University of Georgia
Public Research University in Athens, GA. Six-year graduation rate 90%. Median 10-year earnings $68,726.
A decade after enrolling, the median University of Georgia student earns $68,726 — comfortably above what the typical bachelor's-granting institution returns. 90% graduate within six years, so most students who start here finish here. Debt at graduation runs to a median of $18,500, 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.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.27 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ Graduation rate 90% — well above the national average
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
At 38%, the acceptance rate makes University of Georgia a school worth applying to with alternatives in hand. With 42,732 applications received, this is a school operating at national scale. 38% of those admitted enroll, which is unremarkable in either direction. Score ranges below describe the middle half of score submitters among enrolled first-years; students who applied test-optional are not represented in them.
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 | 640–730 | 3,785 (61%) |
| SAT Math | 630–750 | |
| ACT Composite | 29–34 | 2,356 (38%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at University of Georgia →Academics
Six-year completion runs to 90% — students who start here overwhelmingly finish here. Retention is strong at 94%, and first-year attrition is where most degrees are lost. The student-faculty ratio is 17:1 — typical, which in practice means large lectures early and smaller classes in the major. As a public four-year university, the relevant comparison is other four-year schools rather than the national average across all institutions. With 31,514 undergraduates, this is a large institution — expect the administrative scale and the range of offerings that come with it.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 31,310 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price after grant aid is $16,662 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $8,085 at the $0–30k band to $18,079 at $110k+. Most students get help: 85% receive grants worth $11,160 on average. 20% borrow federally — a low rate, though it covers federal loans only.
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 · 6,121 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 | $8,085 |
| $30–48k | $8,686 |
| $48–75k | $13,096 |
| $75–110k | $16,942 |
| $110k+ | $18,079 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 6,158 of these 31,310 students, totalling $37,311,516 — an average of $6,059 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Clarke 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)