College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Georgia State University

GALarge public institution · Overall rank #44 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks Georgia State University #44 nationally, with access and mobility in the 98th and 98th percentiles.

Who it’s a good fit for

Georgia State University is a public university in Atlanta whose degree mix is led by Business, Computer & Information Sciences, and Biological Sciences. Access is among the highest we track and mobility is among the highest we track, while return is around the average.

Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them. The model attributes the gap to a remainder it does not explain, which subtracts from earnings, and to the factors it measures, which add to them.

Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study. The net price for the lowest income band sits well below the published cost, while the highest band pays closer to it, and affordability is well above average.

Pell students complete at a rate that is below the overall rate for the entering cohort. The admission rate is below the median for comparable public universities of similar size.

A student drawn to the social sciences should know that the largest department is not among the best-paid ones.

Georgia State at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
55.4%
Six-year completion[2]
53.1%
Four-year earnings[3]
$58,898

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$16,656
Median student debt[4]
$20,903
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$14,837

Georgia State rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Georgia State University is a public university in Atlanta, Georgia, enrolling 26,623 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits near the top of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (97th percentile).

The university scores very high on access and mobility, with those two pillars landing in the top few percent nationally, while return is the weakest of the four. The university admits 55.4% of applicants, a rate well below the 78.1% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size.

Of students who start full time, 79.9% return for a second year, against a peer median of 83.1%. The six-year graduation rate is 53.1%, compared to a peer median of 65.0%.

An estimated 28.6% of undergraduates arrive as transfers or part-time students, and the six-year rate describes the first-time, full-time cohort only. The four pillars sit far apart.

Access and mobility are both near the top of the ranking, while affordability sits somewhat lower. The shape is a public university where access and mobility are strong, while return is the weakest pillar.

Georgia State University stands out most on access, where Azimuth places the university in the 98th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. A Pell share of 50.7% and an admission rate of 55.4% coincide with that pillar strength.

Mobility reaches the 98th percentile, and affordability the 75th percentile. The return pillar is the weakest, in the 46th percentile.

At Georgia State University, 50.7% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, a measure of financial access at this public university in Atlanta, Georgia. Azimuth ranks the university #27 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The pillar rests on the university's Pell enrollment and on how those students progress once enrolled. Pell recipients complete at 32.4%, below the overall six-year graduation rate (53.1%) by 20.7 percentage points.

The access rank coincides with both the breadth of financial access and the completion gap those students face. Azimuth ranks the university #34 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $1,434 less than the model expects for similar students, a result that points in the opposite direction from the access and mobility rankings.

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

Georgia State rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#44

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 98
Access & reach
National percentile: 98
Affordability
National percentile: 75
Return on investment
National percentile: 46

Top-ranked majors

  1. Insurance#3
  2. Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions#10
  3. Business/Managerial Economics#18

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 State briefing

Georgia State cost & financial aid[6][7]

The published cost of attendance at Georgia State University is $28,241. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $9,180 and required fees of $1,320 for the 2025-26 academic year, with on-campus food and housing at $11,138.

Out-of-state students face a published tuition of $30,000. After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients is $15,931.

Aid lowers the published cost by $12,310 for the average aid recipient. That is $297 above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #348 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Georgia State University publishes a cost of attendance of $28,241, and aid packages bring the actual price down considerably for most families. For students from families earning under $30,000, the average net price—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $13,787.

The figure moves across the income bands: $14,430 for the $30,001–$48,000 band, $16,656 for $48,001–$75,000, $19,390 for $75,001–$110,000, and $20,305 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $6,518.

Azimuth ranks the university #348 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 44% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $12,310 against the sticker price.

The average net price across all aid recipients is $15,931, which sits above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $297. As a public university, Georgia State serves an undergraduate enrollment of 26,623.

Median federal student debt at completion is $20,903, with about 69.5% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans. That debt sits above the peer median of $20,076 by $827, and the estimated monthly payment if repaid over ten years is $238.

Parent PLUS borrowing adds a separate layer: the median among parent borrowers is $14,837.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$16,656

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Georgia State

That figure is above the $20,076 at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $827. Roughly 69.5% of federal aid recipients borrow.

The separate parent-borrower population has a median Parent PLUS debt of $14,837. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 54% of the 4,196 bachelor's graduates who started as first-time students borrowed from any source, averaging $29,138 per borrower.

That figure includes 53% with federal loans averaging $26,527 and 5% with private loans averaging $24,584.

The median earnings for Georgia State University graduates four years after completion is $58,898, which sits in the 47th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure is below the $65,610 median at comparable institutions (same type and size), a gap of $6,712.

Graduates earn about $1,434 less than the model expects for similar students, a result that sits in the 50th percentile nationally. Scenarios modeled from the university's program mix show a typical earnings outcome of $58,898, with a downside scenario of $46,194 and an upside scenario of $90,300.

The median federal debt of $20,903 runs above the $20,076 peer median, and if repaid over ten years the estimated monthly payment is $238.

Parent borrowers at the university took on a median of $14,837 in Parent PLUS loans, a separate federal borrowing population. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $238.

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

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$20,903
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$14,837

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

Estimated student payment · monthly
$238/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$189/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 State briefing

Georgia State career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $58,898, in the 47th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That is $6,712 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the return pillar in the 46th percentile. Graduates earn about $1,434 less than the model expects for similar students.

That puts the gap at the 50th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $8,489. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $9,923.

Four years after completing their degrees, graduates of Georgia State University earn a median of $58,898 among 8,148 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. That figure falls in the 47th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, and it sits below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Earnings scenarios anchored to the university's program mix range from a downside of $46,194 to an upside of $90,300; the typical scenario lands at $58,898. Continuation into graduate study is estimated at 30.8% based on program mix, not observed enrollment.

Georgia State University graduates earn about $1,434 less than the model expects for similar students, a result in the 50th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Median earnings four years after completion at Georgia State University are $58,898, which places the university in the 47th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Comparable institutions (same type and size) post a median of $65,610, leaving the university below that benchmark by $6,712.

Graduates earn about $1,434 less than the model expects for similar students, a result that sits in the 50th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $8,489.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $9,923. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,641.

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix run from $46,194 on the downside to $90,300 on the upside. Azimuth ranks the university #796 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Psychology is the largest bachelor's program, with 448 degrees awarded and median earnings of $49,050 four years after completion; Azimuth ranks it #194 nationally in its field. Computer Science, with 353 degrees awarded, reaches $100,582 and Azimuth ranks it #91 nationally in its field.

Among smaller programs, Insurance records $101,040 with 47 degrees awarded, at 1.14x the national median for its field, while Allied Health Professions reaches $99,457 with 37 degrees awarded and 1.41x the national median.

Program-level earnings at Georgia State University show considerable variation. The highest-earning fields illustrate this spread: Insurance graduates earn a median of $101,040 four years after completion, Computer Science graduates earn $100,582, and Allied Health Professions graduates earn $99,457.

The downside earnings scenario sits at $46,194 while the upside scenario reaches $90,300, reflecting the range of outcomes tied to different fields of study.

Graduates of Georgia State University earn about $1,434 less than the model expects for similar students. The median federal student debt at completion is $20,903, which is above the median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment on that debt is $238. The university's strongest pillar is access, where Azimuth places it in the 98th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That access profile coincides with a Pell Grant recipient share of 50.7% and an estimated transfer-in share of 28.6%, reflecting an institution that serves a broad and varied undergraduate population. The average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $13,787, and the spread between the lowest and highest income bands is $6,518. Aid covers about 44% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$8,489
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$9,923
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$1,434

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 State briefing

Georgia State acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Georgia State University admits 55.4% of applicants, a rate that sits well below the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 42,323 applicants, 24,217 admitted students, and 4,470 enrolled first-year students.

SAT: reported composite scores
Admission rate
55.4%
25th percentile
1030
Median
1140
75th percentile
1240

CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Georgia State briefing

What are the largest majors at Georgia State?[12]

Georgia State University fields 41 ranked bachelor's programs, and the spread between the highest- and moderate-earning fields is wide. Computer Science delivers a median of $100,582 four years after completion, ranking #91 nationally in its field and #3 in Georgia, alongside 353 degrees awarded.

Computer and Information Sciences follows at $87,020 with an Azimuth national rank of #91 and 319 degrees awarded. By contrast, the largest program, Psychology, reports median earnings of $49,050 and a national field rank of #194 on 448 degrees awarded.

Biology sits in a similar band at $52,222, ranking #257 nationally with 375 degrees awarded. The contrast between computing fields and the large social- and natural-science programs accounts for much of the earnings variation across the university's undergraduate portfolio.

The university offers 41 ranked bachelor's programs, with earnings data available for 43 fields. The largest program, Psychology, awarded 448 degrees and ranks #194 nationally, with a median of $49,050 four years after completion.

Computer Science awarded 353 degrees, and graduates earn a median of $100,582 four years after completion; the program ranks #91 nationally. The top-ranked program is Insurance, which holds the #3 spot in its field, awarded 47 degrees, and shows median earnings of $101,040 four years after completion.

Allied Health Professions ranks #10 with 37 degrees awarded and a median of $99,457. Business/Managerial Economics ranks #18 with 54 degrees awarded and a median of $84,681.

Georgia State University awards bachelor's degrees across 41 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 43 with published four-year earnings data. The program mix is anchored by Business, which accounts for 20.3% of degrees awarded, followed by Computer & Information Sciences at 12.7% and Biological Sciences at 8.5%.

The largest single programs are Psychology with 448 degrees awarded, Biology with 375 degrees awarded, and Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies with 374 degrees awarded. The highest-ranked program is Insurance, which awards 47 degrees and ranks #2 in Georgia within its field.

Allied Health Professions follows, with 37 degrees awarded and a national rank of #10 within its field, placing it #1 in Georgia. The highest-earning program is a smaller one: Insurance graduates earn a median of $101,040 four years after completion, from 47 degrees awarded.

Computer Science, one of the largest programs at 353 degrees awarded, reports the second-highest earnings at $100,582 and ranks #91 nationally within its field. Strong programs are spread across business, health, computing, and policy rather than concentrated in one area.

26.0% of degrees are in STEM fields. Psychology, the largest program, reports median four-year earnings of $49,050 four years after completion.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Psychology, General 448 degrees awarded
$49,050
Biology, General 375 degrees awarded
$52,222
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 374 degrees awarded
$50,632
Computer Science 353 degrees awarded
$100,582
Computer and Information Sciences, General 319 degrees awarded
$87,020
Marketing 251 degrees awarded
$67,872

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 State briefing

How does Georgia State serve students from different backgrounds?

The mobility pillar sits in the 98th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 53.1%, while Pell recipients complete at 32.4%, below the overall rate by 20.7 percentage points.

Graduates earn about $1,434 less than the model expects for similar students, a result that sits in the 50th percentile.

Azimuth places Georgia State University in the 98th percentile for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. The public university admits 55.4% of applicants, a rate well below the peer median of 78.1%.

Pell Grant recipients make up 50.7% of the 26,623 undergraduates, and an estimated 28.6% of students enter as transfers or part-time students.

06 / Georgia State briefing

What colleges are similar to Georgia State?[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 State.

Admissions peerUniversity of West Georgia51.6% admitted
Comparison with Georgia State
MeasureGeorgia StateUniversity of West Georgia
Peer earnings · 4 years$58,898$58,022-$876 vs Georgia State
Average annual net price$15,931$12,786-$3,145 vs Georgia State · lower cost
Admission rate55.4%51.6%
Explore University of West Georgia →
Higher-admission alternativeGeorgia Gwinnett College95.5% admitted
Comparison with Georgia State
MeasureGeorgia StateGeorgia Gwinnett College
Peer earnings · 4 years$58,898$56,872-$2,026 vs Georgia State
Average annual net price$15,931$15,844-$87 vs Georgia State · lower cost
Admission rate55.4%95.5%
Explore Georgia Gwinnett College →
Nearby alternativeGeorgia Gwinnett CollegeNearby option · GA
Comparison with Georgia State
MeasureGeorgia StateGeorgia Gwinnett College
Peer earnings · 4 years$58,898$56,872-$2,026 vs Georgia State
Average annual net price$15,931$15,844-$87 vs Georgia State · lower cost
Admission rate55.4%95.5%
Explore Georgia Gwinnett College →
Higher-earnings alternativeUniversity of Tulsa$79,396 earnings
Comparison with Georgia State
MeasureGeorgia StateUniversity of Tulsa
Peer earnings · 4 years$58,898$79,396+$20,498 vs Georgia State
Average annual net price$15,931$15,000-$931 vs Georgia State · lower cost
Admission rate55.4%61.5%
Lower-cost alternativeUniversity of North Georgia$9,823 average net price
Comparison with Georgia State
MeasureGeorgia StateUniversity of North Georgia
Peer earnings · 4 years$58,898$55,974-$2,924 vs Georgia State
Average annual net price$15,931$9,823-$6,108 vs Georgia State · lower cost
Admission rate55.4%67.9%
Explore University of North Georgia →
Similar profileFlorida Atlantic UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with Georgia State
MeasureGeorgia StateFlorida Atlantic University
Peer earnings · 4 years$58,898$59,690+$792 vs Georgia State
Average annual net price$15,931$8,752-$7,179 vs Georgia State · lower cost
Admission rate55.4%66.1%
Explore Florida Atlantic 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