College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Georgia Southern University

GALarge public institution · Overall rank #124 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks Georgia Southern University #124 among nonprofit institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

Georgia Southern University is a public university in Statesboro, Georgia, where the largest degree families are Business and Health Professions. Mobility is among the highest we track.

Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them. The model finds that the factors it measures add to expected earnings, while the remainder it does not explain subtracts from them.

Pell students complete at a rate below the entering cohort as a whole, and access is well above average. The spread between what the lowest and highest income bands pay is modest, and affordability is above average.

The admission rate is above the median for comparable schools, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study. A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the best-paid ones are smaller engineering and technology fields.

Georgia Southern University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
87.9%
Six-year completion[2]
54.9%
Four-year earnings[3]
$62,342

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$14,965
Median student debt[4]
$23,250
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$16,000

Georgia Southern University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Georgia Southern University is a public university in Statesboro, Georgia, enrolling 21,790 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits near the top of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (92nd percentile).

Georgia Southern University admits 87.9% of applicants; the median for comparable institutions of the same type and size is 78.1%. Among first-time, full-time students, 77.8% return for a second year and 54.9% complete a degree within six years.

Peer medians for those measures are 83.1% and 65.0%. An estimated 23.6% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the six-year rate describes only a share of the people who study here.

Mobility is the strongest of the four (95th percentile), and access is close behind (86th percentile). Return is the weakest (52nd percentile), with affordability (72nd percentile) between the two. The four are spread wide, with the top and bottom pillars sitting far apart.

Georgia Southern University stands out most on mobility, with access and affordability also placing well in Azimuth's national framework. Azimuth places its mobility pillar in the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Access sits in the 86th percentile, while affordability is in the 72nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Return is the weakest pillar at the 52nd percentile nationally, so the school’s broad mobility showing is stronger than its return picture.

36.2% of undergraduates at Georgia Southern University receive Pell Grants. The middle 50% of enrolled students who submitted SAT scores fell between 986 and 1,133.

Azimuth ranks the university #199 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pell Grant recipients in the first-time, full-time cohort complete at a rate of 48.6%, which is 6.3 percentage points below the overall six-year graduation rate.

Mobility is the strongest pillar for Georgia Southern University, ranked #78 by Azimuth. Graduates earn about $842 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Georgia Southern University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#124

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 95
Access & reach
National percentile: 86
Affordability
National percentile: 72
Return on investment
National percentile: 52

Top-ranked majors

  1. Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other#2
  2. Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions#10
  3. Construction Engineering Technology/Technician#12

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Georgia Southern University briefing

Georgia Southern University cost & financial aid[6][7]

Georgia Southern University posts a published cost of attendance of $24,430 for its standard budget. In-state tuition and fees are $6,022, compared with $17,734 for out-of-state tuition and fees, and room and board are $11,492.

For aid recipients, the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $15,267, leaving $9,163 in average aid savings against the published cost. That net price is $367 below the peer median of $15,634 at comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the university in the 72nd percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The aid-recipient price is close to the peer benchmark, even as the published charges establish a much higher starting point.

Family income makes a visible difference in what aid recipients pay at Georgia Southern University. Its published cost of attendance is $24,430.

For the lowest family-income band, the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $12,162. The next family-income band averages $12,564, and the middle family-income band averages $14,965.

The upper-middle family-income band has an of $18,408. For the highest family-income band, the average is $19,789.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,627. Azimuth ranks the university #397 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 38% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, offsetting $9,163 from the sticker price. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $15,267.

That figure is $367 below the peer median net price of $15,634 at comparable institutions (same type and size). Published in-state tuition is $6,022, while out-of-state tuition is $17,734.

Aid offsets a substantial share of published costs, though average prices vary across family-income bands. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $23,250, and 89.0% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

The peer median debt is $20,076 at comparable institutions (same type and size), placing Georgia Southern's median $3,174 above it. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 a month if repaid over ten years.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $16,000.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$14,965

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Georgia Southern University

Federal borrowing is common at Georgia Southern University, where 89.0% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. For borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $23,250.

That median is $3,174 above the $20,076 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size). For the separate population of Parent PLUS borrowers, median borrowing is $16,000.

Mobility is Georgia Southern University's strongest Azimuth pillar, while its financial return picture sits close to the model's expectation. Four years after completion, graduates have median earnings of $62,342.

Azimuth places those earnings in the 58th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $842 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sits in the 52nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios from the program mix range from $46,404 in the downside scenario to $85,057 in the upside scenario, with $62,342 as the typical scenario.

