1.7% rate, in the 54th percentile nationally.
Degree production is led by Business and Humanities, which together account for 33% of graduates. That diversified mix sets what the state's labor pipeline can supply.
Humanities shows oversupply pressure: graduate earnings run 14.2% below the national median, suggesting the field produces more graduates than the local market rewards.
On value, Georgia returns 2.5x earnings per dollar of net price, below average cost-to-outcome efficiency in the country.
The state's strongest mobility engine is Savannah State University, which moves bottom-quintile students into the top quintile at a 4% rate, the highest in Georgia.

Key Insights

Earnings vs National

-6.8%

Median graduate earnings in Georgia are below the national average by 7%.
Cost vs National

+0.7%

Net price in Georgia is higher than the national average by 1%.
Mobility Rate

-0.13pp

Upward mobility rate is 0.1 percentage points below the national average.
Completion Rate

-12pp

Georgia's graduation rate is 12 percentage points below the national average.
Best Value

50.3x

Top value school: Wiregrass Georgia Technical College ($30,864 earnings vs $614 net price).
Low-Income Access

15.6%

16% of students come from bottom-quintile households, a measure of how open the state's colleges are to low-income students.

Education Output Profile

Business (21% of graduates) and Humanities (12% of graduates) dominate Georgia's higher education output. Graduates in the top field earn a weighted average of $44,534.

Business

21%

$44,534 avg
Humanities

12%

$47,269 avg
Healthcare

12%

$49,725 avg
Social Sciences

11%

$48,479 avg
Technology

10%

$52,177 avg

Concentration: diversified HHI: 12

Outcome Performance

Georgia's highest-ROI degree cluster is Law (Legal Studies), where graduates average $50,603 against a net cost of $15,515, a 3.3x return. That's -1.9% vs the national median.

Legal Studies
3.3x

$50,603 earnings $15,515 net -1.9% vs natl
Physical Sciences
3.0x

$52,989 earnings $17,957 net +2.7% vs natl
Humanities
2.8x

$46,559 earnings $16,413 net -9.7% vs natl
Mathematics & Statistics
2.8x

$51,299 earnings $18,145 net -0.5% vs natl
Criminal Justice
2.8x

$44,193 earnings $15,956 net -14.3% vs natl
Social Sciences
2.8x

$50,073 earnings $18,137 net -2.9% vs natl

State Talent Profile

Three lenses on Georgia's talent pipeline: which fields produce the most graduates, which command the highest earnings, and where high-pay demand outruns local supply.

Dominant Fields

Business & Marketing 21%
Health Professions 12%
Humanities 11%
Computer Science & IT 9%
Psychology 7%

Highest-Earning Fields

Engineering $79,102
Computer Science & IT $51,653
Biology & Biomedical $50,861
Health Professions $49,725
Social Sciences $49,708

Opportunity Gaps

High earnings, low local production — fields where demand may outrun Georgia's graduate supply.

Engineering $79,102 6% of grads
Biology & Biomedical $50,861 7% of grads
Social Sciences $49,708 5% of grads

Mobility & Retention

Opportunity Insights

Georgia's colleges post an average mobility rate of 1.7%, which puts the state in the 54th percentile nationally. 11% of students arrive from bottom-quintile households, a larger share than most states enroll. Cross-class social connectedness averages 1.26, a proxy for the networks that help graduates convert a degree into mobility.

MOBILITY RATE

1.7%

▲ +0.03pp vs natl

Bottom 20% → Top 20%
LOW-INCOME ACCESS

11%

From bottom quintile
SUCCESS RATE

20%

If bottom 20% enroll
FIRST-GENERATION

35%

First-gen students
TALENT RETENTION

68%

First-year retention
SOCIAL CAPITAL

1.26

Economic connectedness

Mobility Leaders — Institutions Driving Upward Movement

Labor Market Alignment

Humanities graduates, however, earn 14.2% below the national median, a possible sign the state produces more of these degrees than its labor market absorbs.

Business
21% of enrollment

$46,749 -9.4% vs natl

59 schools
Humanities
12% of enrollment

$44,253 -14.2% vs natl

27 schools
Healthcare
12% of enrollment

$47,622 -7.7% vs natl

41 schools
Social Sciences
11% of enrollment

$48,702 -5.6% vs natl

39 schools
Technology
10% of enrollment

$50,082 -2.9% vs natl

21 schools
Sciences
8% of enrollment

$52,146 +1.1% vs natl

25 schools

Potential Oversupply Signals

Humanities: -14.2% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Business: -9.4% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Healthcare: -7.7% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Institutional Landscape

Georgia's higher education system includes 4 research-oriented, 13 specialized, 20 access-oriented, 35 regional institutions. Each group plays a different role in the state's outcomes.

