🎯 Parent/student verdict

Match

Solid match for academically prepared students. Affordable on average — net price runs around $15,931/yr. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

  • In-state residents (tuition ~$8,664 — major value play)
  • Students drawn to Business, Management, & Marketing or Computer & Information Sciences (the two biggest majors)
  • Research-oriented students (R1 — top tier of federal research funding)
  • Students who thrive in a large, programmatic environment

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1040, or ACT below 19 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)
  • Out-of-state tuition is 2.9× the in-state rate

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
R1: Doctoral - Very High Research Activity
Total enrollment
26,623
20,000 and above
In-state tuition
$8,664
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$24,840
+$16,176 vs in-state
Admit rate
62.3%
Accessible
SAT middle 50%
1040–1280
EBRW + Math composite
ACT middle 50%
19–26
composite
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$47,384
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$37,844
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$47,384
4-year completion
53%
Median debt (completers)
$20,903
Cost of attendance
$28,241
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
51%

💰 True ROI

7.4× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)
$63,724
$15,931/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$49,240
vs sticker $112,964
10-yr earnings total
$473,840
$47,384/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.3 yrs
at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Georgia State University, the average net price is $15,931/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$13,787/yr
Family income $30-48k
$14,430/yr
Family income $48-75k
$16,656/yr
Family income $75-110k
$19,390/yr
Family income $110k+
$20,305/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Georgia State University's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Georgia State University →

Opens on Georgia State University's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Georgia State University

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Georgia State University actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Business, Management, & Marketing
1,032 degrees · 33.1%
Typical career outcomes
Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
2. Computer & Information Sciences
670 degrees · 21.5%
Typical career outcomes
Software Developer $132k Data Scientist $108k Information Security Analyst $120k Web Developer $85k
High-paying tech roles dominate. Median software roles cluster in the $90k-$130k range.
3. Psychology
495 degrees · 15.9%
Typical career outcomes
HR Specialist $68k Market Research Analyst $75k Clinical Psychologist (post-PhD) $93k Social Worker $58k
Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.
4. Visual & Performing Arts
462 degrees · 14.8%
Typical career outcomes
Graphic Designer $59k Art Director $106k Multimedia Artist / Animator $99k Musician / Singer $39k
Highly variable. Steady-pay roles cluster in design, illustration, production. Performance careers have very wide income distributions.
5. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
458 degrees · 14.7%
Typical career outcomes
Project Manager $99k Management Analyst $99k Research Analyst $79k
Often paired with another field (data + biology, design + tech). Outcomes match the second discipline.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Georgia State University

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Insurance. Bachelor's Degree 47 $57,949 $101,040
Computer Science. Bachelor's Degree 353 $66,803 $100,582
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions. Bachelor's Degree 37 $78,175 $99,457
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods. Bachelor's Degree 31 $55,596 $89,587
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. Bachelor's Degree 161 $78,165 $87,146
Computer and Information Sciences, General. Bachelor's Degree 319 $65,439 $87,020
Business/Managerial Economics. Bachelor's Degree 54 $49,368 $84,681
Finance and Financial Management Services. Bachelor's Degree 236 $56,344 $82,688
Accounting and Related Services. Bachelor's Degree 164 $55,761 $81,029
Mathematics. Bachelor's Degree 39 $43,315 $68,916

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Georgia State University

CS degrees (annual)
922
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Georgia State University vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

Alternatives to Georgia State University

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options
These similar-selectivity schools have published auto-merit grids that Georgia State University doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.
University of Alabama in Huntsville
AL · Public
39 auto-merit scholarships on file
Texas Tech University
TX · Public
31 auto-merit scholarships on file
The University of Alabama
AL · Public
23 auto-merit scholarships on file
Mississippi State University
MS · Public
19 auto-merit scholarships on file
University of Alabama at Birmingham
AL · Public
19 auto-merit scholarships on file
💰 Better out-of-state value
For families paying $110k+ income tuition, these schools cost meaningfully less than Georgia State University.
Christian Brothers University
TN · Private nonprofit
$5,843/yr for $110k+ families ($14,462 less)
United States Merchant Marine Academy
NY · Public
$9,168/yr for $110k+ families ($11,137 less)
College of the Ozarks
MO · Private nonprofit
$10,426/yr for $110k+ families ($9,879 less)
Indiana University-Kokomo
IN · Public
$10,593/yr for $110k+ families ($9,712 less)
Texas A & M International University
TX · Public
$10,697/yr for $110k+ families ($9,608 less)
🛡️ Safer in-state options
Same state, similar SAT band, but with a more forgiving admit rate — useful safety / match anchors.
Middle Georgia State University
GA · Public
100% admit rate (vs 62% here)
Columbus State University
GA · Public
99% admit rate (vs 62% here)
College of Coastal Georgia
GA · Public
98% admit rate (vs 62% here)
Georgia Southern University
GA · Public
90% admit rate (vs 62% here)
Augusta University
GA · Public
89% admit rate (vs 62% here)

Building a college list?

Use these to fit Georgia State University into your overall strategy:

See your admit odds → Improve your score → Find merit aid →