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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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.
School1
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 life
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.
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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 abroadThe 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).
Net price up to $20,000State: GeorgiaClear all

34 schools · Sorted by Compass Score

  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 3%

    Georgia Institute of Technology

    Top 2% for earnings
    Atlanta, GA · Public · 4-year · 47,946 students

    $12,116 a year after aid, on average

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.ValueExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 6%

    University of Georgia

    #3 in Georgia
    Athens, GA · Public · 4-year · 41,615 students

    $13,936 a year after aid, on average

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.ValueExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreGood · Top 46%

    Oglethorpe University

    #12 in Georgia
    Atlanta, GA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,522 students

    $19,509 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood · Top 50%

    Georgia State University

    #13 in Georgia
    Atlanta, GA · Public · 4-year · 34,974 students

    $15,931 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Kennesaw State University

    #14 in Georgia
    Kennesaw, GA · Public · 4-year · 45,069 students

    $15,048 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Wesleyan College

    #15 in Georgia
    Macon, GA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 641 students

    $12,724 a year after aid, on average

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

    Dalton State College

    Top 4% for low net price
    Dalton, GA · Public · 4-year · 4,902 students

    $5,012 a year after aid, on average

    ValueExcellentAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreGood

    University of West Georgia

    Top 25% for low net price
    Carrollton, GA · Public · 4-year · 12,728 students

    $12,786 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Thomas University

    #18 in Georgia
    Thomasville, GA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,583 students

    $18,499 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Georgia Southern University

    #19 in Georgia
    Statesboro, GA · Public · 4-year · 26,041 students

    $15,267 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Augusta University

    #20 in Georgia
    Augusta, GA · Public · 4-year · 9,862 students

    $13,787 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    University of North Georgia

    Top 15% for low net price
    Dahlonega, GA · Public · 4-year · 18,074 students

    $9,823 a year after aid, on average

    ValueExcellentAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Georgia Military College

    Top 4% for low debt
    Milledgeville, GA · Public · 4-year · 6,765 students

    $16,923 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Albany State University

    Top 21% for low net price
    Albany, GA · Public · 4-year · 6,544 students

    $11,898 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Georgia Highlands College

    Top 7% for low net price
    Rome, GA · Public · 4-year · 4,955 students

    $6,928 a year after aid, on average

    ValueExcellentAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreGood

    South Georgia State College

    Top 11% for low debt
    Douglas, GA · Public · 4-year · 1,853 students

    $8,767 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    East Georgia State College

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

    $9,626 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

    $5,258 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

    $8,172 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Valdosta State University

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

    $10,945 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Middle Georgia State University

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

    $12,361 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Brenau University

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

    $18,924 a year after aid, on average

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

    Fort Valley State University

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

    $10,338 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Shorter University

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

    $16,646 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

    $6,842 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair

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