Median federal debt at completion is $23,250, which is $3,174 above the $20,076 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 a month if repaid over ten years.

The return picture is mixed: earnings are near the model's expectation and borrower debt sits above the peer median.

For the separate population of Parent PLUS parent borrowers, Georgia Southern University has median borrowing of $16,000. For student borrowers who completed, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$23,250
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$16,000

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$264/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$203/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Georgia Southern University briefing

Georgia Southern University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Mobility is Georgia Southern University’s strongest Azimuth pillar, but return sits near the middle of nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth places its return pillar in the 52nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $842 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. Azimuth places earnings beyond expectations in the 52nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $10,515. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $11,357.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,537. Four years after completion, median earnings are $62,342, which Azimuth places in the 58th percentile.

That is $3,268 below the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $65,610.

For federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, Georgia Southern University has median earnings of $62,342 four years after completion. Azimuth places that earnings median in the 58th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, offering a middle-of-the-pack earnings picture rather than a clear return advantage.

The earnings cohort includes 5,797 completers, giving the measure a broad base. Graduates earn about $842 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level.

Earnings scenarios tied to the program mix show a typical outcome of $62,342, alongside a downside scenario of $46,404 and an upside scenario of $85,057. An estimated 28.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix.

The median and model comparison point to earnings near the expected level, with program choice shaping the range.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $62,342, at the 58th percentile. The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $65,610, so the university sits $3,268 below that mark.

Azimuth ranks Georgia Southern University #704 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $842 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level.

The gap sits at the 52nd percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $10,515.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $11,357. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,537.

The largest degree families are business, health professions, and parks and recreation, with STEM accounting for 19.3% of awards. Estimated from the program mix, the downside earnings scenario is $46,404 and the upside scenario is $85,057.

An estimated 28.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Program choice makes a substantial difference in the modeled earnings picture at Georgia Southern University. The downside scenario is $46,404, the typical scenario is $62,342, and the upside scenario is $85,057; these are earnings scenarios rather than observed groups. Published earnings cover 47 programs.

Mobility is the stronger pillar at Georgia Southern University, but debt compared with peers calls for closer attention. Borrowers who completed had median federal student loan debt of $23,250, which is above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 a month if repaid over ten years. Graduates earn about $842 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level.

Parent PLUS borrowers, a separate population from student borrowers, had median borrowing of $16,000. Earnings near the model’s expectation and debt above the peer median make the return picture more cautious.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$10,515
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$11,357
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$842

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Georgia Southern University briefing

Georgia Southern University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Georgia Southern University admitted 87.9% of applicants, above the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). Most applicants in that reported pool were admitted, though the rate does not describe any individual applicant’s outcome.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 23,494 first-year applicants and 20,339 admitted applicants. The rate describes an applicant-pool outcome rather than an individual prediction.

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
87.9%
Approximate lower endpoint
986
Reported average
1053
Approximate upper endpoint
1133

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Georgia Southern University briefing

What are the largest majors at Georgia Southern University?[12]

At Georgia Southern University, program choice is central to the return picture, with technical fields posting higher earnings than several larger offerings. Construction Engineering Technology/Technician reports median earnings of $95,844 four years after completion and 107 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #12 nationally within its field among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Business Administration and Management is a larger, more moderate-earning option, with $74,726 and 309 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #98 nationally within its field among nonprofit four-year institutions. Kinesiology and Physical Education reports $55,330 and 252 degrees awarded, with an Azimuth rank of #86 nationally within its field among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The contrast between these higher and moderate figures makes field central to interpreting earnings.

Georgia Southern University has 41 nationally ranked bachelor's programs, and the highest-ranked among them are relatively small degree families. Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics is the top-ranked program, at #2 in its field and #1 in Georgia.

Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions follows at #10 in its field, awarding 28 degrees, and its completers earn a median of $65,037. Construction Engineering Technology/Technician ranks #12 in its field with 107 degrees and $95,844 in earnings.

The largest programs tell a different story. Business Administration and Management awards 309 degrees a year and ranks #98 in its field, with median earnings of $74,726.

Nursing is close behind at 294 degrees, ranking #240 in its field and earning $79,988. A student drawn to the largest departments should know that the best-ranked programs are not the biggest ones.

Georgia Southern University grants bachelor's degrees in 41 fields with an Azimuth national rank and 47 fields with published four-year earnings data. By broad family, Business accounts for 18.1% of degrees awarded, followed by Health Professions at 16.1% and Parks, Recreation & Fitness at 7.1%.

