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Oglethorpe University: Lowry Hall at Oglethorpe University, September 2015
Photo: Marc Merlin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Liberal arts college

#12 Best colleges in Georgia

Oglethorpe University

Atlanta, GA · Private nonprofit · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $19,509 a year

Median debt at graduation: $25,000 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

Rankings

Where this college places on our top lists. Lists are worked out from official data and our own research; places in the top quarter of each list are shown. See every list

In Georgia

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Academic Excellence

BAcademic Excellence: Good (grade B): 70 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Good · Top 47%
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.54%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.73%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,227 · ACT 26.5
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.13 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$5,789

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family incomePrice after aid
Up to $30,000$16,207
$30,001–$48,000$17,558
$48,001–$75,000$18,745
$75,001–$110,000$23,924
Over $110,000$22,055

Full cost of attendance before aid: $60,581 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
1,499
Men and women
Undergraduates, fall 2023 (College Scorecard)
Men 37% · Women 63%
First-generation students
Share of students who are first-generation, by the College Scorecard’s definition
20%
First-year students from another state
Of first-time students whose home is a U.S. state, fall 2023 (IPEDS)
11%
Total students1,522
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$19,509
Cost of attendance (per year)$60,581
Median federal debt at graduation$25,000
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
54%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard)
44%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard)
40%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
Borrowers who repaid at least $1 of principal within 3 years (College Scorecard)
47%
First-year retention73%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$55,232
Admission rate88%
Application fee
Undergraduate application fee, 2023–24 (IPEDS)
$50
Students receiving Pell grants36%
Admitted students’ middle range:SAT 1090–1310ACT 22–31
Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT1227
SAT reading & writing550–660
SAT math540–650
ACT composite22–31
Test policyConsidered but not required

Value: Good · Top 50% (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
MajorMedian earnings
Business administration$54,609
Psychology$49,396
Writing and rhetoric$48,774

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Accounting, Area studies, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Biology, Biopsychology, Chemistry, Communication studies, Economics, Engineering (general), Engineering Physics, English, Experimental psychology, Film and video, Fine arts, History, Human resources, International relations, Liberal arts, Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, Political science, Public relations, Romance languages, Social work, Sociology, Theatre.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
FieldShare of degrees
Business23%
Biology14%
Visual and performing arts13%
Social sciences12%
Psychology10%

Campus life

School colors
SettingSuburb
Part-time undergraduates2%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older4%
On-campus room and board (per year)$15,780
SportsNCAA Division III · Southern Athletic Asssociation
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member13 to 1
Faculty who are full-time62%Of instructional faculty, fall 2023 (College Scorecard)
Endowment per student$31,720Endowment at the end of fiscal year 2023, per full-time-equivalent student (IPEDS)
Dorm spaceFor about 55% of studentsCampus beds divided by undergraduate enrollment. Not how many students live on campus (IPEDS)
Nearest airport with scheduled flightsDeKalb Peachtree Airport (PDK)About 2 miles away in a straight line (OurAirports)
Town population505,2682020–2024 five-year estimate (U.S. Census Bureau)
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreAtlantaAbout 9 miles away in a straight line (U.S. Census Bureau)
Average temperature in January42°F1991–2020 normal, from ATLANTA PEACHTREE AP, GA US, about 2 miles away (NOAA)
Average temperature in July80°F1991–2020 normal, from ATLANTA PEACHTREE AP, GA US, about 2 miles away (NOAA)

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
CategoryThis campusU.S. rate
Rape0.700.07
Robbery0.000.01
Aggravated assault2.810.04
Burglary0.700.08
Motor vehicle theft0.000.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is Oglethorpe University’s Compass Score?
Good (grade B). It ranks in the top 46% of rated colleges. The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does Oglethorpe University cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $19,509 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into Oglethorpe University?
Oglethorpe University admitted 88% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do Oglethorpe University’s graduates do?
54% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $55,232; the median federal debt at graduation is $25,000.

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About this school’s data
  • IPEDS unit ID 140696
  • Carnegie classification: Baccalaureate college (arts & sciences)
  • Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges d.b.a. Commission on Colleges and Universities (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
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