Georgia Southwestern
State University
Public College in Americus, GA. Six-year graduation rate 41%. Median 10-year earnings $48,757.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $48,757 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. Six-year completion sits at 41%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Debt at graduation runs to a median of $18,851, neither a bargain nor a burden.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
Georgia Southwestern State University accepts 75% of applicants, which makes it accessible to most students who meet the baseline requirements. The applicant pool runs to 2,328, typical for a school of this reach. 32% of those admitted enroll, which is unremarkable in either direction. 25% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score. The bands below describe the middle half of that group, not of the class.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 460–570 | 137 (25%) |
| SAT Math | 430–540 | |
| ACT Composite | 16–22 | 58 (11%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Georgia Southwestern State University →Academics
Completion is middling: 41% finish inside six years. Just 58% of first-years come back — most of the completion gap opens in year one. The two rates sit near each other: few students who return for a second year are missing from the six-year completion figure. The 42% transfer-out rate is high enough that a large share of this school's students are really passing through. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 29% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 2,295 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $11,769 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Net price varies modestly by income — $10,477 at $0–30k against $15,415 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. 76% of students receive grant aid, averaging $8,093 — common but not automatic. Federal borrowing reaches 45% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 517 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $10,477 |
| $30–48k | $10,935 |
| $48–75k | $13,508 |
| $75–110k | $16,373 |
| $110k+ | $15,415 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 1,027 of these 2,295 students, totalling $6,514,154 — an average of $6,343 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Sumter County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)