Public · College

Gordon State College

Barnesville, Georgia · Distant town

#3 best value in Georgia
85.9%
Admit rate
$8,105
Avg net price
20%
Graduation rate
$37,871
Median earnings

Gordon State College is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Barnesville, Georgia (distant town setting), enrolling 2,544 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 2,544 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 86% admitNJCAA Division I

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Gordon State College's admitted students.

Admit rate
85.9%
SAT (mid 50%)
890–1130
Avg GPA (est.)
2.96

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

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

About Barnesville, Georgia

Barnesville is a city in and the county seat of Lamar County, Georgia, United States, located just outside of the Atlanta metropolitan area. Barnesville was founded in 1826 and named for Gideon Barnes, proprietor of a local tavern. Barnesville served as a major hospital site for wounded southern troops during the Civil War. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
33 miles to Macon, GA
To the ocean
190 miles
Nearest airport
38 miles to Middle Georgia (MCN)

How Gordon State College compares

Selectivity85.9%

More selective than 34% · #30 most selective of 46 in Georgia

SAT average1023

Higher than 11%

Graduation rate20%

Higher than 6% · #49 of 54 in Georgia

First-year retention51%

Higher than 7%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$37,871

Higher than 11% · #45 of 54 in Georgia

Average net price$8,105

Cheaper than 95% · #3 cheapest of 54 in Georgia

Median debt at graduation$17,500

Lower than 86%

Student–faculty ratio20 : 1

Lower than 10%

Undergraduate enrollment2,544

Larger than 64%

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

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

2,544undergrads
  • Women1,61063%
  • Men93437%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White48%
  • Black40%
  • Hispanic6.3%
  • Asian1.1%
  • Other or multiracial4.7%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,544
Student–faculty ratio
20 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
48%
First-generation students
38%
Students over 25
20%
Median family income
$29,199
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$68,301
Endowment
$4,841,065

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

Admissions

Admission rate
85.9%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
890–1130
SAT average
1023
SAT reading
450–590
SAT math
440–540
ACT composite
15–24
Average GPA (estimated)
2.96

Cost

In-state tuition
$3,628
Out-of-state tuition
$10,948
Room & board
$10,444
Books & supplies
$2,000
Total cost of attendance
$14,771
Average net price
$8,105

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)
20%
Graduated on time (4 years)
9%
First-year retention
51%
Transferred to another college
47%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$33,163
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$37,871
Median debt at graduation
$17,500
Students with federal loans
36%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
26%

About 12% 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
9%
Low-income (Pell)
18%
First-generation
17%

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
782
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
31%
Housing charge (year)
$6,892
Meal plan (year)
$3,200
Application fee
$30
Athletics
NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes
92 (57 men · 35 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 (4)

Baseball45
Softball20
Soccer15
Basketball12

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
12
Property offenses (2022–2024)
15

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,179 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.

9.0reported offenses a year
4.0 violent a year5.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
4.0
Rape
2.3
Aggravated assault
1.0
Motor vehicle theft
1.0
Fondling
0.3
Robbery
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
$6,912
$30–48k
$6,817
$48–75k
$9,435
$75–110k
$12,326
$110k+
$12,615

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
$45,734

$9,435/year × about 4.8 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.

11%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,837
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 11% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,837. 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 715 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)
$37,871
Typical debt at graduation
$17,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
46%
Out-earn a HS grad
42%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.6 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
$36,134
Men
$41,312

Men out-earn women by $5,178 (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
50.5″
Annual snow
0.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.75.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, The Rock Rch, GA US station (7.1 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 Gordon State College

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

Colleges near Gordon State College

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.