by our College Data Analytics TeamWith all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Top Georgia Colleges ranking is part of that endeavor.
We analyzed 68 colleges and universities across Georgia to determine which were the best in terms of overall quality. To come up with this ranking, we look at more than 20 factors that are all objective measurements. These factors include freshman retention, graduation rate, student-to-faculty ratio, and post graduate earnings, among other things.
Find out more about our ranking methodology.
We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location and field of study as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors such as those of importance to veterans and returning adults or those who value diversity and value for your money.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head!
Learn more about these excellent schools below: Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus tops this year’s ranking as the best school in Georgia for overall quality. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. During the early years of their career, graduates from Georgia Tech make an average of $102,772 a year. Out of the 68 schools in Georgia that were part of this year’s ranking, Emory University landed the #2 spot on the list. With a student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Emory is $80,137 during the early years of their career. Out of the 68 schools in Georgia that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Georgia landed the #3 spot on the list. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UGA make an average of $68,726 per year during the early years of their career. You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Regional Technical College. It ranked #4 on our 2025 Best Colleges in Georgia list. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Southwest Georgia Technical College make an average of $31,293 per year during the early years of their career. A rank of #5 on our Best Colleges in Georgia list means Lanier Technical College is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. During the early years of their career, graduates from Lanier Technical College make an average of $37,623 a year.1
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With a ranking of #6, Oxford College of Emory University did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Georgia list.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Oxford College is $80,137 during the early years of their career.
Chattahoochee Technical College landed the #7 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Georgia ranking. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Chattahoochee Technical College make an average of $37,138 per year during the early years of their career. Athens Technical College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges in Georgia list. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Athens Technical College go into careers with an average salary of $35,951 during the early years of their career. With a ranking of #9, Gwinnett Technical College did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Georgia list. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $45,025 during the early years of their career.. Georgia Northwestern Technical College landed the #10 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Georgia ranking. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Northwestern Technical College is $35,759 during the early years of their career.78910
Ogeechee Technical College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges in Georgia list.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Ogeechee Technical College is $31,248 during the early years of their career.
Augusta Technical College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges in Georgia list. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from Augusta Technical College make an average of $33,523 a year. Central Georgia Technical College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges in Georgia list. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from CGTC make an average of $30,848 per year during the early years of their career. Columbus Technical College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Georgia ranking. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Columbus Technical College make an average of $34,238 per year during the early years of their career. With a ranking of #15, Georgia State University-Perimeter College did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Georgia list. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University-Perimeter College make an average of $47,384 per year during the early years of their career.12131415
Georgia Southern University landed the #16 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Georgia ranking.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from GaSou is $53,236 during the early years of their career.
Georgia State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Georgia ranking. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Georgia State go into careers with an average salary of $47,384 during the early years of their career. With a ranking of #18, Southern Crescent Technical College did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Georgia list. During the early years of their career, graduates from Southern Crescent Technical College make an average of $36,104 a year. Mercer University landed the #19 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Georgia ranking. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Mercer go into careers with an average salary of $58,354 during the early years of their career. Kennesaw State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Georgia ranking. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from KSU Georgia make an average of $57,552 per year during the early years of their career.17
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With a ranking of #21, Savannah Technical College did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Georgia list.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Savannah Tech make an average of $33,018 per year during the early years of their career.
Wiregrass Georgia Technical College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Georgia ranking. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Wiregrass Georgia Technical College go into careers with an average salary of $30,864 during the early years of their career. Georgia College & State University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Colleges in Georgia list. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Georgia College go into careers with an average salary of $58,140 during the early years of their career. Piedmont College did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in Georgia ranking, coming in at #24. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $49,130 during the early years of their career.. DeVry University - Georgia did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in Georgia ranking, coming in at #25. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from DeVry University - Georgia is $45,987 during the early years of their career.2223
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.