The cost of college in Georgia — and what it pays back
Across the 100 Georgia institutions we profile, the median net price — what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — is $15,675/yr, $1,227 below the $16,902 national median. Graduates earn a median $38,712 ten years after entry (below the $43,549 national median), and 25 of the 100 schools clear their full cost on institution-wide earnings. (Scorecard, 2026 · our math.)
How Georgia's 100 colleges split by ROI verdict
Verdicts: payback under 5 / 10 / 20 / over 20 years (or none).
| College | Net price/yr | Earnings 10y | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | $12,116 | $102,772 | 0.9 yrs |
| Emory University-Oxford College | $37,920 | $80,137 | 2.4 yrs |
| University of Georgia | $13,936 | $68,726 | 2.7 yrs |
| Emory University | $22,585 | $80,137 | 2.8 yrs |
| Chamberlain University-Georgia | $33,188 | $92,405 | 3 yrs |
| College | Net price/yr | Earnings 10y | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Technical College | -$914 | $30,350 | no payback |
| Coastal Pines Technical College | -$126 | $30,214 | no payback |
| Wiregrass Georgia Technical College | $614 | $30,864 | no payback |
| Southern Regional Technical College | $813 | $31,293 | no payback |
| South Georgia Technical College | $1,164 | $30,364 | no payback |
How many Georgia colleges actually pay for themselves?
25 of 100 — 25% of the Georgia institutions we profile clear their full net cost on institution-wide earnings above the $48,360 high-school baseline. The rest need a high-paying major to pay off; the school average alone does not do it.
Do Georgia graduates out-earn the national median?
Georgia graduates report a median $38,712 ten years after entry, $4,837 below the $43,549 national median. Earnings track the local labour market and the mix of fields the state's colleges graduate, not the state border itself.