Georgia has 168 colleges including 83 four-year colleges, 56 community colleges, and 29 trade schools. By control type, 65 schools are public and 103 schools are private. 600,125 students enrolled in Georgia colleges according to IPEDS.

For 4-year colleges, commonly said to as colleges, there are 83 schools are active in Georgia (28 public and 55 private). 458,099 students enrolled in the schools, by gender, 191,442 men and 266,657 women students.

These colleges have an average acceptance rate of 70.90% and an average SAT score of 1,130. The average tuition & fees for in-state students is $5,924 and for out-of-state students is $16,740. The average enrollment is about 5,519 students per college. On average, each college offers about 61 programs.

16 Prominent Georgia Colleges

The following table lists major colleges in Georgia that have high enrollment, good academic reputation, and recognized by Georgia residents. It includes 7 public institutions and 9 private institutions.

Georgia Major Colleges by Region
RegionProminent Institutions
Atlanta MetroGeorgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta), Emory University (Atlanta), Georgia State University (Atlanta), Spelman College (Atlanta), Morehouse College (Atlanta)
AthensUniversity of Georgia (Athens)
Central GeorgiaMercer University (Macon)
South GeorgiaValdosta State University (Valdosta)
North GeorgiaUniversity of North Georgia (Dahlonega)

University of Georgia, located in Athens, is generally considered the flagship institution in Georgia. It offers wide range of programs in both undergraduate and graduate levels, including 238 graduate programs and 11 online programs. Its total enrollment is approximately 43,146 including 1,664 online students.

Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus has the highest enrollment among these colleges, with a student population of 53,363 students and University of Georgia offers the most number of programs of 488.

Of the major colleges in Georgia, 3 law schools and 3 medical schools are affiliated with these colleges. Emory University and Mercer University have both a law school and a medical school. You can check the law schools and medical schools in the table below.

Notable public institutions

Prominent private institutions

  • Emory University: Most selective Georgia College, with an admission rate of 10.65% and an average SAT score of 1,520
  • Mercer University: Offering offering 165 programs; $31,565 tuition & fees; 68.89% acceptance rate; and 9,196 student population.
  • Agnes Scott College: Offering offering 45 programs; $50,604 tuition & fees; 62.15% acceptance rate; and 1,079 student population.
Comparison of Georgia Major Colleges
NameGraduate ProgramsDistance LearningTuition & FeesAdm. RateSAT ScoreEnrollOffered ProgramsLaw SchoolMedical School
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Atlanta
YesYes$34,48414.07%148053,363129
Emory University
Atlanta
YesYes$64,28010.65%152015,175209VisitVisit
University of Georgia
Athens
YesYes$31,68837.70%137043,146488Visit
Georgia Southern University
Statesboro
YesYes$17,73487.89%105527,423223
Augusta University
Augusta
YesYes$24,73486.41%106010,900144Visit
Valdosta State University
Valdosta
YesYes$17,83672.29%101010,26294
Mercer University
Macon
YesYes$31,56568.89%12509,196165VisitVisit
Columbus State University
Columbus
YesYes$17,61099.12%9407,913134
Clayton State University
Morrow
YesYes$16,53268.45%9606,16357
Agnes Scott College
Decatur
YesYes$50,60462.15%12401,07945
Spelman College
Atlanta
NoYes$31,55624.87%12203,41742
Thomas University
Thomasville
YesYes$11,64038.30%10601,47145
Berry College
Mount Berry
YesYes$41,48664.00%12202,48447
Oglethorpe University
Atlanta
YesYes$47,59088.45%11801,42534
Brenau University
Gainesville
YesYes$33,75787.78%10902,43696
Shorter University
Rome
YesYes$24,63096.46%11101,31843