4

Research Universities
35

Regional Universities
20

Access-Oriented Institutions
13

Specialized Institutions

Research Universities

Access-Oriented Institutions

Cost & Access Corridors

33% of Georgia's colleges charge under $15K net. Graduates of those schools average $46,447 at 10 years. At the premium end, 1 school charge over $40K, with graduates averaging $45,954.

NET PRICE UNDER $15K

22

33% of schools
Avg earnings: $46,447
NET PRICE $15K–$25K

29

44% of schools
Avg earnings: $47,247
NET PRICE $25K–$40K

14

21% of schools
Avg earnings: $50,566
NET PRICE OVER $40K

1

2% of schools
Avg earnings: $45,954

Top Earners

Schools ranked by median graduate earnings 10 years after enrolling.

Higher education in Georgia

Georgia is home to 140 colleges and universities, from 51 public institutions to 38 private nonprofits. Kennesaw State University anchors the public system, and graduates across the state earn a median of about $40,836 ten years after enrolling.

Higher education clusters around Atlanta, Augusta and Savannah, and the strongest programs by enrollment are Business & Marketing, Health Professions and Computer Science & IT. We rank every school here by what its graduates actually earn and how far they move up — not by reputation or sticker price.

What college costs in Georgia

The average net price — what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — runs about $18,198 a year across Georgia. Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus stands out on return: strong graduate earnings against a comparatively low net price. Public universities and in-state tuition remain the clearest path to a low-debt degree, while need-based aid can make selective private schools surprisingly competitive.

Most Affordable Schools

Jobs & industries

Georgia's economy leans on logistics & film, fintech and healthcare, which shapes which degrees pay off fastest in-state. Programs in Business & Marketing, Health Professions and Computer Science & IT feed directly into those employers, and graduates who stay in-region benefit from established hiring pipelines and alumni networks.

Licensure & transfer

Licensure and articulation are state-specific: nursing, teaching, law, and the health professions are regulated at the Georgia level, so an in-state program is often the most direct route to practicing here. Community-college transfer agreements with public universities can also cut the cost of a four-year degree substantially.

Cost vs Return

What graduates in Georgia earn relative to what they pay for college.

MEDIAN EARNINGS (10YR)

$40,836

▼ $-3,001 vs natl

AVG NET PRICE

$18,198

▼ +$122 vs natl

EARNINGS / COST RATIO

2.2x

Return per dollar invested

Best Value Schools

HBCUs in Georgia

Is Georgia Right for You?

Georgia is a strong fit if you want to build a career in logistics & film and fintech, value in-state tuition, or plan to work in the region after graduation. Use the rankings and filters below to weigh earnings, cost, and mobility for every school in the state.

Every figure on this page is derived from public federal data and read within its regional and economic context. Information Gain Policy →

Related Rankings

Top Schools

Miami Ad School-Atlanta · GA Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus · GA Chamberlain University-Georgia · GA Emory University · GA Emory University-Oxford College · GA University of Georgia · GA

FAQ

How many colleges are in Georgia?

There are 140 colleges and universities in Georgia in our dataset — 51 public, 38 private nonprofit, including 10 HBCUs.

What is the highest-earning college in Georgia?

By median graduate earnings 10 years out, Miami Ad School-Atlanta leads, followed by schools like Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus and Chamberlain University-Georgia.

How much does college cost in Georgia?

The average net price — tuition and living costs after grants — is about $18,198 per year. In-state public tuition is typically the lowest-cost path.

What are the best-paying career fields in Georgia?

Georgia's economy is anchored by logistics & film, fintech and healthcare, so degrees feeding those industries tend to pay off fastest in-state.

Is it worth going to college in Georgia?

For most students, yes — especially at in-state public universities and high-value private schools. Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus, for example, pairs strong earnings with a low net price. Weigh earnings against net price using the data on this page.

All 140 schools in Georgia

Data Behind This Page Updated 2026

140 institutions in Georgia

2026 Last updated

100% Public / federal sources

Source datasets

Methodology

States are graded on graduate earnings, social mobility, completion, and cost — each drawn from federal data and Opportunity Insights research, then normalized into a single Outcomes Index (0–100).

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.

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