College Compass GuideTrue north for every college search.

Every accredited U.S. college

Colleges

Every accredited four-year college, rated on Academic Excellence and Value (what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and student debt), all from federal data.

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Search & sort
Compass Score sorts by outcomes, students and cost together. The other sorts order every college by a different measure.
Ratings
Compass ScoreCompass Score: a letter grade set by rank among rated colleges from federal data: outcomes (40%), entering students (40%), cost (15%) and teaching (5%). Choose the lowest grade to show.
ValueValue: what families pay after aid, graduation rate, earnings and debt, from federal data.
Academic ExcellenceAcademic Excellence: a letter grade set by rank among rated colleges, from federal data on graduation, retention, test scores, faculty ratio, and spending. It never uses rankings or surveys.
Only Compass Recommended colleges: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score.
Only Honor Roll colleges: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score.
Only the eight Ivy League universities.
Location1
Distance (miles)
A broad region of the country, as the guide groups the states. Territories are listed separately.
School
Type of college, as college guides group them (from the federal Carnegie Classification): national universities offer a full range of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs and do research; liberal arts colleges focus on undergraduates in the arts and sciences; regional universities mostly offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees; regional colleges mostly offer bachelor’s degrees in many fields; specialized schools focus on one field, such as health, art or business.
Public or privatePublic: run by a state or local government. Private: nonprofit or for-profit.
Total enrollment: small is under 2,000 students, medium 2,000 to 9,999, large 10,000 to 24,999, and very large 25,000 or more.
Net price: what a typical student pays per year after grants and scholarships, from the federal College Scorecard.
Coed: men and women together. Single-sex: all-male or all-female.
Campus life1
College sports level from federal data: NCAA Division I (the biggest programs), Division II, Division III, or NAIA.
Where the campus is, from federal data: in a city, a suburb, a town, or a rural area.
The college offers Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, on campus or with a nearby college (federal data).
The college offers study abroad (federal data).
Admissions and outcomes
How many applicants are admitted (federal data). Most: 65% or more. Selective: 25% to 64%. Highly selective: under 25%.
Your SAT or ACT, to sort colleges Target, Likely and Reach. Signed in, it is kept on your account (private to you); otherwise only in this browser.
Reach, Target or LikelyA rough guide from admitted students' scores and admission rates, not a prediction. Target: your score is in the college's middle range. Likely: above it, or the college admits most applicants. Reach: below it, or the college admits fewer than 1 in 5.
Small classes: 12 or fewer students per faculty member (federal data).
Strong outcomes: 75% or more of students graduate (federal data).
Major
Colleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.
Clear all
RecommendedOnly Compass Recommended colleges: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score.Honor RollOnly Honor Roll colleges: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score.ValueOnly colleges with a Value score of 85 or higher (grade A), from federal data.AcademicsOnly schools with an Academic Excellence grade of A or better (the top 10% of rated colleges), from federal data.Ivy LeagueOnly the eight Ivy League universities.Clear
Division I sportsCollege sports level from federal data: NCAA Division I (the biggest programs), Division II, Division III, or NAIA.ROTCThe college offers Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, on campus or with a nearby college (federal data).Study abroad (selected; select to remove)The college offers study abroad (federal data).NursingColleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.EngineeringColleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.Under $20kNet price under $20,000 a year: what a typical student pays after grants and scholarships (federal data).Small classesSmall classes: 12 or fewer students per faculty member (federal data).

46 schools · Sorted by Compass Score

School results

  • Compass ScoreGood

    Andrew College

    Top 14% for low debt
    Cuthbert, GA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 294 students

    About $22,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Toccoa Falls College

    #30 in Georgia
    Toccoa Falls, GA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,532 students

    About $22,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueFairAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    East Georgia State College

    Top 11% for low debt
    Swainsboro, GA · Public · 4-year · 1,756 students

    About $10,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Atlanta Metropolitan State College

    Top 5% for low net price
    Atlanta, GA · Public · 4-year · 1,551 students

    About $5,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Savannah State University

    Top 10% for low net price
    Savannah, GA · Public · 4-year · 3,078 students

    About $8,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Clark Atlanta University

    #35 in Georgia
    Atlanta, GA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 4,135 students

    About $38,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueFairAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Valdosta State University

    Top 18% for low net price
    Valdosta, GA · Public · 4-year · 10,151 students

    About $11,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Reinhardt University

    #37 in Georgia
    Waleska, GA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,170 students

    About $24,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueFairAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Middle Georgia State University

    Top 23% for low net price
    Macon, GA · Public · 4-year · 8,033 students

    About $12,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Brenau University

    #40 in Georgia
    Gainesville, GA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,420 students

    About $19,000 a year after aid, on average

    All-femaleAll-female: the school enrolls women only.ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Young Harris College

    #41 in Georgia
    Young Harris, GA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,420 students

    About $22,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueFairAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Fort Valley State University

    Top 16% for low net price
    Fort Valley, GA · Public · 4-year · 2,763 students

    About $10,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Shorter University

    #42 in Georgia
    Rome, GA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,447 students

    About $17,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College

    Top 7% for low net price
    Tifton, GA · Public · 4-year · 3,768 students

    About $7,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Clayton State University

    Top 11% for low net price
    Morrow, GA · Public · 4-year · 5,842 students

    About $8,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Columbus State University

    #47 in Georgia
    Columbus, GA · Public · 4-year · 7,610 students

    About $13,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Gordon State College

    Top 10% for low net price
    Barnesville, GA · Public · 4-year · 3,129 students

    About $8,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Georgia Southwestern State University

    Top 21% for low net price
    Americus, GA · Public · 4-year · 3,408 students

    About $12,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Georgia Gwinnett College

    #52 in Georgia
    Lawrenceville, GA · Public · 4-year · 11,907 students

    About $16,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    College of Coastal Georgia

    Top 20% for low debt
    Brunswick, GA · Public · 4-year · 3,189 students

    About $15,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    DeVry University-Georgia

    #58 in Georgia
    Decatur, GA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 487 students

    About $28,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueFairAcademicsFair

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Will you get in?

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