The three largest individual programs are Business Administration and Management with 309 degrees awarded, Nursing with 294, and Kinesiology and Physical Education with 252. Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics awards 41 degrees a year and ranks #1 in Georgia within its field.

Its graduates earn $53,981 four years after completion. Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions ranks #10 nationally and #1 in Georgia within its field.

The program awards 28 degrees a year, and its graduates earn $65,037 four years after completion. Construction Engineering Technology/Technician ranks #12 nationally and #1 in Georgia within its field.

The program awards 107 degrees a year, and its graduates earn $95,844 four years after completion. Electrical Engineering graduates earn $95,467 four years after completion, from 59 degrees awarded.

The program ranks #147 nationally and #4 in Georgia within its field. Strength is spread across unrelated fields, from foreign languages, literatures, and linguistics to rehabilitation and therapeutic professions and construction engineering technology.

19.3% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields. Four-year earnings for fields where many graduates go on to further study may understate later trajectories.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Business Administration, Management and Operations 309 degrees awarded
$74,726
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 294 degrees awarded
$79,988
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 252 degrees awarded
$55,330
Psychology, General 239 degrees awarded
$48,180
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 221 degrees awarded
$47,109
Biology, General 205 degrees awarded
$50,667

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Georgia Southern University briefing

How does Georgia Southern University serve students from different backgrounds?

At Georgia Southern University, the 54.9% six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort anchors a mobility profile that Azimuth places in the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pell recipients complete within six years at 48.6%, below the overall rate by 6.3 percentage points.

Graduates earn about $842 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sits in the 52nd percentile.

The high mobility placement and near-expected earnings present a mixed outcomes picture.

Georgia Southern University combines a broad admission rate with a large undergraduate enrollment, admitting 87.9% of applicants and enrolling 21,790 undergraduates. That gives its access profile a wide entry point at substantial scale.

Pell Grants reach 36.2% of undergraduates, and an estimated 23.6% enter as transfers or part-time students. Azimuth places the access pillar in the 86th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, a high standing alongside broad entry.

06 / Georgia Southern University briefing

What colleges are similar to Georgia Southern University?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Georgia Southern University.

Admissions peerUniversity of South Carolina Aiken78.5% admitted
Comparison with Georgia Southern University
MeasureGeorgia Southern UniversityUniversity of South Carolina Aiken
Peer earnings · 4 years$62,342$53,299-$9,043 vs Georgia Southern University
Average annual net price$15,267$11,641-$3,626 vs Georgia Southern University · lower cost
Admission rate87.9%78.5%
Higher-admission alternativeUniversity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee100.0% admitted
Comparison with Georgia Southern University
MeasureGeorgia Southern UniversityUniversity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Peer earnings · 4 years$62,342$62,480+$138 vs Georgia Southern University
Average annual net price$15,267$15,014-$253 vs Georgia Southern University · lower cost
Admission rate87.9%100.0%
Explore University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee →
Nearby alternativeGeorgia College & State UniversityNearby option · GA
Comparison with Georgia Southern University
MeasureGeorgia Southern UniversityGeorgia College & State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$62,342$62,852+$510 vs Georgia Southern University
Average annual net price$15,267$20,686+$5,419 vs Georgia Southern University · higher cost
Admission rate87.9%78.2%
Explore Georgia College & State University →
Higher-earnings alternativeSan Jose State University$89,614 earnings
Comparison with Georgia Southern University
MeasureGeorgia Southern UniversitySan Jose State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$62,342$89,614+$27,272 vs Georgia Southern University
Average annual net price$15,267$13,760-$1,507 vs Georgia Southern University · lower cost
Admission rate87.9%84.6%
Explore San Jose State University →
Lower-cost alternativeUniversity of South Carolina Aiken$11,641 average net price
Comparison with Georgia Southern University
MeasureGeorgia Southern UniversityUniversity of South Carolina Aiken
Peer earnings · 4 years$62,342$53,299-$9,043 vs Georgia Southern University
Average annual net price$15,267$11,641-$3,626 vs Georgia Southern University · lower cost
Admission rate87.9%78.5%
Similar profileVirginia Commonwealth UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with Georgia Southern University
MeasureGeorgia Southern UniversityVirginia Commonwealth University
Peer earnings · 4 years$62,342$64,703+$2,361 vs Georgia Southern University
Average annual net price$15,267$23,433+$8,166 vs Georgia Southern University · higher cost
Admission rate87.9%92.6%
Explore Virginia Commonwealth University →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings