Public · University

Georgia State University

Atlanta, Georgia · Large city

55.4%
Admit rate
$15,931
Avg net price
53%
Graduation rate
$47,384
Median earnings

Georgia State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Atlanta, Georgia (large city setting), enrolling 26,623 undergraduates.

PublicLarge · 26,623 undergradsLarge citySelective · 55% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Sun Belt Conference

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Georgia State University's admitted students.

Admit rate
55.4%
SAT (mid 50%)
940–1180
Avg GPA
3.60

Enter a test score to see where you land against Georgia State University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Georgia State University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. For thousands of years prior to the arrival of European settlers in North Georgia, the indigenous Creek people, Cherokee people, and their ancestors inhabited the area. Atlanta has drawn residents from many other parts of the U.S., in addition to many recent immigrants to the U.S. who have made the metropolitan area their home, establishing Atlanta as the cultural and economic hub of an increasingly multi-cultural metropolitan area. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
Atlanta, GA
To the ocean
221 miles
Nearest airport
8 miles to Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta (ATL) · major hub

How Georgia State University compares

Selectivity55.4%

More selective than 81% · #9 most selective of 46 in Georgia

SAT average1076

Higher than 21%

Graduation rate53%

Higher than 46% · #14 of 54 in Georgia

First-year retention80%

Higher than 62%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$47,384

Higher than 31% · #27 of 54 in Georgia

Average net price$15,931

Cheaper than 68% · #21 cheapest of 54 in Georgia

Median debt at graduation$20,903

Lower than 69%

Student–faculty ratio25 : 1

Lower than 4%

Undergraduate enrollment26,623

Larger than 97%

Percentiles compare Georgia State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Georgia.

Georgia State University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

34,152students
  • Undergraduate26,62378%
  • Graduate7,52922%

Undergraduates by gender

26,623undergrads
  • Women16,77563%
  • Men9,84837%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White15%
  • Black43%
  • Hispanic15%
  • Asian16%
  • Other or multiracial9.9%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
26,623
Graduate enrollment
7,529
Student–faculty ratio
25 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
51%
First-generation students
32%
Students over 25
15%
Median family income
$27,922
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$93,636
Endowment
$259,886,368

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 4,569 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Georgia86%
  • Other U.S. states6.6%
  • International7.7%

Most first-years stay in state — Georgia State University draws overwhelmingly from Georgia.

8% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
55.4%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
940–1180
SAT average
1076
SAT reading
480–590
SAT math
460–590
ACT composite
19–26
Average GPA
3.60

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,664
Out-of-state tuition
$24,840
Room & board
$13,392
Books & supplies
$2,000
Total cost of attendance
$28,241
Average net price
$15,931

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
53%
Graduated on time (4 years)
33%
First-year retention
80%
Transferred to another college
25%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$37,844
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$47,384
Median debt at graduation
$20,903
Students with federal loans
40%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
39%

About 20% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
33%
Low-income (Pell)
30%
First-generation
29%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
5,271
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
20%
Housing charge (year)
$12,206
Meal plan (year)
$4,322
Application fee
$60
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Sun Belt Conference
Varsity athletes
423 (222 men · 201 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (10)

Football118
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)74
Soccer64
Baseball40
Basketball32
Softball24
Volleyball21
Golf17
Tennis17
Beach Volleyball16

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
46
Property offenses (2022–2024)
28

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (34,944 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

25reported offenses a year
15 violent a year9.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
7.0
Fondling
5.0
Burglary
4.7
Motor vehicle theft
3.7
Robbery
1.7
Aggravated assault
1.3
Arson
1.0
Murder
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$13,787
$30–48k
$14,430
$48–75k
$16,656
$75–110k
$19,390
$110k+
$20,305

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$76,084

$16,656/year × about 4.6 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

10%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$13,094
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 10% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $13,094. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 5,265 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$47,384
Typical debt at graduation
$20,903
Debt vs. one year's pay
44%
Out-earn a HS grad
63%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.4 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$45,231
Men
$51,462

Men out-earn women by $6,231 (14%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
90°F
Winter low
34°F
Annual rain
48.1″
Annual snow
2.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.55.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Atlanta Fulton CO AP, GA US station (8 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Georgia State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Georgia State University side by side →

Colleges near Georgia State University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.