14 Georgia Schools Ranked ‘Best Colleges For Your Money’

ATLANTA, GA — Buying a house and sending kids to college are two of the biggest spending decisions most Americans will ever make. Fortunately for Georgia families, 14 universities in the state are among the best college values in America, according to a new “Best Colleges for Your Money” ranking from Money magazine.

The Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta is ranked No. 16, and the University of Georgia in Athens is ranked at No. 62 for best value in the country, according to the analysis of more than 700 of the nation’s best-performing colleges. A total of 711 schools nationwide made the list, including 14 from Georgia.

Money said the ranking is a “new, uniquely practical analysis” that draws on research and advice from some of the nation’s leading experts on education quality, financing and value. (Get Patch’s daily newsletter and real-time news alerts, or like us on Facebook. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Other Georgia schools on the magazine's list are:

• No. 127 Emory University in Atlanta
• No. 356 Spelman College in Atlanta
• No. 434 Agnes Scott College in Decatur
• No. 446 Covenant College in Lookout Mountain
• No. 588 Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville
• No. 598 Brenau University in Gainesville
• No. 615 Point University in West Point
• No. 622 Berry College in Mount Berry
• No. 634 Georgia State University in Atlanta
• No. 658 Morehouse College in Atlanta
• No. 667 Georgia Southern University in Statesboro
• No. 703 Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah

Here’s why Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta rose to the top 20 in the Money 2017 Best Colleges For Your Money ranking for 2017-2018:

• Estimated net cost without financial aid: $30,700
• Estimated net cost with average state grant: $13,800
• Percent receiving need-based assistance: 38
• Percent receiving merit-based assistance: 25
• Average early-career earnings for graduates: $65,600

Here’s how the magazine describes Georgia Institute of Technology:

For in-state students, Georgia Tech is one of the lowest-cost technology-focused colleges in MONEY's top 50. The typical student has SAT scores in the 700s, and undergraduate classes are known to be demanding, yet the school maintains an above-average graduation rate of 85%. Georgia Tech students have ample opportunities to assist in faculty research. They do noticeably well in the job market, reporting average annual earnings of $65,600 within five years of graduation, which is 21% higher than the average for graduates of other tech schools. … The school has 15 NCAA Division I teams, but football is particularly revered. … . Students carry on one of the most intense college football rivalries in the country against the University of Georgia. Georgia Tech students are known to describe their attitude toward their rival as 'Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate'.

The top 10 education values were at:

1. Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
2. CUNY Bernard M Baruch College, New York City
3. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
4. University of California-Berkeley
5. University of California-Los Angeles
6. Stanford University, Stanford, California
7. University of California-Irvine
8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
9. University of California-Davis
10. Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Read the full list, see where other Georgia schools landed.

Photo courtesy of the Georgia Institute of Technology